North Babe Ruth set to start another season
Sign-ups are almost complete, and in a couple weeks, another season of North Fort Myers Babe Ruth baseball will be under way, complete with a new president.
When Opening Day arrives on Feb. 14, new president Joe Baublis expects the league, which switched over to Cal Ripken ball in 2013 after 50 years under the Little League umbrella, to be stronger than ever.
“Right now, we’re in the neighborhood of 160 kids, and many parents put it off until the last second. So, we’re anticipating about 200 or so,” Baublis said.
The coaches and older players went through skill assessments this week. From there the coaches draft the older players while the younger kids get spilt up in a way to make the teams as even as possible, Baublis said.
Baublis expects two junior and tee-ball plus teams, along with three teams in majors, minors, rookies and tee-ball.
Tee-ball plus is where the coach soft-tosses the ball to the batter. After three pitches, the batter has the choice of hitting from a tee. Baublis said it’s for older tee-ball players, who shouldn’t play with the younger ones.
Baublis took over as president in September, replacing long-time president Bill Lemmerman, who had presided over the league for several years.
Baublis has been groomed for this position, with four boys currently playing and having coached seven teams in the five years he’s been associated with the league.
“It seemed like a natural fit. I’ve been the fundraising coordinator for the past five years. Bill and I became friends over the years and had his eye on me from the first year,” Baublis said.
Baublis hit the ground running. He has outsourced the concessions to Saratoga Joe’s of Fort Myers, which is expected to bring their food quality up a notch.
“They complement the time frames when we need them. They work on Metro Parkway, which becomes a ghost town after 6 p.m. and nobody is there on Saturday,” Baublis said. “It’s a perfect transition.”
Baublis said there are also great sponsorships which should allow them to improve their equipment, and the Sheriff’s Youth Athletic Association is expected to also help out.
While hosting a tournament such as they did last year is still under debate, that doesn’t dull the glow the league is feeling with increased numbers.
“For the past five years, we’ve done nothing but grow. It looks like we’re still on course to do that,” Baublis said. “Babe Ruth has opened our boundaries, built our reputation and given kids options.”