Opening day arrives for Elyria's South Tee Ball Baseball Club

ELYRIA — The sun was beaming, children screaming and the ballpark organ filled the warm air as the South Tee Ball Baseball Club had its opening day Sunday at South Park. Elyria Mayor Frank Whitfield spoke at the event and said afterward that he was proud the community could come together for the children. "We haven't seen anything like this in 20 plus years, if not longer so this is a special day for Elyria and it's an honor to be the mayor." The opening day was previously set for May 1 but due to weather conditions, the field was not dry enough to host the event. Aric Bowens, president of the South Tee Ball Baseball Club, wasn't too upset to wait another day after seeing how Sunday's weather turned out. "It was a minor issue, but it worked out since today turned out to be an even more beautiful day. And we made sure we got the information out and it worked out beautifully." Bowen said, adding that people who had traveled as far as Atlanta and Washington D.C. to attend were able to find a place to stay to be there on opening day. What seemed to be hundreds of people gathered at the baseball field at South Park to watch the children play, from animated parents cheering wildly to stoic grandparents shouting tips to the kids. Donald Barbee, the father of tee-ball player Zakaious, spoke highly of the turnout for the event and was happy to see his son enjoying himself after a year of social distancing. "Especially with COVID pandemic and being in the house all the time, it gives the children something to do and interact with other kids their age is a good thing," Donald Barbee said. "Just watching him learn the game of baseball at a young age, something he can grow into and maybe find a love for it, makes me happy." The young athletes were helped out by their coaches throughout the game — setting up the T-ball on its mount and giving pointers when battings. And while the occasional emotions flared after a frustrating play, the adults drowned out the youthful angst with cheers and made their athletes feel like superstars. While no scores were kept for any of the games in the spirit of sportsmanship and learning fundamentals, Bowens felt the community had won already by coming together as a family. "When we say family, we want to say extended family because we're all, although not related, still a community and a part of the same family," Bowens said. Contact Angelo Angel at aangel@chroniclet.com.