By Coach Yunus Brevik, with assistance from scribe Thea Brevik

What a lovely night for T-ball! The sun was shining on the bats, with kids having fun, and the sound of a bat hitting the ball was the only sound you would hear other than Obi’s fan club cheering. I saw lots of great hits to left field, right field and many to center field. But the biggest hit I saw was by River Brevik, 7, with a smashing hit to center field.

But the hits weren’t the only thing I saw, because I saw some kids trying to dress to impress while batting, like Winnie, who wore the cutest outfit I’ve ever seen! She wore a bright white tank top, sparkling for the whole crowd, and amazing pink boots that made Vogue call! And the number of smiles I saw was priceless. Many more amazing kids came with shining attitudes. I appreciate all the amazing kids who came, and I say, “Thank you,” to them.

— Thea Brevik, 10

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Thanks to former T-baller Thea Brevik, who took a break from playing ball for the Ye Olde Trail Tavern baseball team to volunteer her time as our scribe Friday, June 12. She filled four pages of notebook paper with snippets about the evening’s batters and contributed the opening two paragraphs above.

Sarah, 8, known for her signature spin — the momentum of her batting carries her a full 360 degrees or more — approached the tee and announced, “Pickle power!” This may have had a relationship to the green Band-Aid she was sporting, or she just determined that the evening’s enthusiastic energy could be credited to pickles. Either way, as second to bat, she set the stage for a series of surprises.

Maya, 9, whose knees were amazingly healed and without Band-Aids after last week’s spills, approached the tee and sang, “Here comes the ball,” to the tune of a familiar wedding song. Jameson, 5, had an impressive hit and was not shy about letting us know he was able to pull this off “because I’m good.”

The seriousness with which some approach batting was on full display when Lily, 5, came in a sunshine-and-rainbows dress, along with purple glasses. It appears having the right gear is part of a successful turn at bat.

Amelia “Millie,” 6, walked up sporting batting gloves. Clearly, they worked. She also let us know, since she arrived with dripping-wet hair from the pool, that she uses goggles to go underwater.

And it’s not only the gear that helps these young ones. Zorin, 6, let us know he showed up two hours early to practice. That’s dedication.

Jonas, 4, had such a strong hit this evening that he chose to run directly to second base. The Force was strong this evening, for sure. Case in point was Obi, 3, who not only channeled the Jedi-like strength of a person with whom he shares a name, but also had, as noted in the introduction, a full cheerleading squad.

Esak, 3, also had a group shouting chants to encourage him at bat. One of the most fun parts of T-ball is witnessing how much genuine and authentic encouragement the players receive, regardless of whether they hit a line drive into the grass or their hit amounts to the ball rolling a few feet from the tee.

Esak’s older sister, Luna, 5, approached the tee like a pro. The pages of notes from our scribe are full of exclamation points noting the impressive hits.

There was a second 5-year-old Luna, who, in addition to sharing a name and age with another player, also had a moon shot.

Addilyn, 6, Ainsley, 4, and Cameron, 4, all made solid contact with the ball and seemed to lend weight to the idea that baseball runs in the family. Cameron’s name was announced correctly this week, and he also appeared to be preparing himself for July’s home run derby. He already sports a pro hat — the Brewers. He likely could keep up with whoever else from the National League is out there walloping balls.

We bring a range of bats for players to choose from. Sometimes, that decision takes a good bit of time. Often, the decision is guided by a preference for a color or pattern. The bat with flames is quite popular, as are the purple and pink bats.

Stone, 5, who let me know he was here with “the twins” — his older sisters — brought a new approach to his bat selection. Along with inspecting both ends of each bat, he chose to use some like drumsticks on the ground. It’s quite possible we can add sound to the list of factors that help a player decide which bat to choose.

Regardless of what strikes a player’s fancy about a bat, they also seem to find the right match. Miles, 6, put the ball way into the grass after choosing just the right stick.

We lost a few players and adult volunteers around our midgame snack break because Mad River Theater Works had a performance at 7 p.m. We are certain it was phenomenal and hope it was enjoyed by all.

After the game, we did our usual sweep of the field, looking for balls hiding in the grass. Margi had to ask a few children to return balls so they’d be available for the game next week. Those curious kids asked her how much new T-balls cost and were told how much was paid for a dozen of them.

Luna, 5, chimed in with, “And chicken is expensive in this town, too!”

Our all-volunteer program is noncompetitive, free and open to children ages 2–9, regardless of their race, color, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, spiritual inclination or practice, ability or disability. You are welcome to join us Friday evenings in June and July, beginning at 6 p.m. in Gaunt Park.