DEMOPOLIS – As the West Alabama Babe Ruth Baseball League prepares to open its doors to the public this spring, commissioner Rob Pearson is hopeful the program will be a success.

And with the deadline quickly approaching (April 2), it looks as though that deadline may be extended to help bring in more kids to the league.

“It’s a league for the young kids in the West Alabama area and we probably won’t start practice until the week of April 18th,” Pearson said.

“And then we hope to begin playing games the second week of May.”

As the league commissioner, Pearson claims to have two goals for this year’s Babe Ruth Baseball League.

“The first is to have competitive league games where everyone gets a chance to play and compete,” Pearson said.

“Secondly, we would like to have some strong all-start teams to compete statewide in all three age groups.”

The one difference in this year’s league is the addition of 15-year-olds to the group, which may concern some parents in the area.

“The worry is that people think the 13-year-olds are being left behind and my hope is that we can continue to help them play better baseball,” Pearson said.

“One thing we want to emphasize is that we intend to do some 13-year-old only games – five or six games where we split up the 13-year-olds and they play each other for developmental time and playing time so they don’t feel left behind.”

Applications are being accepted all throughout the West Alabama area and application forms can be picked up at Omni Sports in Demopolis or by contacting Pearson at 334-216-9119.

Cost for the league, which includes a hat and jersey, will be $65 and is due with the application.

For the latest information on the Babe Ruth Baseball League, check later editions of The Times.