Sisters Little League to mark opening day

Sisters Little League opens the 2011 season on Saturday, April 9, at 10 a.m.

The league consists of 13 teams, growing this year in the T-ball, coach pitch, and softball ranks. More than 130 players and their parents and spectators will meet at the Sisters Community Church ball fields for opening-day ceremonies.

"Teams must arrive, in uniform, by 9:45 a.m.," said league board member David Banks. "They form with their team and coaches, take the Little League pledge, parade across home plate, and then we start games and take photos."

Photographer Diane Kulpinski and her team hope to photograph the entire league in one fell swoop. Team and individual photos will be shot starting at 9 a.m. for teams with early games, finishing up by noon.

The newly improved Snack Shack will be in full swing, operated by Holly McIntosh and a host of volunteers.

Eleven games will be played this day, the final one at 2 p.m. All T-ball, baseball, and softball is played at the church fields and at the Sisters Park & Recreation District community ball fields.

At 11 a.m., T-ball teams will play a round-robin format, where teams rotate onto the field and play a shortened game, eventually playing against every other team. Coach pitch teams also play a round-robin starting at noon.

"Because Sisters Little League is rather small, our teams have to scatter and travel from La Pine to Prineville to Warm Springs," Banks observed. "Opening day is the only time all of Sisters Little League is in one place."

Practice has been underway for most teams despite rain, cold temperatures, snow and the rare but occasional warm spring weather. Two Saturdays of hard work by parents, volunteers, and the Ford Family Community Leadership civic group cleaned and prepared four baseball fields.

The league will put on over 120 games this season. Twenty-five volunteer coaches and managers run Sisters Little League, along with a 12-member all-volunteer board of parents and community members.

The Sisters Little League season runs from April 9 to June 15, when all-star teams are announced.

For general information and schedules visit http://www.sisterslittleleague.org or contact Sisters Little League President Brian Cash at 541-390-5862.