Players, coaches needed for youth baseball Published Feb. 22, 2013 By Public Affairs 377th Air Base Wing KIRTLAND AFB, N.M. -- Youth baseball at Kirtland Air Force Base returns this spring, and players are needed. League registration is underway and concludes March 1; there will be a $5 late fee assessed for those who register later. The cost is $35 for Youth Center members and $50 for non-members. Opening day is scheduled for March 18 and the season concludes May 18. The league consists of three age divisions: T-ball (ages 5-7); coach pitch (8-10); and kid's pitch (11 and older). The league is in its second stint at Kirtland AFB. Tyrone Griffin, the Kirtland AFB Youth Center Sports and Fitness director, ran the baseball league from 2002-06. The league folded after the 2006 season, when Griffin left the Youth Center. He returned in 2010 and restarted the league in 2011. Griffin said the league is not an ultra-competitive brand of baseball. It's a recreational league, in which Team Kirtland kids can learn how to play the sport , and develop and improve their baseball skills. "I'd like to get a minimum of nine players per team, with at least four teams per age group," Griffin said. Finding players isn't the only challenge, Griffin said. He also needs coaches. "We are always looking for good-quality adults to help teach our kids how to play baseball. They don't need any coaching experience -- we will train them and get them certified through the National Youth Sports Coaches Association," Griffin said. For more information, call the Kirtland AFB Youth Center at 853-5437.