Benjamin and T-Ball

Benjamin got his first taste of organized sports this year as he went out for t-ball. This was the first year in Russellville that the four year olds split off into their own league. In the past, it was 4-6 year olds that played in the same league, where the coach threw three pitches and then they hit off a tee. This year, the four year olds were in a league where it was just hitting off the tee. No outs, everyone hits, last guy runs all the bases.

Benjamin was a little nervous about it before the season started, but took to it well. He was one of the few that paid attention (mostly) during the game and was able to hit solidly off the tee, though he always seemed to hit the tee on his first swing of an at-bat. He told me that he liked playing first base the most, because there was always something to do there. If the coaches didn't send him to a different position, he always ran on out to first.

It was a fun season all in all. We had a number of rainouts, so we had a couple of unofficial makeup games. The team numbers dwindled as the season progressed. The team started with 9 or 10 and wound up with 6-7 showing up to the final games. Benjamin never missed one, though, and is ready for next year!

Here are some shots of the ballplayer in action:

Here he is sitting on the bench before the first game. The first game of the season, while in April, was played in bitterly cold conditions. A strong, biting wind and below-average temperatures made it feel like freezing even if it wasn't quite there.

Here's some more of his team. They were officially named the Bees, but the coach thought the logo (taken from this minor league team) looked more like a hornet, so that was what they often went by.

Here he is playing first in that initial game. While most everyone would make a mad dash for the ball, he stayed at the base waiting for the throw. He even stopped a couple of them, though catching them will have to wait a little while, apparently.

Does that look like a ballplayer or what? That's someone ready to field anything. He did record an "out" in the game, if they had been counting them. He stopped a ball that was hit to him and made it to the bag before the runner.

While it looks like he's playing outfield here, this was one of the makeup games. Instead of being played on a real field, they played out at Sequoyah where they usually held their practices. He's basically shortstop here, but he's looking for the ball even though it's not likely to come to him there.

Apparently the ball did get out there one time, because here he is throwing the ball back in to the coaches. He's got a pretty good arm to go with his other skills. He was probably in the running for the best all-around player on his team, even though he was one of the younger ones.

We got some video of him playing, but that doesn't seem to want to load right now. I'll try again sometime soon once I have more time or I've been able to edit the footage somewhat. So keep an eye out!