05/20/2026
As our crazy annual ballfield season comes to an end- it’s hard to not get a bit choked up. This is Haylei’s last regular season in rec ball. She started in machine pitch when the twins were barely potty trained- Ryan has 1 more year left, the twins are moving up to minor league. I can’t help but look back at how many late nights, burgers consumed, and sweat my kiddos ( and us) have poured out on Shalimar fields. These days are hard and long, and I don’t always hold it together like I should- but man- to see the growth in these kids…to see their confidence in themselves and their capabilities grow just makes my heart swell. Haylei and Ali made the all star teams so we aren’t 100% finished quite yet- but it’s the end of an era all the same. This season- Haylei was balled on base more than she would have liked because when she hits the ball- it’s to the fence. She is still a fierce catcher and has no intentions of letting someone else take her place. Ryan was in a strikeout slump this year which is always hard to push through- but when his 1st base position was challenged he rose with confidence in himself and outplayed this kid 10 to 1 and was ultimately awarded his position as 1st string 1st baseman. Connor has an arm that could rival some 11 year old boys and played short stop like a king. He has several awesome plays that turned the game into a win for his team. He also dances in between innings 😂 and he has also had 4 true in park home runs (no errors made by players) and Alison is following in Haylei’s footsteps and is turning out to be quite the little catcher. She has already been hit with a couple bats and just took a ball to her face the other night but she took it in stride. She has even progressed from base hits at beginning of the season to hitting further out towards outfield which is pretty great since she’s still so small. I look forward to what these kids will do next season- but I am quite ready (as are they) for the summer break haha
