43°F
weather icon Mostly Clear

Ceremonies mark opening of Pahrump Little League season

More than 360 young baseball players converged Saturday on Ian Deutch Memorial Park for P-Town Little League’s opening day ceremonies.

The strong turnout led the league to expand to more teams than it has had in recent seasons. There are three teams in Juniors, five in Majors, four in AAA and four more in AA. The latter two formerly were the Minors division, but the split allows for a better age breakdown. There are also seven Rookie teams and eight teams in the T-Ball division.

The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by John Bautista, brother of Nate Bautista, a Little League player last season who is recovering from burns suffered in December 2017. Melanie Swingle sang the national anthem.

The opening ceremonies were held on Field 3, as Fields 1 and 2 are getting new lights from the town of Pahrump, with construction scheduled to be completed April 1. The town installed new pitching mounds on Fields 3 and 4 for the new season.

In the interest of camaraderie with the high school team, the Juniors teams decided to go with Trojans uniforms this season.

P-Town Little League President Lou Banuelos would like to thank all the sponsors who helped make this season happen, as well as the volunteers, snack bar workers, umpires, parents and members of the Town of Pahrump Field Maintenance crew who dedicate their time and support throughout the season.

The season runs until the beginning of June and then, after playoffs and the all-star competitions, fall ball will get underway. Last year, 60 players participated during the fall.

A GoFundMe account for Nate Bautista remains open, with help appreciated, at www.gofundme.com/nathaniel-nate-bautistacleveland

So far, more than $20,000 has been raised.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Pahrump Valley girls take 4th a state cross country meet

The Pahrump Valley girls cross country team took fourth in the Class-3A state competition on Saturday at Rancho San Rafael in Reno. The five-member team was the top-finishing Southern Nevada team at the meet with a combined time of 2:06.42 and 114 points.

Sportsman’s Quest: Search for the ‘unknown’

The best part of every fishing trip is always going to be a mystery. One never knows what will be attracted to a bait from the unseen depths.

Football: Tonopah Muckers starting 3-0

Ottesons leading the school’s football team to a three-game winning streak. Here’s what’s ahead.

SPORTSMAN’S QUEST: Our hunting heritage, culture and traditions

Columnist Dan Simmons just returned to Pahrump from a homecoming trip to British Columbia, Canada and was reminded that many in northern communities continue to be financially and culturally dependent on subsistence hunting and fishing, as were our American families in the not-too-distant past.

Look ahead: Muckers’ football season

Tonopah head coach Duffy Otteson is looking to get his team back into the playoffs after having a down season in 2022, finishing third in the 1A Central league at 2-7.