Amenia youth softball team looks for more players

AMENIA – The Amenia Recreation Department is looking for more young players for its 7- to 8-year-old youth softball program.

Coach Ken Pomeisl, who also coaches baseball at Webutuck High School, said the program is short on players.

"We’re looking for more players for all of our department sports, including basketball, flag football and girls softball," Pomeisl said. "Youth softball is important because, like learning anything, the earlier you do it, the better. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks."

He said that youth softball is good for children because it instills teamwork and other values.

"Since they are still kids, they are still spinning in circles, but you have to play," he said. "The key for children’s baseball is that you have to find some way to get them to see some sort of success, even if the only thing they are good at is catching the ground ball, you need to tell them they are good at something."

Jeff Vesely, whose 7-year-old son participates in the league, said that playing baseball has been valuable to his son.

"It gives him something for him to look forward to on Saturday mornings," Vesely said. "A lot of values in life could be translated in baseball, and that’s important for him to learn."

Coach Pomeisl takes the sport very seriously. He said it’s because of the love he has for the game.

"I just hope we can find more players, we really need them," he said. "We really could use some more kids."

To find out more information about the Amenia Recreation Department’s summer programs contact department director Kathleen Kelly at 845-789-1195 or visit ameniany.gov/recadmin.asp.