The Little League regular season runs from March through May, culminating in the annual city championship tournament.
From there, players turn to all-star teams or travel ball, the latter making up the bulk of summer play due to the limited number of spots on an all-star roster.
For the players at Floyd Gwin Little League, however, the entire season essentially was travel ball.
With construction ongoing at Floyd Gwin Park, the players were shuttled between McKinney Park, Sherwood Park and Jim Parker Park this season.
It didn’t slow the Major or Minor teams, however, as both worked through the regular season, capping them off with a pair of city championships.
The D’Backs won the Major title, completing a 17-0 season, while the Padres were able to capture the Minor crown.
“It was a good season,” D’Backs coach Thomas Chavez said. “We played our games at McKinney Park, all the majors and minors.
“They are still working on the fields at Floyd Gwin.”
One of the perks Chavez earned from winning the regular-season crown was being selected as the manager of the league’s Majors all-star team for the upcoming District 3 Tournament and beyond.
That competition will pit teams from Big Spring, Midland and Odessa against each other for the right to continue battling for the ultimate prize — a berth in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., in August.
The tournament begins at 6 p.m. Friday at Mid City Little League in Midland, with Floyd Gwin meeting a familiar foe in Sherwood’s all-star squad.
The winner of the double-elimination tournament keeps its season alive, the other teams get started on vacation plans.
Chavez, who selected several players from his own team to fill out the roster, knows that getting past Sherwood and the Midland teams (Tower, Eastern, Mid City and Northern) will be a daunting task.
Having to travel to Midland to play, however, doesn’t bother him and he doesn’t think it will bother the players.
“With the city tournament and then summer ball, everyone travels,” he said. “We just need to be ready to go when the tournament starts and I think we will be.”
What he would like to see ready as well would be the fields at Floyd Gwin for the 2023 Little League season.
That would give the teams and players a true home field advantage during the postseason, as well as making the park the focal point for the community.
“It will be nice to have the fields next year,” he said. “But right now, we are focused on representing Floyd Gwin this season.”
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