Niwot Youth Sports Baseball and Softball

Three Niwot Youth Sports players practiced their swings early Saturday morning at Left Hand Valley Grange Park to beat the afternoon heat. Julianna, Wesley, and Burke Deens were there taking some batting practice with their dad and coach just in time for Father's Day.

Julianna is a pitcher and first baseman on the Wildcats 10U softball team, and when asked about how the team's season was going she said, "Our team is doing really well, and our hitting has really improved so far."

Her dad, Jeremy Deens, is the head coach of the Wildcats team, and said that the team is doing a lot better than they had been at the beginning of the season, and he is excited to see where they go from there.

Deens is also the Niwot Youth Sports Cardinals' "half coach" according to Burke. Wesley and Burke are a dynamic duo, and play together on the Cardinals baseball team. They both expressed their avid enthusiasm for the rest of the season, and Burke was especially excited about how they were doing so far, saying, "The season is going great... we're undefeated!"

According to Deens, each of the kids' teams are leading their respective leagues.

At the same time, across the Diagonal at the Biff Warren Baseball Complex, another Niwot Youth Sports facility, the second inning of a game between the Yard Goats and The Storm at Columbine Field had just started.

One of the managers keeping book for the Yard Goats explained the team's unique name, saying that most youth teams take the same names as minor league teams. This name in particular is a play on a colloquial baseball turn of phrase, and he explained that, "When you hit a home run, it's called 'going yard."

Even though not many home runs happen yet in that age group, "going yard" is a fun goal for all the boys to have, and their success rate is not for lack of trying. All of the players on the field had smiles on their faces and a spring in their step in the 77-degree heat. Fielders were chasing down ground balls left and right and base runners were rounding the bases at lightning speed while a crowd of families with bells, banners, and lots of love cheered them on from the shade.