SUPERIOR – The kids of Superior will get fresh air and exercise playing variations of America’s favorite pastime this spring as registration for the T-ball and baseball leagues get under way.

For Superior, the first day of signups for youth baseball was on Tuesday, March 18. There will be another day of signups Thursday, March 20, in the Superior High School common area from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Superior will be making teams for all levels of the game. This includes T-ball through baseball. According to Kami Milender, one of the coordinators of the team, there is no softball league in the area. As a result, boys and girls are welcome to sign up for any of the teams.

Kids who are five to six years old can register for T-ball, seven to eight year olds can sign up as rookies, nine to 10 year olds can be minors and majors are ages 11 to 12. Superior will hold registrations for all four team levels at the same time.

“We’ll sign them all up next week and then see how many teams we have,” Milender said.

According to league rules, players need to present a copy of their birth certificate when they sign up. Milender said this is only for kids age nine or older. She said this was required because the older students could qualify for all-stars. This is the first year the league has strongly enforced needing birth certificates at registration.

March 20 will be the last day of signups and the teams will be formed based on who has signed up by then. No late signups will be accepted. Milender said the cutoff date was required so all the registration information could be submitted and all the players could be properly insured.

According to Milender, the team is usually very popular. She said last year there were enough kids for two T-ball teams, two rookie teams, one minor team and one major team.

For Superior’s teams, practices will begin on Monday, April 7. The first games are expected to be the week of April 15. Milender said the season usually goes until Memorial Day weekend. The Minor’s Tournament, on May 31, will be hosted in Superior this year.

The teams will play against Plains, Thompson Falls, Noxon, Trout Creek and Hot Springs. Because the teams are not associated with the schools, travel to games will need to be arranged through car pools with personal vehicles.

Milender was excited for the teams to be playing this year. She said baseball faded out in recent years and has not always been offered. For the last three years, the game has gained popularity again and last year saw approximately 80 kids try out for the teams.

“We’re hoping this will be another good year for it,” Milender said.

The leagues are also looking for umpires and coaches for the games. Anyone interested in either role should contact Kami Milender at 822-3377 or Chandra Plakke at 239-5751.