La Jolla Youth Softball made it another successful season on the diamond recently with its recreational play before heading into All-Star competition.
All three All-Star teams (one in each age division: 8U, 10U and 12U) have played in three tournaments already this summer, ranging in location from Clairemont to Ramona and Oceanside.
The three teams played some exciting games this past weekend at the Tournament del Sol, but none advanced to Sunday play.
This past weekend was the final tournament of the season for the 8U team, but the 10U and 12U teams will play in Escondido this coming weekend for their final tournament of this year’s All-Star season.
All-Star coaches this year are: 8U “” Ken Bertrand for the 8U La Jolla Firecrackers; 10U “” George Varonfakis for the 10U team; and 12U “” Sharman Dye for the 12U La Jolla Waves.
Each All-Star team is composed of the top 12 to 14 players from their respective age divisions. Although none of the La Jolla Softball All-Star teams made it to tournament finals this year, each team has seen exciting improvements in individual skills and level of play.
“The girls received specialized coaching, new uniforms and unique tournament opportunities not found in the regular season,” said Barbara Birnbaum, league secretary. “When these players return next season, they’ll bring a higher level of play to their rec teams in the spring.”
The La Jolla Youth Softball league is open to players ages 5 to 14, in five different age divisions: 6U (T-ball), 8U, 10U, 12U and 14U. Players come from La Jolla as well as many other local areas, including University City and Point Loma. The games are played on the softball fields located behind Torrey Pines Elementary School.
According to Birnbaum, recent years have seen two to three teams per age division, with approximately 150 girls participating each year. The league’s season runs from late February through early May each year, followed by an All-Star season from May to June.
“La Jolla Youth Softball is looking to expand registration and the number of teams in upcoming years, to increase intraleague play during the regular season,” Birnbaum noted.
For more information on La Jolla Youth Softball, visit www.lajollayouthsoftball.org.