Baseball legend Yogi Berra once said: “Little League baseball is a very good thing because it keeps the parents off the streets.” Well said, Yogi. Well said.

We had an exciting year of baseball this spring. It all started with workouts and tryouts in February. Our oldest skipped out on his final year of Little League eligibility and instead focused on high school ball. Our three other boys all played Little League and our second oldest played for a Cal Ripken team simultaneously (more on that later).

Our oldest daughter decided to skip softball completely this year after several less-than-stellar experiences the last three years. She might pick it up again this coming spring high school. Although our youngest already knows how to handle a bat quite well, she still wasn’t old enough to play. T-ball starts for her next spring.

Tyler had a successful season on the JV squad and led his team in basically every offensive category. He got to suit up for the varsity team when they went to state and even got a little action before they were eliminated. He’s geared up and ready to play a big role for the varsity team this spring.

T-Money

Our second oldest son had a great season with his little league team, the Mudcats. They only lost one game all season and that was a fluke. I promise, it really was. They dominated the competition all season and easily won the Evergreen Little League Tournament of Champions in the Majors Division.

Majors TOC Champ

He excelled as a pitcher and shortstop and he’s a natural-born leadoff hitter who would be convicted of countless felonies if stealing bases were a serious crime. He made All-Stars and led his club to its second straight District Championship over their growing rival, Camas.

2-Time District Champ

They went to the Washington State Tournament from there and suffered a heart-breaking loss in the first contest, followed by a roller-coaster, nail biting win in their second game. But the ride stopped there as they were soundly beaten and eliminated in their third game.

His Cal Ripken experience was much different than his Little League season. It was a new team with kids that had never really played together that much and they struggled. It was also an extra burden on his parents to keep track of yet another schedule.

Finally, after continuous scheduling conflicts with Little League games, we bowed out at the end of May. We won’t try to do two separate teams at the same time again. Lesson learned.

Our third son played AA-Minor ball this season and he really grew as a ballplayer. Although he is probably the smallest kid in his entire division, he plays like a giant. He was one of the best and most reliable pitchers in the league and he smacked some serious shots to the outfield that no one saw coming.

Double-A TOC Champ

Without question, he was a team leader and he led his team, the Bulls, all the way to the Evergreen Little League Tournament of Champions trophy. They had to come back from the loser’s bracket and beat their rival in consecutive games in order to win, and they did it.

It was gut-wrenching action and an awesome experience!

He also made All-Stars, but his team didn’t have as much success as his older brother’s team did. They finished 2-2 in Districts, with the last loss coming in heartbreaking fashion. After being held scoreless for five innings, they took the lead in the top of the sixth, only to lose the game in the bottom half.

Let’s Go!

Still, it was a great season and he grew a ton. He’ll be ready to move up to the Majors Division next spring and join his older brother on the Mudcats.

Our youngest played another good season in A-Minor, but it didn’t take long for him to wish he had played up in AA-Minor, instead. He hit well, fielded well and pitched well. He had a fun time and he’s definitely ready to make the move up next spring.

Behind the Dish

Overall, it was an awesome season and we had a great time watching our boys play hard, compete hard and become better ball players.

Of course, the off-season never lasts long in our house. Fall Ball has already started and all three of our younger boys are playing again. So if we’re not home much till the end of October, you’ll most likely find us around the diamond.