Kent Little League celebrates opening day of 2023 season

Published 5:11 pm Monday, April 10, 2023

“Little League baseball is a very good thing because it keeps the parents off the street,” Hall of Famer Yogi Berra once said.

Well, on Saturday, April 8 parents, kids and even the mayor were off the street during the Kent Little League opening day festivities at Ryan Brunner Field.

Mayor Dana Ralph even threw out the first pitch.

“It landed somewhere in the vicinity of home plate,” Ralph said in a city of Kent Facebook post.

Kent Little League began in 1984 and serves the communities of Kent and Covington with baseball and softball teams for boys and girls ages 4 to 14. Kent is part of Little League International and District 10 of Washington State.

The baseball divisions, according to the Kent Little League website, are Tee Ball, ages 4-6 coed; Minors A, ages 6-8; Minors AA, ages 8-9; Minors AAA, ages 10-11; Majors, age 12; and Juniors, ages 13-14.

The softball (fastpitch) divisions for girls include Minors B, ages 6-7; Minors A, ages 8-12; Majors, ages 10-12; and Juniors, ages 13-14.

Ryan Brunner Park, 25636 140th Ave. SE, is named after a 12-year-old Little League player, of Covington, who died in 1994 during a rafting trip along the Wenatchee River.

“The teams all looked great,” said Ralph, who thanked the Kent Police Department and Puget Sound Fire for showing up to cheer on the teams.