Play Ball! By Lisa Lossie It’s February, it’s cold,
5U Hopewell Braves, photo by Duane Coddrington
there’s a slight chance it could snow, but hey, it’s Georgia and February is time to play ball! The boys of summer, eh technically late winter, are ready to swing for the fences at parks around the area.
ities are close to Milton. We will move back to Hopewell once the new fields are completed.”
This spring, one of Milton’s most popular recreational baseball parks has canceled it’s Spring season due to reconstruction of the park.
“It’s a resource readily available for young players, and a place where ex-pros have found their niche, coaching and developing young talent,” says former Major League Baseball Pitcher, Joey Hamilton.
The $9.4 million dollar expansion of Bell Memorial Park will more than double it’s size to a nearly 30 acre multi-use facility. In addition to baseball, the park will host lacrosse, soccer and football as well. But with Hopewell Youth Baseball closed until Fall 2015, baseball players are scrambling to find new parks to play recreational ball. Here’s where bats are cracking this spring: Alpharetta Youth Baseball Roswell Youth Baseball Sharon Springs Athletic Association Ocee Park “We registered our youngest son for 7U with the Alpharetta Youth Baseball Association,” says Scott Paulus, a father of three sons who has been coaching for 8 years. “We chose AYBA because we know many families there and the facil18
With practice starting this month, some players are already swinging for the fences at Auterson Baseball in Milton.
Hamilton started playing ball when he was seven and went on to pitch in the big leagues for nine season. Now like other ex-pros at Auterson, he enjoys coaching kids from little league to travel teams. “There’s natural talent and there’s hard work,” says Hamilton. Working with children at home at a young age can go along way.” If your son or daughter is stepping up to the plate for the first time, pros and coaches agree the best advice, have fun! “Encouraging young athletes is the most important role a parent can play. It is the coaches job to coach and the parents job to support their athlete. There are too many parents that continue to yell and instruct their child from the bleachers,” says Paulus. Let’s play ball! cityofmiltonga.us