18

Island “Buzz”

Mar/Apr 2017

www. EleutheraNews . com

2017 Eleuthera Jr Baseball League Kicks Off Season dedicated to memory of 15 year old By the eleutheran news team

On Saturday afternoon, March 4th, at 1pm, the Eleuthera Junior Baseball League (EJBL) formally opened, with the 2017 Season being dedicated to young player Devano Taylor of Rock Sound - former student at the Preston Albury High School, who passed away at the age of 15 from an inoperable tumor in 2016. The season got going with six teams on the roster, 4 in the 9-12 Division and 2 in the 1315 Division. Teams facing each other, before and after the formal opening ceremony included the Tarpum Bay Mosquitoes (9-12 Division), the Green Castle Dragons (9-12 Division), the Palmetto Point Legends (9-12 Division),

the Rock Sound Marlins (9-12 Division), Green Castle (13-15 Division), and the Rock Sound Stingrays (13-15 Division). Larry Forbes, President of the Eleuthera Junior Baseball League of Rock Sound, commented on the vision for the league, saying, “It’s to have every settlement on the island playing baseball, hopefully by the end of this year. We’ve sent out invites to everybody. We work with children from age 5 to 15. So if each settlement develops one team with whichever age group they wish - the four divisions are t-ball, coach pitch, minors (9-12), and the juniors (13-15). Whichever division they can secure a team in, we invite them to do so. “We would coordinate the program from the Rock Sound league, and make sure that everyone plays. We intend this year, with Palmetto Point coming on, and Tarpum Bay, with them both fixing their softball fields, and making a portable mound - once that is done, we will move games to each settlement on alternate Saturdays. So everybody can be involved, and everybody would have the opportunity to raise some funds in their concession stands, and we can have a very active program going.” Special guests at the opening ceremony on Saturday afternoon included, Mr. Antoan Richardson, Bahamian baseball player and former New York Yankee, and Mr. Joseph Moss, 3rd Vice President of the Bahamas Baseball Federation. Pastor Lincoln Young, League Executive with the EJBL, and original visionary of the league, despite being bound to a wheelchair, was also there, coaching and supporting his Rock Sound juniors team. Season games began on Saturday, February 25th, and teams will play until the second week in June 2017.