Two Valley Stream baseball leagues merge

Valley Stream Little League and the Valley Stream Baseball League are no longer rivals — the two opposing leagues recently merged to better accommodate the community’s skill level.

“It was as if you were in two separate towns because there were two different baseball leagues,” Little League President Steve Baez said. “Kids in the same class wouldn’t even be playing together.”

Now, every Valley Stream child interested in baseball will have the opportunity to compete in the Williams Port Little League Tournament, a tournament that pits Little Leagues from throughout the country against one another in a Little League World Series.

Children in the Valley Stream Sandlot Baseball League were not able to participate in the tournament, according to Bob Inzerillo, former president of the Valley Stream Sandlot Baseball League, because it was a travel league with more strictly adhered-to professional rules. The league therefore required more experienced players, which Inzerillo said has become scarce because fewer children know the basics of the game.

“I’m noticing more and more the kids that are coming up to play, it’s their first exposure to baseball,” Inzerillo said. “They needed a league they can learn.”

Inzerillo then contacted Baez, who thought it would be a great idea for the two leagues to join together. The Little League does not require previous experience in baseball.

Baez accepted Inzerillo’s offer because Baez noticed that enrollment in the Little League was declining, as it has across the country. Prior to the merger, there were about 150 to 200 players in the Valley Stream Little League. Now, there are nearly 400 children signed up to play together. Baez and Inzerillo agreed that the children have adjusted well to the merger.

“The kids are having fun, which is what it’s really about,” Inzerillo said, adding “It was the right time, it was the right move for everyone.”

Children between the ages of 12 and 14 with more baseball experience will still have the opportunity to with one of Inzerillo’s travel leagues. He is also the president of a travel team, known as the Valley Stream Hawks. For more information about the Hawks, visit www.vshawks.com or call (516) 492-5119. To join the Valley Stream Little League, visit www.vsll.org. For any questions, call Steve Baez at (516) 405-3550 or email questions@vsll.org.