Murphy – The second year of opening day celebrations for Blue Ridge Mountains Little League was held Saturday morning.
The league has baseball and softball divisions for T-ball for ages 3-4, T-ball 5-6, AA Minor 8U coach pitch for ages 7-8, AAA Minor 10U kid pitch for ages 9-10, Major 12U for ages 11-12 and Junior for ages 13-14.
The league includes Cherokee County, Graham County and Polk County, Tenn., with teams from Murphy, Andrews, Ranger, Robbinsville and Copper Basin, Tenn. Blue Ridge Mountains Little League is dedicated to ensuring the league, practices, games and events are always focused on the kids because that’s who all of this is for.
The event began at 9:15 a.m. with a grab-and-go breakfast full of donuts, biscuits, snacks, Gatorades, juices and waters provided free for players. The breakfast and opening day were sponsored by Marina Station, Main Street USA, Ingles of Murphy, Dunkin Donuts, CM Supply, Brown Haven Homes, Mystic Pizza, Pops Big Cheese & Ice Cream, Chick-fil-A, IGA, B’s Pet Grooming, Personal Touch Assisted Living, Youth Villages, Maria’s Diner, Julie’s Place, Hillbilly Shaved Ice and Davis Designs.
Bill Grove provided the league with sound equipment for the event for the second year in a row. Local food trucks and vendors came out to support the event and take stress off the volunteers acting in place of the concession stand.
The players were also given a free hot dog or pizza lunch with the help of sponsors and a free snow cone voucher to be used at Hillbilly Shaved Ice, sponsored by Brown Haven Homes. Brown Haven Homes was honored with a plaque during the ceremony for their generosity to Blue Ridge Mountain Little League through their sponsorship of banners, jerseys and more than 30 players.
The ceremony began at 9:30 a.m. on Field 2 at Konehete Park, with all the teams from each community lining up throughout the field. The ceremony was opened by players representing each community to thank everyone involved with making the day and league possible, including umpires, parents, coaches, volunteers and sponsors.
To get the kids hyped up, the ceremony continued with a little competition. Each community was given a chance to show their enthusiasm for the game and spirit for representing their community by yelling and cheering as loudly as they could. At the end of the competition, Robbinsville was declared the winner, while a contest between boys and girls went undecided.
Afterward, 12-year-old Tegan Bennett from Ranger sang the national anthem from the pitcher’s mound for the second year in a row. The first pitch was thrown by Savannah Exley and caught by Caleb Exley of Ranger in honor of their mother, Andrea Stecher Exley, who passed away last year.
League officials want to express its gratitude for all of the help and support it received for its second opening day ceremony.
“We truly couldn’t do it without the amazing people who give their time and energy to our league. Thank you to our board members, the opening day committee, our umpires, volunteers and all of the generous donors for your support,” officials said. “Most importantly, thank you to all of the players, parents and families who came out to celebrate the start of the season.”
While it was a challenge to schedule and coordinate so that all of the teams and all of the players could all be in the same place for opening day, the effort was worth it and shows the dedication the league has to making sure all of the kids have the opportunity to play and be part of their community.
“The smiles, cheers, and excitement around the fields are what it’s all about,” officials said.
Everything from the free breakfast and lunch, organization, field preparation, coaching, umpires, uniforms and sponsorships is done by parents and volunteers who are committed to making this season the best it can be.
Details: Visit brmlittleleague.com.