Ariela Martin Photo
Jayce DiDia, grandmother of two rookie players for the Lester H. Brenner Insurance team (known simply as “Brenner”), makes each baseball game and practice a family event. Sunday was no different, when the family came together along with other parents, coaches, players, and dignitaries to celebrate the opening day of the Westville Youth Baseball Association at the Mel Zeidenberg Field.
But this Sunday was different for the diverse league: The launch of the most active season in memory, with three new teams and new equipment.
The opening day ceremonies commenced with a parade of members of the Edson Color Guard, University of New Haven drummers, and ebullient players accompanied by their coaches. Teams and families gathered on the center of the Mel Zeidenberg Field for speeches by Zeidenberg, commissioner of Westville Youth Baseball, and by the mayor.
Players and coaches sing the National Anthem.
“We’ve been able to grow the program and have more teams and more parents involved because of the Internet,” said Mel Zeidenberg. Thanks to emails, websites, and social networking, the volunteer staff of the Westville Youth Baseball Association and parents and sponsors transformed this year’s baseball season.
From left to right: Ava Hammond, Jason Sibley, Levi Sibley, and Jayce DiDia.
DiDia noticed the improvements from previous years of watching grandchildren play. “I see they put up new yellow guards on the fence. They’ve also replaced the bleachers, which is really nice.”
Ava Hammond, one of DiDia’s grandchildren, comes all the way from Clinton to be on Brenner; her uncle, Jason Sibley, helps coach along with Sean O’Connor and other volunteer parents. She’s also the only girl on the team. “We’re proud of Ava, and it doesn’t matter to her or anyone else that she’s the only girl,” DiDa said. “She just loves baseball.”
Nir Bongart and his son, Lior. Bongart.
Lior Bongart has been playing baseball for the past four years. “When he started in the program, there were only four or five teams. Now they’re over 10 teams so it’s almost tripled. It’s something for the kids to do after school and on the weekend, and it keeps many of them out of trouble, which is very good,” said Nir Bongart, Lior’s father.“I’m from Israel, so we don’t have sports like baseball like they do here. I love watching him play.”
Robert Vidal and son Jeremiah. Vidal.
Like other league newcomers, Robert Vidal and his son, Jeremiah Vidal, heard about registration through his school, St. Aedan’s. “We thought it would be a fun sport for him to play after school, so we signed him up,” Vidal said. “He loves it!” Jeremiah plays for Caruso Construction, one of three rookie teams, all newly created to transition players from T‑ball to the minors.
Wayne Kellman (center) with his sons, Sterling and Wayne Jr.
Wayne Kellman used to be a baseball player himself as a kid. “So I like seeing my boys play,” he said. Kellman has two sons, Sterling and Wayne Jr., who play on teams sponsored by Lena’s Café and Confections and Yale-New Haven Hospital. “They’ve been playing for two years, and I’ve seen a huge change in the amount of players there are.” Kellman added, “With two boys on two different teams, we sure will be at this field all the time.”