The new season for the Hawthorne Little League, one of Mineral County’s longest-standing youth sports programs, is about to begin and players are getting their mitts and bats ready for this weekend’s events.

Opening Ceremonies will take place Saturday, March 30 at noon at Tiny Cardenas Memorial Field, before the juniors/seniors play (Red vs. Blue) at 1pm and the majors play (Dodgers vs. Expos) at 1pm as well. The Jr. Softball game is to be announced.

MCIN
Kayla Anderson – Tiny Cardenas Memorial Field will be buzzing on Saturday as the Little Leaguers of Hawthorne will take the field for the season’s first games.

Hawthorne Little League Board President Shasta Garrison says that 162 kids are signed up to play this year, which is what they’ve averaged over the last three years since she’s become involved. “We’re maintaining,” Garrison says. There are two junior/senior (ages 13-16) baseball teams this year as well, which helps them play more.

“We had a lot of boys move up a division. Before with one team we had to travel all the time, in the interleague play. Little League has a requirement that you have to play a certain number of games; [Hawthorne] will still do some traveling but we’ll be able to play more games at home,” Garrison adds.

Hawthorne Little League usually plays against the Walker River Little League in Yerington, Silverada in Dayton, and High Desert in Fernley.

This is the third year that Hawthorne Little League has had softball, too. The organization started out with one team in its first year but now has three teams—one junior’s team (ages 11-14) and two teams with girls ages 7-10. There are 39 girls total playing this year. A few new kids who just moved to Hawthorne have joined the League, along with some freshly turned four-year-old T-ballers.

At this Saturday’s Little League opening ceremonies, each team will be introduced along with the board members and then the games will begin. The junior boys will play against each other, then the majors will play, and then there will be a double header with the softball teams.

“We’re always looking for volunteers to help, in announcing, umping, working in the concession stand…in whatever capacity you have,” Garrison says. Hawthorne Little League plays games Monday-Thursday or on Saturdays the weeks that they travel. To view Hawthorne Little League’s weekly schedule and updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/hawthornelittleleague/.