The Andover Youth Baseball (AYB) Program started practices in early April this year. Initially, some of the teams were practicing in the gym at AE/MS, but once the mud and grass dried out, the teams started to migrate down to Howard George Baseball Field on Lawrence Street.
With Opening Day scheduled for Saturday, May 7, it has been a blessing to have an extended amount of practice time on the field before games really kick off. After May 7, the season will run until the final week of the school year in mid-June.
TBall plays on Saturday mornings at 8:30 AM; Rookies play on Thursdays at 6 PM and Saturdays at 10:30 AM; Minors play on Tuesdays at 6 PM and Saturdays at 3 PM; and the Majors play on Mondays at 6 PM, Wednesdays at 6 PM, and Saturdays at 1 PM.
Building on an impressive 63 participants last spring, AYB has seen historic registration numbers this year. We have 75 participants across six teams, ranging in age from 4 to 12 years old. Given the dwindling baseball interest in the towns that surround our community, our numbers are incredible. Baseball is alive and well in Andover!
The TBall Blue Team is being coached by James Vara, and the TBall Red Team is being coached by Cameron Doucet. The Rookies are once again being coached by Myles McLeod. Once a Majors Coach, Jim Carelton is back coaching his younger son on the Minors. His Assistant Coach, Lauren Koron, is moving up from Rookies to coach alongside her son as well. Majors Blue is being coached by Steve Barton, and Majors Red is being coached by Adam Jones.
During last season, the Andover community graciously helped us raise funds to revitalize the infield, build new bleachers, and purchase a new electronic scoreboard. In addition to installing the new scoreboard in the coming weeks, we’ve also purchased a new outfield fence and a flagpole, completed another round of field maintenance, and restocked the Concession Stand for the season. In addition to those projects, we have a few others planned..
We would like to thank all of our community donors for donating again this season: Byron’s Septic, Braley Standing Seam Roofing, Pizza Chef, Turning Leaf Builders, Belletetes, JJs Market, TerraStryke, Barton and Sons Builders, and TE Austin Property Maintenance. Without their generous support and all the parents who volunteer their time before, during, and after the season, we could never successfully run this program.
The health of our little baseball program is truly a testament to the generosity of our town and the belief that youth sports really make a difference in kids’ lives. Win or lose, there is so much that can be taught on the baseball field about living a life of passion, integrity, and kindness.
Please join us down at the Howard George Baseball Field this spring – maybe on a weeknight or at some point on a Saturday. You don’t need to know anyone on the teams to enjoy a few innings or even an entire game. There will be baseball music, hot dogs, popcorn, drinks, ice cream, and all the candy you can eat.
And I promise you that the small-town magic of baseball will be on full display. I know I wouldn’t miss it for the world!