Lubbock Little League

Annual Little League reunion gives teammates chance to reconnect

In the summer of 1957, Ken Hampton and his family travelled from Phoenix to Lubbock, where his dad ran a lawn service. For that one summer Hampton joined the Southern Little League, playing in the pony division.

For the past for years, he's retraced that trip for the opportunity to reconnect with old teammates.

The annual Southern Little League baseball reunion will be held July 12 at 6 p.m. in the Golden Corral, 5117 W. Loop 289. Hampton said anyone associated with Southern Little League is encouraged to attend.

"We all meet and everybody starts talking baseball," Hampton said. "We all tell our own little stories and everybody has a different one."

Michael Narvaiz's two sons played in Southern Little League between 1969 and 1986. Narvaiz said he remembers the Southern Little League being the only self-sustaining league in Lubbock at the time. All of the field maintenance was done by parents and other volunteers, he said, while the other leagues in Lubbock were maintained by the city.

"I remember it was Labor Day, and we were out there painting the scoreboard," Narvaiz said. "It was hot, and we're working while everyone else is having cookouts. We didn't mind, though, because it was for the kids."

Ken Castle said the reunion has grown every year since it started in 2007.

Castle umpired for the Southern Little League and enjoys sharing stories about his time as an umpire.

He remembers a time when a coach who liked to talk a lot sat behind home plate one hot summer day complaining about every pitch Castle called.

"He was trying to figure out some way to get me a little perturbed," Castle said. "He kept hollering about every pitch and I finally walked down there and said 'Roy you may as well stop hollering because it's hot and I am not going to throw you out because I know you're not going anywhere.'"

The reunion isn't just about telling old stories, Castle said. It is also about being with old friends.

"It's just a special group of guys that were involved in little league," Castle said. "We talk about the old times and update each other on our lives. Some of us are getting up there in years, and you always like to get together and see some of those guys you haven't seen in awhile.

Lubbock Little League

Garrett Williams opened play in the first game with a 3 hit performance from the mound, and struck out 17 batters before reaching the 85 pitch count limit. Coaches moved him to shortstop, and he grabbed a pop fly, making him responsible for all 18 outs of the game. He brought a 0.38 ERA into the game, and somehow managed to lower that with his performance. Tyler Thorne hit two 2-run HRs in back to back at bats to give the Lubbock club the offensive performance that they needed.

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