In a mad dash through the dust, a throng of local T-ballers warmed up for another night of Perry League T-ball last Friday. (Submitted photo)
Glorious season of Perry League T-ball in full swing
- Published: June 25, 2026
By Coach Yunus Brevik
We’ve entered the sixth month of the year, home to the strawberry moon and longest day of the year, and — unique to our little spot of the earth — the time of year when T-ball season starts. Elise, who just turned 6, spoke for us all on opening night Friday, June 5, when she noted she’s been taking a break from Perry League “because it wasn’t summer.”
While a severe thunderstorm watch was in effect for the weekend, Friday night was as gorgeous as we could hope for and a nice contrast to last year’s opening night no-gamer because of a too-muddy infield.
Five minutes before game time, a steady line moved through registration and about a dozen young ones roamed the infield, at least half in this year’s new tie-dye shirts, with a variety of the past few years’ tie-dye shirts as well. A few children were dragging the tee around, several were throwing or chasing balls, some were just running or chasing others, a few were huddling and socializing, and at least one really little person was sitting and just soaking it all up.
We had to make a pre-game decision on what to do with the bleachers, given the recent addition of more formal dugouts to the field. This was the first game to our knowledge during which the bleachers sat behind the fence. We were worried those waiting to bat would be too far from the field, or the view wouldn’t be as nice, yet it all seemed to work out fine. It definitely made a difference with sending out one player at a time to bat, which, if you’ve witnessed any games in the past, is a bit of a challenge when you have so many eager young batters and they are all just a few feet from the pile of bats.
T-ball is only possible because a handful of adults are willing to volunteer their time and help to ensure the game runs smoothly. Thanks to those who answered the call and joined us on the field or on the bench. Even the writing of this article is a group effort. We made a call for someone willing to jot down notes while positioned near home plate. At the beginning of the game Cissy and her mom, Liz, took note of each player’s name as they came to bat. By mid- to late-game, Ender’s mom, Jen, had a turn and added a variety of comments. This is incredibly helpful for us coaches.
A few minutes after six, the whistle was blown and children were called to line up on the third baseline. I’m not sure if any of us counted, but we started the evening with a lot of players. There wasn’t an official count of how many players had braids, but we had quite the range, as some came with a single braid, or two or three, some with five or more. There’s also a good chance the number of players with shoes was about the same as those without. A small handful brought their own bats, including a Savannah Bananas bat. That was a first.
As is customary, everyone runs, walks, or gets carried to the outfield for a warm-up. Usually a few hats are picked up on the way. You’d understand if you saw how fast some of them sprint. The coach tries to be mindful to warm up with movements that prepare parts of the body used in baseball, such as wrists, shoulders and hamstrings, to name a few. However, the warm-up is much more like play than anything else. Throwing our arms up while riding a rollercoaster, or crawling on the ground like a cat or dog are common moves.
Warm-ups done, children back on the third baseline for a safety debriefing, and then a scramble to find a spot in the infield or on the bench to bat, and it was game on. We often have a few older and savvy children who know how the bench system works and make every effort to be first to sit so they’re first to hit. On opening night that older child was River Brevik, 7, who considered T-ball as extra practice since he now plays in the Yellow Springs minor league. He called foul on his first hit and found redemption in his second swing. Younger brother Cassian, 3, had followed River to the bench, so was up second. Because he chose a bat bigger than his body, it took a few swings to make contact before he was off and running for first.
Kai, 6, was up third. I observed that we both had the same shoes on. He looked down and said, “But I don’t have shoes on,” to which I responded, “No shoes are a type of shoes. You got your feet on.” He thought for a minute then broke into a smile. He too had a solid hit, and then our game was in full swing, bases loaded.
One of opening night’s many joys is seeing children return year after year. Camilla, 6, approached the tee and, after reminding me of her name (my memory has some lapses during that long break between summers), was engaged in small talk before hitting. I said, “I remember you from last year. You have a brother, right?” Rather quickly she replied, “Yeah. He’s in my mom’s tummy.” That’s likely not the brother I was remembering from last year, so I followed up, “Do you have another brother?” She pointed to the baseball field at the other end of the park and said, ‘Yes. But he plays over there now.” Time flies.
Another joy is watching how much a child can change in the short span of one evening. Luna, 5, started the game quite unsure of what she’d be dealing with. There were tears before the game started and a considerable amount of apprehension early in the game. By her second time to bat, which was an impressive line drive, she was wearing a smile that was all the more beautiful after those early tears.
Apologies to Cameron, 4, who was announced as Carmen. There are children who correct me when I attempt to confirm their name, and there are children who smile and nod as I mispronounce their name. Cameron was the latter, with an enthusiastic nod and broad smile as I said, “Carmen. It’s Carmen? Am I saying that right? Carmen?” I’ll try to make sure I get it right next week.
We were blessed with several new faces on Friday. Ellie, 3, Stone, 5, Jory, 3, Jamon, 2, and Frankie, 2, all made their Perry League debuts. You would have never known it was Ellie’s first time given her ability to hit. Jory was new, yet showed up in a 2010 Perry League shirt from the Clarks. He fit right in. Stone brought such infectious joy, and was enthusiastically cheerleaded at the tee by his father, Shane. Jamon approached the tee holding the bat like a cue stick ready to play billiards, and was gently encouraged to experiment with a standard bat grip instead. Frankie explored about every square inch of the infield for the first half of the game, and was incredibly helpful with bringing balls to the tee. She waited until late in the game to have a go at hitting, and seemed to enjoy that as well.
That’s a snippet of what was our first night of this season’s Yellow Springs Perry League T-ball. Our all-volunteer program is noncompetitive, free and open to children aged 2-9, regardless of their race, color, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, spiritual inclination or practice, ability or disability. All are welcome to join us each Friday evening through Aug. 7, except July 3, starting at 6 p.m. in Gaunt Park.
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