When playing minor sports, there’s nothing like jersey handout day. And for a group of Kingston girls, this handout is more significant than most.
“So when we look back at this in 20 years, and your daughters are playing, you can say, ‘I was on the very first team,'” coach April Fitzpatrick said to her team.
The sun is setting on the 2023 baseball season, but the Kingston Baseball Association is already looking ahead to next summer — when it expects to field its first-ever girls’ teams in competitive tournaments.
Fitzpatrick was speaking to the players who make up the first rookie-aged Kingston Colts girls baseball club.
“They’re very good at listening, very good at taking direction. They want to learn and they’re very excited to come. We try to make it positive and fun for them,” Fitzpatrick said.
The Kingston Baseball Association has put together teams in three different age groups after noticing that the demand for it was there.
“We had thrown around the idea of starting an all-girls program. We put out an email to the families and were massively surprised by the response,” Kingston Baseball Association president Tori Boshart said.
“Within a few days, we were up over 50 applicants.”
The teams started out as a Wednesday night fall ball session, but with participation as high as it is, splitting them into teams was a no-brainer.
“It’s a short season, but it’s the very first time for this,” Kirkpatrick said. “So the number of girls who have come out to do this fall ball on the Wednesday nights is amazing.”
The first official game took place between the Colts junior girls’ club and the Ottawa West Twins, with Kingston taking both games in a doubleheader.
Next year’s plan will be to start in the spring with teams playing tournaments and exhibition games on weekends throughout the summer.