Brayden Kaminski (Courtesy Brayden Kaminski)
The crack of the bat against the ball, or maybe against your coach’s shin — yep, it’s Little League season, folks! Here are a few memories from Richmonders who’ve been on the field.
“My most memorable experience in Little League was at States. It was amazing, being able to play at that level. At Henrico, our school isn’t known for softball, so we’re building from the ground up. That thing about team is big for softball and baseball. If you can’t trust each other, it’s not going to work out.”—Brayden Kaminski, 14, former Tuckahoe Little League softball catcher and now a Henrico High School player
(Photo Courtesy Robby Peay)
“When I was 12, my team was a ragtag group of kids, [playing in the Chesterfield Baseball Clubs invitational tournament]. We were immediately in the losers’ bracket, and we played seven days in a row at Rockwood Park, and won seven games. We ultimately lost to a Chesterfield team with eight players who wound up in Division 1 [college] baseball. You felt like a major leaguer, playing so many nights in a row.” —Robby Peay, former Mechanicsville Little League shortstop and now manager of the Richmond Red softball team
(Photo Courtesy Candice Smith)
"I played Little League with the boys, kicking butt and taking names, of course. I was the only girl on the team, and I was one of the top players. I was super skinny and frail back then. Hitting a ball and getting a home run at that age was pretty sweet. Keeping up with the boys was pretty cool." —Candice Smith, NBC12 About Town and weekend traffic reporter, and former champion T-ball player in Roanoke
(Photos Courtesy Jake Burns)
The scene: Chattanooga’s All-Star game, bottom of the sixth (and final) inning. Then fifth-grader Jake is the catcher. “We got two outs, bases loaded, not a good situation. The batter hits the ball, and it’s heading back to me. I stepped up and caught the ball and tagged the kid coming from third base, and it was like a movie. The umpire shouts, ‘You’re out!’ ”—Jake Burns, WTVR-CBS6 journalist and anchor, who played catcher and third base growing up in Tennessee
(Photo Courtesy Bob Zane)
“Without baseball, I’m not sure where I’d be today. Little League got me off of the streets and put me on a different path. [Now,] I’m actually watching kids’ kids. It’s very satisfying when you walk through Wal-Mart, and somebody says, ‘Hey, Coach!’ To watch little Johnny get his first hit and even run to the wrong base, that’s part of the fun of it.” —Bob Zane, former player and coach, and now umpire-in-chief for Central Chesterfield Little League
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Richmond Angels T-ball coach Brendan Berents helps his son, Avery, get set up to hit the ball. (Photo by Chris Heipel, Creative Caption & Video)
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Richmond Angels celebrate a game well played. At right are coaches Brendan Berents and Rick Rickman. (Photo by Chris Heipel, Creative Caption & Video)
"I started the season with 11 5- and 6-year-olds staring at me, and I was scared to death. Until the fifth game, I was getting hit in the leg with a flailing bat at least twice a night, but then it clicked! Anyone who has coached T-ball knows that it's like herding cats in the beginning, but the growth that I saw in these T-ball players was tremendous. Our team really came together, with all of the parent volunteers coaching and keeping us running. By the end, the kids weren't all running into each other chasing one grounder. They were fielding and throwing, and I was yelling, 'Turn two!' This was one of the most rewarding experiences that I've ever been a part of, and I can't wait to do it again." —Brendan Berents, parent/coach for Richmond’s Angels T-Ball team
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Justin Verlander (middle), age 6, with his Tuckahoe Little League team (photos courtesy Richard Verlander)
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Justin Verlander pitching age 10 for Tuckahoe Little League (photos courtesy Richard Verlander)
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Justin Verlander (middle), age 10, was a Tuckahoe Little League All Star (photos courtesy Richard Verlander)
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13-year-old Justin Verlander in a dogpile with his AAU team (photos courtesy Richard Verlander)
“Both of our guys were classic late bloomers. At that age, a lot of kids were physically bigger and stronger. It really wasn't until college that the light bulb went off, and [Justin] said, “I could do this for a living.” We've benefited from having some really good coaches. Talent is one thing, but there's an awful lot to be said about perseverance.”—Richard Verlander, father of pro players Justin and Ben Verlander, who were Little League baseball all-stars in Tuckahoe and Goochland
“I remember so many names of the guys I played with. I can list off eight or nine guys on the team. I remember a guy named Brian Morton who was like Paul Bunyan to me.” —Todd “Parney” Parnell, former shortstop and pitcher for North Carolina’s Locust Colts, and Richmond Flying Squirrels GM
Photo Courtesy Todd “Parney” Parnell
Javen Ware, president of Chamberlayne Little League and his 8-year-old son Jayden, who started as a T-ball player at age 4. (Photo courtesy Javen Ware)
“His nickname is Squirt, because he's a smaller kid. He hit a home run in his first game. He hit a line drive over the center fielder. When he hit the ball, he originally just stood there, and I said, 'Go, go, go!' and he took off running."—Javen Ware, president of Chamberlayne Little League, former player and father of 8-year-old Jayden, who started as a T-ball player at age 4
Jon Burkett (left) and his brothers Jesse and Joel when they were in little league. (Photos courtesy Jon Burkett)
"When I was a junior or senior in high school, my [younger] brothers made it to the playoffs. For some reason, the announcer didn't show up, so I stepped up and said I could do it. That's one of the first things I did in broadcast. My brother Joel was a pitcher. I think he lasted three innings, but he hit two players. My brother Jesse was out in the outfield counting bugs. I remember shouting 'Bulldogs win! Bulldogs win! Bulldogs win!' "—Jon Burkett, WTVR-6 photojournalist and reporter, and onetime impromptu play-by-play announcer for the Clover Hill Bulldogs
Gene Pembleton (knealing on the right), a WRIR host, coached the Tuckahoe American Little League team when future Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson played for the National League team.
“He was awesome. People knew he was up to bat, although the American League played on a different field. His metal bat made a special ping. That’s how we all knew he was batting.”—Gene Pembleton, a WRIR host who coached the Tuckahoe American Little League team when future Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson played for the National League team
