Plum organization to open new league for 4-year-olds to learn baseball basics

This fall, about 20 4-year-olds will hit the diamond in Plum to learn the fundamentals of baseball and softball.

The effort is part of a new program called Learn to Play. Run by Plum Baseball and Softball Association, the league is meant to make space for younger players and get kids involved in the game earlier, according to president Michael Devine.

The program will consist of eight to 10 practice sessions throughout the fall, where coaches will introduce skills like bat swinging, ball fielding and base running, Devine said. Each session will run about 45 minutes.

Devine said several parents in the area had shown interest in getting their kids in the field and up to bat sooner than the 5-year-old minimum age for tee-ball.

He hopes the program can also drive a “thirst for the game” as early as possible among area youth.

Seamus Ferris said he already has trouble keeping his 4-year-old son, Reid, off the field while he watches his 6-year-old brother, Carter, play in the association’s beginner rookie league.

When he heard about the Learn to Play league in an association newsletter, he thought it would be “good exposure” to the sport, allowing Reid to focus his excitement on learning the fundamentals.

“It builds structure, and it gives younger kids the opportunity to play,” Ferris said.

For his part, Reid has been asking about the start of his first season every week since the family registered, Ferris said.

Devine said the new program is also an opportunity for his association to build up its softball program, which he said had been growing “tremendously” in recent years.

Of the 21 children currently registered for this fall, Devine said about a half dozen are young girls.

The fee for the program is $20, and no uniforms are required for children to participate.

Though registration has already closed, Devine said the association would still accept interested players.