Youth baseball proving a hit for area kids

As Major League Baseball reaches its halfway point this week with its annual All-Star contest, local youth baseball players have been busy on the diamond, too, as Maricopa Little League is offering youth baseball for area kids this summer.

“We have close to 100 kids enrolled in baseball with an 85 percent to 15 percent split favoring boys,” Marty McDonald, director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Maricopa said. The program is for kids, ages 4 to 9, with all games on Saturday mornings at 8 and 9 a.m. at Pacana Park. The season will run until Aug. 4.

David Aviles, coordinator for the City of Maricopa Parks and Recreation, said the program is open to all children in the surrounding communities of Maricopa, Hidden Valley, Thunderbird Farms and Ak-Chin.

According to McDonald, this is the City’s first attempt at offering youth baseball. “Maricopa Little League offers T-Ball and Coach Pitch leagues, but their seasons are earlier in the year,” McDonald noted. “Ours is a summer league designed to keep kids busy during the summer as well as provide sports opportunities for children that missed out on registration or moved here after the fact.”

McDonald said the City wants to serve the youth of Maricopa by offering dynamic sports programs. “We’re going to start an ASA (Amateur Softball Association) sanctioned league for girls softball in 2008,” McDonald added.