Orillia Legion Minor Baseball (OLMB) kicked off its new season Saturday at McKinnell Park under a welcoming sun and decidedly spring temperatures.
Over the last few years, the number of players in the minor baseball league has really climbed, said Wes Winkel, president of the OLMB.
“This year, we have 465 kids playing baseball,” he said. “Five years ago, we were sitting at 175 players. We've had moderate growth out of all the 15 York-Simcoe centres.”
The reason, said Winkel, is a combination of factors.
“We've really put a lot of effort in our T-Ball program, which is where we find our retention comes from,” he said. “We know that we want to to make it a positive experience and we've found that it's helped with retention.”
As well, Winkel noted, a couple years ago when the Toronto Blue Jays were doing really well, the OLMB saw a big influx in registrations for the T-Ball category.
“We've been able to harness that group and keep them inside baseball and continue to get their little brothers and sisters playing and we've had a lot of growth there,” he said.
Additionally, said Winkel, the OLMB has increased its rep program.
“They are our travelling teams,” he explained. “Years ago, we didn't have a lot of support for our rep program, we didn't have one at all, but we've now grown one and we have a rep team in every age group.”
The travelling teams have had a lot of success, which has prompted some positive feedback, added Winkel.
With a full executive, the league has been able to provide more support and training for the coaches, he said.
“And to make it as positive an experience as possible, we've also tinkered with a few rules to try to increase improvement and make the fun factor go up,” said Winkel. “We've made it so that there are no longer walks in the younger age groups, so all the kids get to hit.”
For more information, visit orilliaminorbaseball.ca.
