Fall youth baseball at Pullman Park being eyed by Center Township Athletic Association
A baseball game recently played at Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park may not have served any purpose on the stat sheets or standings, but it might have been the spark of something bigger for both youth baseball and Butler County communities.
The Center Township Athletic Association’s Pony and Colt league baseball teams competed in a “for-fun” contest on Monday, Oct. 21, and according to the association’s president Clint Kiddle, the game might have inspired Center Township and other youth baseball programs in the region to get more fall baseball games played at Pullman Park.
The idea comes from dwindling player numbers as more youths opt for travel baseball and other sports during the fall season, as well as other logistical issues when playing youth baseball this time of year.
“We were talking maybe in the fall that we figure out some sort of schedule that would revolve around Pullman in the fall, specifically with our Colt team, maybe add Pony into that here and there and do basically a fall league, with Pullman as the draw,” Kiddle said.
Other sports, such as football, also draw youths during the fall, but Kiddle and Pullman Park board member John Morgan believe the idea of getting youths under the bright lights of the 90-year old baseball stadium will help bridge the gap and keep more youths playing fall baseball.
“Pullman exists for the community,” Morgan said. “Any way you can add more youth baseball into the park is a great thing.”
Morgan, Kiddle and others met outside the stadium Monday night after the game and had a “preliminary” 45-minute conversation about the idea, and Morgan thinks it is a win-win situation for both sides.
“It will make our operating season longer, which is good for us,” Morgan said. “We want to put the best event on for the youths.”
The logistics behind the idea include scheduling concessions at the stadium, along with umpires, but Morgan said that is not a problem and the stadium is more available for use in the fall anyway.
Morgan could not disclose how much games would cost organizations like Center Township, but he did say that prices can be negotiated, and they are always cheaper for youth baseball, as well as the fact its prices are even cheaper in the fall with fewer events already on the schedule.
Kiddle also believes this move will help youth baseball finish games this time of year, as most fields at these levels don’t have lights and games are often cut short because of daylight issues.
“In the fall, you are trying to start games at 5 p.m., and you might not get a full game in,” Kiddle said. “It might be hard to get parents to drive to Kiski or whatever and drive 45 minutes to play half a game. Pullman brings a lot of appeal there.”
Kiddle said that both its Pony and Colt league teams are undefeated this fall season in regular competition, and the Colt team has two games left on its schedule.
The game itself Monday night was a success, Kiddle said, even though the Pony League team fell to the Colt team in the end with a lopsided score.
“The younger youths I think felt like they had something to prove,” Kiddle said. “We told them before the game that this is nothing more than bonus baseball. This is just for fun. Nothing to win, nothing to lose.”
Kiddle, who also played baseball at Pullman Park in his heyday, said he believes this will bring more excitement for the youths, but stressed again that this idea still needs to take off, but it looks promising and possible.
“I loved playing at Pullman and back then it was the old Pullman,” Kiddle said. “It would hopefully be a draw. This plan is in it infancy, with just some talk outside the stadium the other night.”
