Players needed for youth baseball here Published Jan. 27, 2012 By Christopher Bailey Nucleus staff writer 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 9. The cost is $35 for Youth Center members and $50 for non-members. Opening day is scheduled for April 14 and the season concludes June 2. The league consists of three age divisions: T-ball (ages 5-7); machine pitch (8-10); and kid's pitch (11 and older). The league is in its second stint at Kirtland AFB. Tyrone Griffin, the Kirtland Youth Center Sports and Fitness director, ran the baseball league from 2002-06 and has had as many as six teams participating in each age division. The league folded after the 2006 season when Griffin left the Youth Center. He returned in 2010 and restarted the league last year. "We started it back up last year and had two teams per age division," Griffin said. "So we are definitely looking for more kids to participate this year." Griffin said the league is not an ultra-competitive brand of baseball. It's a recreational league where Team Kirtland kids can learn how to play the sport and develop and improve their baseball skills. His goal is to have at least four teams per age division this year. "I'd like to get at least 10 kids on a team, but I can go as high as 12," Griffin said. "I don't like to go that high because there needs to be room on a team in the event that we get a kid whose family has moved to the base after the season has started." 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," Griffin said. "Following the last day of registration, we will have a week of training for our coaches to give them pointers." The games are scheduled to take place at the East Side baseball fields, near housing. Practices are nightly Mondays through Thursdays, with games set for Saturdays. For more information, call the Kirtland Youth Center at 853-5437.