The Greenwood Exchange Club will swing into action with its annual youth baseball and softball seasons Friday night at Stribling Park.
Action will continue Saturday. There is a $5 charge per person, excluding players, to enter the park this weekend for both sessions.
“This is one of our biggest fundraisers,” said Jonathan Mills, who serves as the Exchange Club’s chairman of the baseball committee. “The weather is looking good for the weekend. Our fingers are crossed. We got rained out last year, and the year before, we had to cancel the season because of the pandemic.
“We continue to make improvements at the fields. The batting cages have been resurfaced with new turf, and the walkways were paved last year. We have new picnic tables, and we had to replace a few mounds and purchase equipment for catchers. Eventually, we will be upgrading both concession stands.”
Mills isn’t alone in this yearly endeavor. He’s joined by Ronnie Bush, Brad Garrard, Ray Mattox, Kenny Thompson, Andrew Robinson, Hal Coleman, Jacob Clark and J.P. Walker, not to mention a long list of other volunteers. Clark and Walker are the Exchange Club’s president and vice president.
Mills estimates there are 420 boys and girls signed up to play baseball and fast-pitch softball. He said there are 22 baseball teams in Under-6, Under-8, Under-10 and Under-12, and 10 softball teams in Under-6, Under-8 and Under-10. There are also six T-ball teams for boys and girls ages 3-4 years old.
“We start losing kids when they get to the junior high level,” Mills said. “Technically, we do have a few 13-year-olds playing baseball, but we have specific rules because of their age.
“We are doing everything we can to assure these kids are being taught the fundamentals and keep our participation numbers up and growing each year. We know we have a lot of kids in baseball and softball who play with travel teams, but most of them continue to play in the rec league and keep it strong.”
The Exchange Club is affiliated with Dizzy Dean baseball.
The Exchange Club has provided youth sports since 1954. During the first season, games were played behind the National Guard Armory on Elm Street.
By 1957, a new field was constructed on Henry Street and games moved there. Other fields were eventually constructed by Exchange Club members.
As the program grew, fields at Whittington Park were pressed into service. In 1995, the club took over the operation of the girls softball programs.
After agreeing to purchase the land at the current site in 1996, all leagues played their first games at Stribling Park in 2000.
- Contact Calvin Stevens at 662-581-7234 or cstevens@gwcommonwealth.com.
