DEMOPOLIS – The Dixie Youth Baseball League will officially kickoff their season this morning with an opening ceremony and short exhibition games – weather permitting.

The event will take place at the youth complex at the Demopolis SportsPlex, and Mark Pettus, head of Parks and Recreation, has high hopes for the 2005 league.

“We expect a huge turnout,” Pettus said.

“There will be 20 plus teams here and we will have hundreds of kids involved.

During the day, there will be thousands of people here at the Plex.”

The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. with Jeff Reeves of Fairhaven Baptist Church singing the National Anthem and former long-time Demopolis Dixie Youth President Alfred Padilla throwing out the first ball.

All teams (T-ball through 12 yr-old boys) will participate in the opening ceremony and in short exhibition games with the first games beginning at the end of the opening ceremony.

The regular season games will begin on Monday, April 4.

“If you’re an artsy person, this isn’t the thing for you,” Pettus said.

“But if you’re a fan of good old American baseball, it’s huge.

It’s not spring time without baseball, and in my opinion, it’s as good as apple pie.”

Holding the Dixie Youth Baseball League here in Demopolis gives many young athletes the chance to play team baseball, and Pettus is proud to be part of it.

“If you look at this though a kids eyes, it’s everything,” Pettus said.

“This means the world to them.”

Because there is the possible threat of inclement weather, Pettus and his crew have plans to move the ceremony to Monday when the regular season games begin.

This years sponsors include Mason&Gardner, Traegers, Omni Sports, Bank Trust, Anderson Plumbing and Heating, Lions, Windham Motors, Dowdle Gas, Wallace Wood Products, McDonald’s, Keen Chiropractic, F&F Drugs, Robertson Banking, Collins’ Communication, Team Xerox (Colony Office Products), Manley-Treager-Perry-Stapp, Athlete’s Foot, PACE, Hudgens Insurance, Fleming Photography, Cemex and Fitz-Gerald&Perret Clinic.