KENNEWICK, Wash. – Baseball season is right around the corner, and after a rough start, getting the baseball fields at the Kennewick National Youth Baseball league grounds ready in time. The community is coming to the rescue.
Spring Training for Major League Baseball has finally arrived, but for the Kennewick National Youth League, they are spring cleaning by trading their bats for a rake.
Jett and Cal Church have been playing baseball for a couple of years and said they can’t wait for the season to start, but they also realize they need to pitch in to help ensure they have a field to play on.
“We’re helping out with a little bit of fieldwork,” Jett Church said. “Raking up leaves and stuff.”
Jett and Cal’s father, David Church, is the maintenance manager for the grounds at the complex. He said they are on a time crunch to get the field in working order for the kids.
“Everything you see at this complex and the other complexes in town is 100% nonprofit volunteer time,” Church said.
At this point, Church said they still have a long way to go to prepare for tryouts in a couple of weeks.
“We’re sod cutting all of the lines out,” he said. ” We’re starting fresh this year. Tons of sprinkler repair. Hanging the nets, prune, weed, garbage, hanging the sunshades and new nets.”
Church said the list continues to grow to prepare the fields for the season, but he’s overwhelmed by the community stepping up to help them.
According to Church, in the past, it’s hit or miss if they have a good turnout for help. Today was a great turnout.
“I got three or four phone calls from numbers I didn’t even know,” Church said. “It’s like, hey, this is so and so. What can I do to be there? It’s touching.”
Church said the need for places like this is because he believes baseball fields is where kids grow up to be good adults. He stated he’s learned a lot while on a ball field.
His sons Jett and Cal can’t wait to take the field.
The Kennewick National Youth Baseball League will hold another clean-up day on Sunday, February 25, from 9 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon.
