Slowly but surely, baseball is growing once again in South Queens.
“It’s an exciting time,” said Liverpool Baseball Club president John Long. “We’ve been working hard to develop the program and have almost 100 kids playing baseball right now.”
Currently celebrating its 60th year in operation, the club is fielding teams in every age bracket from T-ball to midget. “It’s the first time in three years that we’ve had a midget team,” he said. “And it’s the first time in an even longer period that we have all levels of baseball at the same time.”
One of the keys to the club’s recent success has been emphasizing enjoyment of the game, while still teaching players the fundamentals of baseball.
“We’ve been working hard to promote the club as a fun place to be,” said Long, who also serves as head coach of Liverpool’s midget team. “We firmly believe that, if kids aren’t having fun, they aren’t going to want to play.”
While most players come from Liverpool, Milton and Brooklyn, other Queens County communities like Port Mouton and East Port Medway are also represented. Some players even travel from as far away as Yarmouth, Clark’s Harbour and Lockeport. “We’re picking up kids from everywhere,” he said.
The gender barrier has long been removed from local baseball. Girls play in several age brackets and women hold prominent coaching and executive positions within the club. And the fun-first atmosphere has convinced many talented players to stay at home rather than play in larger communities.
“We have kids that could play at higher levels,” Long said. “But they want to stay here because they enjoy the program we have.”
Part of the appeal of playing and coaching in South Queens is the area’s rich baseball history, he said. The Liverpool Larrupers put the community on the baseball map by winning the 1938, 1939 and 1940 provincial and Maritime senior men’s championships. The Larrupers also won top honours in 1955 while competing in the semi-pro Halifax and District Baseball league.
Long said plans are underway to celebrate the Liverpool Baseball Club’s 60th birthday with a postseason homecoming event. “Instead of our normal banquet, we’re trying to host a reunion event that would get as many former players as possible to come back,” he said.
Looking ahead to next season, the club hopes to maintain teams at all age levels and welcome even more players onto the field. “We definitely want to keep this momentum going,” Long said.
LighthouseNow Progress Bulletin
July 18, 2018
Scott Costen 