Photo by Jacques Morin
Steve Gardner was there to play the National Anthem on his trumpet to start a new baseball season in Hillsborough.
But you can call him Batman because of his adoration of the series growing up, more of the Michael Keaton/Val Kilmer variety, as opposed to when the Joker was portrayed by Cesar Romero in the 1960s.
“That’s what he always tells us to call him,” said HYAA President Patrick Cummings.
Gardner stood at home plate at Collins Field while players stood along the first and third base lines for the first pitching machine game of the season wearing uniforms sponsored by NC Drainage.
It is the start of the HYAA’s 50th organized year, commemorating when they were originally registered by the state of North Carolina in 1976.
Wyatt Howell, who started playing baseball with HYAA when he was four years old, threw the ceremonial first pitch. Howell has played with HYAA for 12 years, including time at Cedar Grove and Schley Fields. This will be his last season.
“It’s a good experience to come out and make friends,” Howell said. “I’m looking forward to everything about this year.”
Opening day on Saturday morning was the end result of six weeks of preparation. Volunteers dealt with several bouts of snow in January and February in order to get everything ready for a season that will stretch on to mid-June.
“Our board members really started at the first of the year,” Cummings said. “We were working hard to get ready for this season. We had snow on our fields until, maybe, three weeks ago. We didn’t quite get our fire burners out but we are pretty close.”
Through its entire lifetime, the HYAA has been volunteer run, without a salary or staff. Every baseball that gets delivered, every concession stand that gets stocked, every team uniformed that gets organized is done by a volunteer in the community.
“Opening day is the best,” Cummings said. “It’s the absolute best. It gets everybody out here in the community. The reality is opening day usually occurs about when the time changes. Everybody comes into spring with baseball and softball. It’s really hard to frown on a day like today, certainly in recognition with all of the hard work of the volunteers. But also the hard work of the players. All the boys and girls who have been playing catch and hitting in the batting cage. Today’s the day to get out there and show everybody what they’ve got.”
This season, 35 teams ages 4-to-16 will play at fields across Orange County, ranging from Collins Fields across from the HYAA’s office on Orange Grove Road and the venerable location just down the hill at the Hillsborough Exchange Club where the lights shine across downtown from March-to-October at night. There’s also locations at Schley near Highway 57 in northern Orange County, Efland Cheeks Field in Mebane and a longtime location in Cedar Grove.
Typically, leagues continue for 12 weeks in the fall. All-Star teams from each division will play in the Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken Leagues at the end of the summer.
“It’s great to have all the Cedar Ridge boys back today,” Cummings said. “One of HYAA’s goals is to prepare boys and girls to play for their middle school and high school baseball and softball teams. We maintain a great relationship with the high school coaches and middle school coaches in the area. While not every child has to go play middle school or high school, we certainly want to give them an opportunity to prepare to do that if they choose.”
This year, there are roughly 100 registered volunteers, which averages out to three per team. The HYAA board consists of another 19 volunteers that do everything from drag the fields and mow grass to unload chalk to the connexes and maintain the concession stands.
