Landon Smith threw out the first pitch of the 2016 Peachtree League season at Crozet Park March 19. Smith was given the honor in appreciation of his Eagle Scout project, building a tent-like canopy and a concrete pad for the bleachers outside the right field fence. Smith played in Peachtree and Babe Ruth league at Greenwood Community and now plays on the Western Albemarle High School team.
The day was chilly, just 42 degrees as play started, and the boys bravely acted as if they were warm as they stood in their new uniforms. Snow and rain had been forecast, too, so they were happy not to be wet as well.
League president Cheryl Madison congratulated the players on their success last year when they were district champs in two divisions, 11-year-olds and rookies.
“Our goal is for the kids to learn baseball, make friends and have fun,” she said. She thanked Jimbo Barber of the county’s Parks and Recreation Department for his excellent field maintenance and read out the extensive list of local business whose sponsorship of teams allows the league to exist.
Madison has been president for nine years and her boys have played in the league for 21 years. “I love it,” she said. “There’s a voice out there for the kids.”
The league will host a home run derby at the park April 23 and a corn hole tournament on May 21.
