Little League opens season with parade and first pitches

Marathon’s Little League season stepped off in familiar fashion on Saturday morning, with players, coaches and families gathering on the village green and marching up Main Street to the ball fields for Opening Day.

Neighbors lined the walkways with coffee cups and cameras as teams in fresh jerseys followed a drum cadence and a horn escort from local first responders, organizers said. The Tioughnioga River slid quietly beyond the storefronts as the parade turned toward the school campus, where a quick ceremony at the backstop thanked volunteers and recognized sponsors who help keep the league running.

Once the baselines were chalked and the flags raised, the youngest players took the diamond first. T-ball teams cycled through short games on the lower field, with coaches helping at the plate and plenty of cheers for every run to first. Minor division squads followed on the adjacent diamond, mixing infield drills and an early game, while the major division opened its slate on the main field with a solid morning matchup. Between innings, older students from the Marathon Central School baseball and softball programs lent a hand with umpiring and warm-ups.

Concessions offered the season’s first hot dogs and cocoa, and a steady line formed for team photos near the outfield fence. Parking spilled from the school lots onto nearby side streets, but the flow was smooth, and families settled into lawn chairs along the foul lines as clouds gave way to brighter skies. Coaches used the downtime between games to go over the season calendar and remind families about equipment checks and practice times.

League volunteers said the fields came together thanks to several weeks of raking, dragging and painting by parents and community members. Safety reminders were shared before the first pitches, including helmet use in the dugouts and keeping clear of warm-up areas. The early schedule continues this week with evening practices and divisional games, weather permitting; families are encouraged to watch the league’s usual channels for updates if conditions change.

Organizers also noted that late registrations are still being accepted for summer skills clinics. Families who missed spring sign-ups can connect with the league through its social media or by speaking with coaches at the fields to learn dates, age groups and costs. Paper forms will be available at the concession stand during home dates, according to volunteers.

Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).