Every young ballplayer who has progressed from Little League to high school ball, and even those who don’t play for their school teams, yearns to hit the diamond in summer and play more ball.
Babe Ruth League gives 13- to 16-year-olds the chance to play. This year, those kids were almost deprived of the chance to play, but the game will go on, thanks to a dedicated team of baseball lovers
Originally known as the Little Bigger League, Babe Ruth League has increased steadily from its first 10-team league in Hamilton Township, N.J. to its present combined size of over 1 million players.
This year, the Mount Vernon Baseball Association (Babe Ruth League) cut ties and decided against running the Babe Ruth League in Mount Vernon and posted on social media about needing someone to take over, and Colten Landis and Bo Boucher organized Mount Vernon Babe Ruth Association / dba / Knox Babe Ruth League, a nonprofit organization to run, promote and develop the league to keep kids on the diamond.
Landis, business development executive for Builders First Source, and Boucher, small-business owner of B Unlimited Services – Electric Plumbing and Excavating, both played in the league as teens and saw the need to keep kids playing. Landis, president of the organization, said, “Bo and I were both members of the league when we were growing up, and it held a special place in our hearts, so we decided to take over the league to keep it going and hopefully get it back to where it use to be.”
Boucher, the group vice president said, “We kind of started from the ground floor, and it is way more involved than one would think, with licensing, insurance, bank accounts, sponsors, umpires, concessions and everything that goes into this. We reached out to Bart Severns, who ran the MVBA league, and he helped us put this together. It involved creating a whole new league from the bottom up.”
Boucher isn’t content with recreating what Knox County has before. “First and foremost is letting the kids play, but we strive to improve what was there before and build something even better foe the community and for the kids.”
“We will operate under the Babe Ruth Rules, but we are not sanctioned by the Babe Ruth League Organization,” Landis said.
Play is scheduled to start after high school players have finished with their school programs.
“We are hoping to have 50 or more kids for five teams," Landis said. "We are a Mount Vernon league, but we are for all of Knox County, so if there are teams or players from other towns within the county, please get in touch with us as you are all welcome and encouraged to play.”
Opening day will be on a Saturday to be determined, and the season will operate on weekdays that are to be determined. All games will be played at the Mount Vernon Babe Ruth field at Memorial Park on Mount Vernon Avenue.
Landis said, “We will have a city tournament at the end of the season to crown the champion. There will be a regular season champion and a tournament champion.”
In-person Knox Babe Ruth League registration will take place at the Babe Ruth field announcer’s booth on the following dates:
Friday, Jan. 28, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 5, noon-2 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb 9, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 19, noon-2 p.m.
Thursday, Feb 24, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
And the last day for registration:
Saturday, March 5, noon-2 p.m.
New player tryouts will take place Saturday, Mar. 26 from 9 a.m. to noon.
Landis said, “I encourage all interested athletes to get signed up as soon as possible. We want this league to be fun and have as many kids as possible. We project five teams, but the ideal number of teams is six or seven.”
The league is in need of sponsors. Landis said, “Currently, we have had a few companies reach out and have become official sponsors. They include Longs Drive Thru, Honey Buckets Tavern and Food Truck, Speak Easy Tattoo Shop, and Relentless Stealth Land Management. We have quite a few other sponsors in the works and can’t wait to make them official. If businesses would like to sponsor an outfield sign please email coltmvbra@gmail.com and I will get you the appropriate paperwork to make it happen. We encourage all the sponsors and support we can get to make this a success.”
Knox Babe Ruth League secretary and concessions manager Tabitha Braxton, a supervisor at Sano America and consultant for Scentsy wash and warmers, said, “We need volunteers for concession stands, painting the lines, umpires and all aspects of the games and support to be successful. Those interested, please contact me at tabmvbra@gmail.com.” She said her boys were raised on the field and she is dedicated to keep it going for this generation of ballplayers.
“Bo and I – and my mom, Tabitha Braxton – are very excited to get this rolling and to make this league a success and fun for these kids." Landis said. "That’s what it is all about. We have had some great support and volunteers step up and we are so grateful. It’s not even February yet and we are ready to line the fields and hear the national anthem. Play ball.”
