Babe Ruth baseball returns to Tiffin

After a lengthy hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tiffin's Babe Ruth baseball league is coming back next month with a full makeover. The league came under new leadership two years ago, but the coronavirus hit before they could have their first season. The new commissioners of the junior division, husband and wife duo Rhett and Elizabeth Gill, are hopeful about the upcoming season. The Gills are co-commissioners of one of four baseball divisions in the league. There are also three divisions for softball. Rhett played for the league when he was 13 and started coaching at 16, but eventually his job took him out of the game. Now that the Gills' oldest son is playing, they wanted to get more involved. In the past, the junior division was for 14 to 16 year old boys, but as a way to include kids who lost their last season due to COVID, the Gills extended the age range to 17. The 17-year-olds can't pitch in games, but they can play normally otherwise. Right now, the junior division has four teams, each with about a dozen players. One of the team's head coaches, Chris Milroy, looks back on the league in the 90s, when there were ten full teams in the league. "You lose a lot of kids sometimes when the summer months hit and the pool opens," Milroy said. "Ideally, we want enough kids to have to make even more teams." Milroy's goal would be to have 13 or 14 kids per team, but he's happy with the progress the league has made recently. Not long ago, there were only nine kids per team. "The league had a rebirth," Milroy said. "We're trying really hard right now to make this an amazing season and summer, and to try to make Babe Ruth baseball popular and meaningful again for the kids." As part of that effort, the teams are getting all new equipment and newly designed uniforms. A sponsorship from Little Hugo's made it so uniforms will come free of charge to all the players, with names and numbers on the jerseys. "This year, we've basically redone everything," Rhett said. Milroy echoed the same sentiment. "There's nothing left over from previous seasons, from the field to uniforms to equipment," he said. "Everything is starting from scratch." Little Hugo's wasn't the only local business that stepped up to sponsor the league. The local firefighters union is sponsoring a team, as are Bair Bros. sporting equipment, the Tiffin Eagles and the Tiffin Moose. Webster Industries is also sponsoring the division, and Marco's Pizza will sell concessions at games. The city provided a portable mound for the field, and several businesses around Tiffin have partnered to provide fundraising nights. Additionally, businesses can purchase banner advertisements to hang on the outfield fence. The field the division will use this year is the Roger Young field in Hedges-Boyer Park, across the street from the YMCA. Games will take place Monday through Thursday, with one game per evening at 6:15 p.m. Each team will play twice a week. The season lasts six weeks, beginning on June 14 and lasting through the end of July. The first game of the season on the 14th will be a special opening day event, and Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz will throw out the first pitch. "Opening day is going to be pretty special," Elizabeth Gill said. "Our goal is to make it an event, to make it fun for the kids to be down there and want to play baseball in Tiffin." Elizabeth said the division has other events planned throughout the year, but they're keeping most of them secret for now. The division itself is a branch under the larger, overarching Tiffin Youth Sports Organization. Across the city, there are baseball and softball programs for Tiffin youth as young as five years old — kids move up leagues in the organization as they age. "As commissioners, we have a goal of getting it out there so that kids playing in lower levels right now want to come play in our division," Rhett said. The Gills are working on incentives for players, like days built into the schedule for younger kids to come watch the division's games. Babe Ruth is the oldest teen baseball league in the area — on the program's website, it states the league was founded in the summer of 1954. Milroy, one of the four head coaches of the division, is hopeful about the Gills' work for the league. "They're a fresh set of eyes," he said. "They know how to attract a new generation. "It's going to be amazing for the kids to see that Tiffin still has something they can do other than video games." Registration for the division is open until June 1, and team photos will be June 8. To sign up, there's a $58.25 fee that covers affiliation with Babe Ruth, field upkeep and umpire fees. Registration is available online at tabrl.sportssignup.com. The Gills have been recruiting players since February, and it's almost time for their work to come to fruition. "Hopefully we can really make this season something special," Rhett Gill said.