It’s officially baseball season in Long Beach, and parks across the city have held Opening Day ceremonies in the last few weekends.
Los Altos Youth Baseball & Softball at El Dorado Park saw record registration this year for the first full season since the COVID-19 pandemic began two years ago, with eight full teams in its AA and AAA divisions.
LAYBS president Dwayne Fowler said he was emotional seeing all the families and players gathered for the ceremony.
“It’s just great to see everyone out here excited for the season,” he said. “We’ve had people tailgating and grilling in the parking lot, you can see how much it means to everyone.”
The league celebrated its 50th anniversary during COVID, and Fowler said he was proud to see LAYBS come out on the other side of the pandemic stronger than ever.
“A lot of people put a lot of work in to learn and stay up with all the different rules and regulations that let us have our seasons during the pandemic, and it’s nice to be back really rolling now,” he said.
The ceremony was well-attended and included a speech from Long Beach Parks & Recreation director Brent Dennis, who threw out the opening pitch to officially start the 2022 season.
The league also recognized its All-Star 9U, 10U, and Majors 60 baseball teams as well as its 14U, 12U, and 10U softball teams for postseason accomplishments in 2021.
