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Recently, I attended a history marker unveiling event at Riverside Park in Murfreesboro. You can read my article about it in the Nov. 13 print edition of the News Herald, or anytime on our website.

The marker celebrated Black baseball teams which used to play regularly in Hertford County. I love learning more about history, and it was a treat to hear people share their memories about the old baseball games during the event. From their stories, it was clear that the baseball teams were well-loved and something many people looked forward to each week.

The league was active from the 1930s through the 1960s, so it was well before my time. But I can clearly imagine people gathered in the stands, cheering on players as they hit the ball, rounded the bases, and slid home to score the game winning run.

It sounded like a good time for everyone (except for, maybe, the losing team each week, who were probably disappointed by their loss). Sporting events are always great for bringing the community together. You’ll see familiar faces and meet new friends. And probably get all the neighborhood gossip too!

Though the circumstances were different, the event on Saturday got me reminiscing about when I played softball in a church league during a few of my teenage years. It was a Northampton County-based league, with only a handful of churches participating at the time. I believe they had adult teams too, but I only clearly remember the youth teams.

The field was located outside of Seaboard, on a backroad that might have been hard to find if you didn’t know where you were going. (The softball field, sadly, is no longer there now. Last time I went by there, several years ago, the diamond had returned to its original purpose as a farm field instead.)

My brother and I were “recruited” by friends who played on the Bethel-Elam team. Even with both of those churches combined, they still didn’t have enough players at the time, so they were looking for more kids. Our parents signed us up, and we started attending practices and games.

I’ll be the first to admit, I was never really very good at softball. (Basketball has always been my first sporting love, though I’m not much better at that either.) The position I played was usually right field or right center – traditionally, the place that sees the least action when a batter hits the ball. I do, however, remember a stint of playing catcher for several games one season.

I did NOT like that position on account of having to wear extra gear to protect my face and having to squat down the whole time each inning. I probably also panicked a few times and forgot where I was supposed to throw the ball when runners were rounding the bases. Thankfully, I was shuffled back to outfield after a few games, thus ending my short-lived, error-filled catching career.

There aren’t many other standout memories in my mind now. Probably partially because it was 20 years ago, and partially because a softball once collided hard with the side of my head during practice. (I’m kidding. The softball didn’t cause any damage!)

But I do remember the feeling of having a good time together with the rest of the team. Many are people my brother and I are still in contact with. But, of course, they’re no longer the little kids and teens that we knew back in the day. Some are even married with their own children now. (They probably could start their own softball team in another few years if they wanted to.)

So, overall, it was a good experience, even if it only lasted a few years for me.

I’m glad that there are rec leagues in our four-county area that offer baseball and other sports for kids these days. It’s great for young people to have the opportunity to have something fun to do in their free time. Sports can teach the value of hard work and teamwork, and also get you to meet more people from all around.

And it can create a lifelong impact on your life. That was evident from the stories I listened to last week, told from people who were regularly at the ballfield in Riverside Park all those decades ago.

I hope the opportunities for local sports will grow, and continue to grow even more in the future. Everyone should have the chance to sit down in the stands with a hotdog in hand, or sit on the bench with cleats and a glove, and hear the words “play ball!”

Holly Taylor is a Staff Writer for Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact her at holly.taylor@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7206.