Opening Day arrives for Sandpoint Little League

SANDPOINT — Plenty of baseball and softball action, raffle items that include a pair of signed baseballs by arguably the best two current players in professional baseball, and plenty of good food and festivities will highlight the Opening Day Ceremonies for Sandpoint Little League today at Travers Park.

With War Memorial Field under construction, the annual event was moved to Travers Park, which will have concessions on hand from 9 a.m. to the last game at 6 p.m. There will also be a host of raffle items for sale, highlighted by signed baseballs from the Angels Mike Trout and the Cubs Kris Bryant, two rising superstars of their sport.

Softball games will start at Travers Park at 10 a.m., while Minors will start at 10:30 a.m. at Little Pine St. Field, with the Majors action starting at noon at Travers Park.

The ceremony will commence at 3 p.m. on field No. 1, with an introduction of every teams and their sponsor, a Color Guard and the national anthem will be sung live by SHS student Sierra McNamee.

The Little League Pledge will be read by 2016 fundraising leader Ethan Butler, and a ceremonial first pitch will be thrown out by Sabrina Higdon. The featured game this year will follow as the two SLL Juniors softball teams face off against each other.

Sabrina’s husband Ken Higdon was the Anaheim Angels’ longtime clubhouse manager, and also spent time working for the Seattle Mariners, spending more than 30 years in professional baseball before passing away in January. The two moved to Sandpoint years ago upon retirement, and after Ken passed away Sabrina contacted SLL to see if they would be the beneficiary of any donations made in Ken’s name.

Getting kids off the couch and outside was important to Ken, along with youth sports, and baseball was obviously a big part of his life. The fund is detailed on www.sandpointlittleleague.com.

Sabrina also donated some MLB items for the raffle, which include four framed photographs chronicling the Angel’s success in 2002 through the playoffs and winning the World Series, and autographed baseballs by Hisashi Iwakuma, Edgar Martinez, Trout (game used) and the 2016 NL MVP Bryant. The Angel’s organization also sent a couple hundred baseball caps to hand out to the kids tomorrow.

“Ken worked with the Mariners and Angels,” said SLL president Tony Butler. “Sabrina called the two organizations and they sent stuff. There is an Angels basket, and a Mariners basket.”

Raffle tickets will be for sale at a table at Travers Park, with the drawing to be held on the final week of the season.

For more information on the upcoming season, visit www.sandpointlittleleague.com.