Milk River Baseball

Though it was a very hot day, the Malta Milk River Baseball season started on Wednesday, June 24. Due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 virus this year's tee-ball and youth baseball meetings have been informal, and the event lasts two more weeks.

"We typically have sign-ups at the end of March and early April and teams are figured out and practicing by early May," Dean Yeadon of Milk River Baseball said. "Due to COVID-19 we had no idea if we'd be even able to have anything this year so it's not really a season this year more of pick up baseball just to keep it in people's minds."

For the tee-ball games, close to 20 children aged five to seven were present. There were 15 children age seven to 13 playing baseball.

Yeadon reached out to parents of the attending athletes to help put on the event as coaches as well as umpires and guides.

"Everyone is always great and very responsive to lend a helping hand," Yeadon said.

At Tee-Ball the helping hands included MHS standouts Kirk Stiles and Jesse Young, as well as Lathan Crossland, an athlete that competed at Cascade High School. Each of them had children on a team.

"It's fun to be able to give back because we have had a lot of people help us out when we were younger," Stiles, father of Taije Stiles said. "It's a good feeling to be able to do that."

Young was helping coach his son Beckett, who was in his first year of tee-ball.

"It was extremely hot but very fun," Young said. "Everyone had fun and that's the main thing."

Throughout the game Young and Stiles each took their turn helping the players with their stance at the plate and how to griptheir hands.

The next games will be played on Wednesday, July 1, and the season will conclude on Wednesday, July 8.

Despite the shortened season, Yeadon was encouraged by how many showed up to play baseball.

"It was great," Yeadon said. "it was about what I had anticipated. I didn't expect over 100 kids like we've had for sign-ups over the past few years but I didn't expect five kids either."