Kids gear up for summer baseball

With shiny aluminum baseball bats in their hands and their favorite New Era caps sagged onto their heads, Kenny Pellegrin Jr., and his little brother Kaleb aren’t afraid to share what they are going to do this summer.

As if the bat and cap didn’t give it away, the boys plan to play baseball – one of their favorite sports.

Children all across Terrebonne Parish can do the same, as Terrebonne Parish Recreation (TPR) opens registration for baseball and t-ball this month.

Baseball registration opens April 16, while T-ball begins April 23. Both registration periods end on May 11 and the cost is $20 per child with discounts given to families with more than one child in the program.

The Pellegrins are one of those families with a couple youngsters on the diamond.

They wouldn’t miss this for the world.

“I played baseball my whole life and I always just loved to play, so why not?” Kenny Pellegrin Sr. says. “I enjoy the game and it just gives the kids something to do over the summer. It gets them out of the house. It lets them have fun with their friends. They’re little boys, they like to win. They are always at home doing something competitive – wrestling, racing, doing something. So why not? The memories they make playing ball over these summers will last forever.”

“They have fun,” mother Mindy Pellegrin adds. “They really like it. Baseball is a sport they really like to play. It keeps them moving. Nowadays, the kids would rather sit down and play games. Doing this gets them outside, moving around and exercising.”

Spend a couple minutes outside with the Pellegrin boys and it’s easy to see why they enjoy being on the baseball diamond.

Start with big brother – 10-year-old Kenny.

Proudly wearing the shirt of his favorite player, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence (whom he caught a ball from at an Astros game), Kenny explains that he is a shortstop and a first baseman.

His eyes light up when explaining his favorite baseball moment.

“I like to hit it far and run as fast as I can,” Kenny boasts. “That’s my favorite thing to do.”

Then there’s little brother, 7-year-old Kaleb.

Like his big brother, Kaleb plays first base.

While manning the infield, he’s likely imitating his favorite player, Los Angeles Angels slugger Albert Pujols, who also calls first base home.

“I like to hit the ball hard,” the 7-year-old little brother adds, slightly more shy than his brother.

His parents quickly caution that shy is not often a word used to describe their son.

“I promise you he’s got energy,” Kenny Sr. says with a laugh.

With baseball season around the corner, the parents are tasked with the inevitable job of serving as taxicab drivers for both little Kenny and Kaleb, who will have games, practices and different sporting responsibilities throughout their respective seasons.

While that is a chore for Mom and Dad, they insist it’s no problem.

They plan to be around America’s past time for quite some time.

“There’s nothing like those warm summer nights,” the father says.

“We’re going to let them do it as long as they want to play,” Mindy adds. “We’re always going to follow them around.”

– casey@gumboguide.com