Encinitas Little League Kicks Off 55th Season This Weekend

There’s an entire generation of locals who grew up playing baseball in the Encinitas Little League — and today, many of them are watching their kids play in that same league. The Encinitas Little League is one of the oldest in the nation and this Saturday will mark its 55^th season, a milestone the community is invited to help celebrate.

“Since its inception, the hope has been that this league would stay strong and we’ve worked every year to keep improving it,” said Todd Sleet, president of the Encinitas Little League.

Back in 1957, those first games were played on a single diamond near Moonlight Beach. There were only four teams and about 60 players. Today, that league has ballooned to include 38 teams and more than 440 kids.

“That kind of growth has been possible thanks to the support we’ve received from the community. We wouldn’t have made it without that.”

That community support has helped the league provide about 15 to 20 scholarships every year, Sleet added.

“We’ll never turn away a kid who wants to play baseball,” he said. “People know that we’re all about the kids. If they support us, they know it’s going to go directly back to the kids in this league.”

Saturday the community is invited to come celebrate the league’s legacy with a parade, festivities, and the annual home run derby (a schedule of events is at the bottom of this story). It will be a chance for some Encinitas Little League alumni to relive their glory days—and in fact, you can follow what other former players are up to these days on the league’s website.

Saturday’s celebration will also give the public a chance to checkout the new artificial turf that was just installed on one of the fields — a $20,000 project that all of the teams raised money for with their annual home run derby. Last year, the league also paid to have safety netting placed along the fields.

“It’s important for us to give back to the community that’s supported us,” Sleet said. “And you should see how excited these kids are to get out on that new field. We’ve had to hold off on using it lately because of the rain, but they start jumping up and down when they see it. We joke that it’s our ‘Field of Dreams.’”

If you have any memories of playing in the Encinitas Little League, you can share them in the comments here below — or, if you have any photos from your days on the diamond, you can add them to this story. 

Want to join in the celebration? Here’s a rundown of opening day:

• Who: Encinitas Little League
• What: 55th Season Opening Day 
• Where: , 200 Saxony Road ()
• When: Saturday, March 3, at 8 a.m.
• More Details: The festivities will kickoff with a parade of all 38 teams, followed by the opening ceremonies and presentations. After that, there will be a series of games and the annual home run derby, an all-day annual fundraiser. For more information, visit ellbaseball.org.

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