BREWSTER — Little League baseball is back on the Lower and Outer Cape, as the Nauset Little League will be operating for the first time under its new name this season.
“The fields and the mission and the board are all the same — it’s simply a name change,” said Todd Everson. Everson, a Brewster resident, serves on the Nauset Little League board of directors and as a coach of one of the teams. “We felt the new name better represented the community.”
The former Brewster Regional Little League was founded in the early 2000s by area residents for children living in the towns from Provincetown through Brewster. The league has held a baseball season for local kids every spring since its foundation.
But last spring the league had a shortened season with teams playing only six to nine games while holding limited practices, due to Covid-19. Participation numbers were down.
“Last year, we thought, ‘Let’s give these kids something to do under the guidelines for what we could,’ ” Everson said. “It wasn’t great participation, but it was better than nothing.”
This year, however, the league will run a full season as usual, beginning in late April. Families seem to be eager to participate after a long winter: Everson said the league has around 100 kids signed up to play.
“I’m excited to get back,” Everson said. “It’s about teaching kids baseball and giving them an outlet.”
Little League baseball has always been a cornerstone of youth sports in local communities. It’s a rite of passage for many young boys and girls. Some kids may participate in sports all year and others may not play sports at all, but everyone seems to try their hand at Little League baseball at least once in their life.
“When I was growing up, you play baseball this time of year and nothing else,” Everson said. “We knew lacrosse existed, but it was a sport that kids only played in college.”
Spring has always been a sign of baseball season, but over the years, the slow-pace sport has lost some of its popularity with young kids. Everson was afraid after last year’s shortened season that local kids might not be joining the league this year.
“It’s challenging,” he said. “There’s a lot more opportunities for kids to do other things now.”
But Everson is pleased to see the turnout at preliminary clinics and good attendance on sign-up sheets for the upcoming season.
The Nauset Little League includes two different levels, called major league and minor league. Major league is for boys and girls ages 9 to 12; minor league is for boys and girls 8 to 11 years old.
Each team has a local sponsor. In 2019, the team sponsored by Cape Associates took home the major league title, while the team sponsored by JT’s Seafood won the minor league title.
At the Rec Departments
Sign-up is now available for Eastham Recreation spring activities. The department is offering T-ball and soccer to children ages four to five and grades K to 1. Flag football, basketball, and softball is available for children in grades 2 to 6.
Additional after-school programs are available for children in grades K to 5. They will begin on April 6.
To register or coach, contact the Eastham Recreation Dept. at [email protected] or 508-240-5974.
Wellfleet is offering T-ball to youngsters and softball to children in grades 2 to 6. Practices will begin on April 12.
Spring programs at the Truro Recreation Dept. include T-ball and softball. Contact Recreation Director Damion Clements at [email protected] for more information.
Provincetown Recreation’s annual spring celebration has been canceled due to health and safety precautions. The department does not have spring sports scheduled at this time.
