YAO Baseball Bermuda will launch its Fall Ball youth programme at Southside, St David’s, weather permitting on Sunday.

The event is open to participants ages 4 to 16 who will be involved in various skills, drills and scrimmages in preparation for next year’s Spring Summer League.

“This weekend, pending the hurricane damage, we are going to launch our Fall Four Ball session which is about 150 children,” Frank Fischer, the YAO Baseball Bermuda president, told The Royal Gazette.

“Four Ball Sunday is really more focused on getting people to understand the game, understand the rules and improving your skills with a little bit of scrimmaging; whereas our Spring League, which has usually over 300, is where we have teams in divisions and standings and records and in a full-on league so to speak.”

Baseball in Bermuda was started by the United States Navy at the former Kindley Field to expose children to the sport.

Following closure of the former US Naval Base, YAO Baseball Bermuda was established as a more youth-oriented league with multiple fields, structured training, organised teams and competitive seasons.

The volunteer organisation is a member of the Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken League in the United States and has groomed several players who have gone on to elite baseball high schools and universities, such as Vauxhall Academy of Baseball in Canada, to further their development.

They have also supported overseas tours exposing its members to international competition in the United States, Canada and Caribbean.

Professional baseball scouts and academies have also visited Bermuda in search of talent, with Adam Hall being drafted in the first round by the Baltimore Orioles with a signing bonus of $1.3 million in 2017.

The promising infielder has since been promoted to the Orioles Triple A team, which is the highest level of minor league baseball before the major leagues.

“While baseball is a lesser-known sport in Bermuda, it provides an excellent opportunity for young athletes to learn and compete in a sport that requires a unique set of skills, such as co-ordination, timing, speed, strength, accuracy and focus, all while providing a great combination of the best aspects of both individual and team sports,” Fischer added.

“I believe the more exposure young athletes get to different sports, the more chance they have to find their true passions.

“YAO has had the privilege of working with over 300 children per year, many of whom play football or cricket, yet the skills they have learnt with baseball enhance their strengths in other ways.”

• For further details on the YAO, Fall Ball or Spring Ball programmes visit yaobaseballbermuda.teamsnapsites.com or yao_baseball_bermuda@outlook.com