MOUNT VERNON – Through recessions, pandemics and other distractions, Hank Snow keeps his league chugging along.
The Knox County Babe Ruth Fall Baseball League has concluded its 2021 season with its championship tournament, and the league and its director are looking toward 2022. This year, due to health and safety restrictions, it’s fair to say that the 20th season in league history has been the most challenging.
“We follow all the protocols, like no shaking hands,” Snow said. “We don’t have any (portable) toilets here. We were told we had to clean and sanitize them three times a day, and we weren’t interested for that.”
The Knox County Fall League is a part of the larger Babe Ruth Baseball League, an organization focusing on players too old for traditional Little League baseball. No such organization existed in Knox County prior to Snow’s efforts.
“We’re getting them ready for summer leagues and for high school,” Snow said. “We get kids from four different counties here. It’s better for them to come here and spend their money here than to go to Columbus.
“I’m not in this for money. I’m in this for these kids.”
The field is a familiar sight to those who travel near Mount Vernon High School. It rests across from the football stadium, nestled next to Memorial Park.
The league operated with five teams this season. Unlike previous years, rosters became fluid; many players missed games, usually due to COVID positive tests or contact tracing. For their final few games, several teams had to borrow players from other teams in order to fill out their lineups.
Five teams may not seem like many, but it’s ideal for Snow.
“With the volunteers we can get, and the cost of everything, five is about right for us,” Snow said.
When the league began in 2002, there were just three teams. Wins and losses weren’t counted, and individual stats generally weren’t kept. As the years went by, the league grew, capping itself at 10 teams at one point. Interest waned over the years following, as other options opened up for kids, and the league settled on five teams.
The tournament ended last weekend in a single-elimination format. The dust settled, the winners were crowned and the bats and balls got packed away – until next year.
"It should be a very good year," said Snow.
