CATSKILL MOUNTAIN LITTLE LEAGUE GEARS UP FOR SPECIAL OPENING DAY

CATSKILL - The League unveiled a new logo last year designed in collaboration with local screen-printer and Stamford retailer, Catskill Outpost to honor the history of the Mount Utsayantha fire tower watching over the Village. A flag with the new design will be raised during the pre-game ceremony on Opening Day, April 27th.

STAMFORD – After a five year wait, the Catskill Mountain Little League (CMLL) - now in its 53rd year of operation - will celebrate the completion of their brand-new ball fields with an extra special opening day and field dedication ceremony on Saturday, April 27.
“It’s a rare thing to be the first teams to play on a brand new ballfield,” stated Bill Abbatine, League President and Coach. “Since the League’s season was cancelled amid the pandemic in 2020 followed by the closure of Terry Field in 2021, League officials have spent countless hours working to re-grow the League. This effort included working closely with Little League International, the parent organization in Williamsport, PA to expand the league’s boundaries to include Delhi, Jefferson and the Gilboa-Conesville School Districts.” 

Abbatine said that a key to the League's future was embarking on a $1.4 million capital project funded by the Robinson Broadhurst Foundation to build a new facility on land donated by the Village of Stamford with an easement to access the parcel granted from local landowner, Doug Murphy.
League officials were told by Murphy, that a complex such as this was first envisioned by longtime youth baseball booster and former League President, Ken Peck before his passing in 1995.

The new complex was built by local firm Clark Companies and features a fully equipped baseball field with LED lighting that, in addition to a standard Little League field layout, will also serve a senior 13U division with 70-foot basepaths and a 50-foot pitching distance. A batting cage and bullpen were also constructed adjacent to the baseball field. The League opted for a second, multi-use field that enabled the addition of softball to its program that is now in its second year with over thirty-five participants among three teams. League officials are planning tournaments after the regular season that will welcome teams from across the region to the new facility.

“Now, that the wait is over,” stated Abbatine, “We can celebrate it with our community in a jam-packed day of baseball and softball at the new site.”

The schedule gets underway with a Ballplayer Parade at 10:30AM featuring all seventeen teams in the league followed by an Inaugural Opening Day Ceremony including a flag raising, field dedication and a first pitch by the Robinson Broadhurst Foundation Board of Directors. Also, to recognize the 50th anniversary of the inclusion of girls in Little League, the National Anthem will be sung by a duet featuring the talents of two young ballplayers, Brooklyn Trimbell and Toby Frederickson. 
The events continue with a Majors division game at 11:30am between the Thomson Trust Mariners and Titan Drilling Reds on Field 1, while the JEG Tools Lightning face off with the Oneonta Cal Ripken softball team on Field 2. The Minors division (Coach Pitch) will have a mini tournament among six teams at 2pm on both fields, capped off with another Majors division game at 4:30pm between the Greene Lumber Yankees and the Titan Drilling Reds (Field 1) and a Minors softball game between Middleburgh and the Lasting Impression Thunder (Field 2).

While the concessions building is still under construction, there will be a limited menu of ballpark fare for sale with all the proceeds going to CMLL. Volunteers will be promoting the League’s Buy-a-Brick fundraiser (www.bricksrus.com/donorsite/cmll) to support the completion of the new fieldhouse building as well as a 50/50 raffle. All events will be emceed by local DJ Pat Dell who will provide music throughout the day. The rain date for all events in conjunction with Opening Day is Sunday, April 28th. League officials encourage following the CMLL Facebook page for updates at https://www.facebook.com/catskillmtnlittleleague/.