Diamond Valley Community Park parking lots overflowed with cars bringing more than a thousand children to the Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District’s Youth Baseball and Softball Opening Day, Saturday, March 29.
In addition to the Opening Day ceremonies, one of the district’s long term General Managers, one former board member, and one current board member were honored with streets in the park complex renamed in their honor and were presented with street signs baring their names.
The street sign presentation was made to long-time former General Manager Sam Goepp, former Board Member Larry Minor and current board member Nick Schouten. The three men, well-known in the Hemet and San Jacinto communities, are considered fundamental to the history of the Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District that has grown tremendously in recent years serving youth and adults in sports programs across Southwest Riverside County. The girls and boys softball/baseball opening Saturday showed that, with 109 softball and baseball teams with ages from 5 to 14 years old.
The teams included the youngest players in girls softball on the 6U teams to the oldest in the 14U. The boy’s baseball teams ranged from the youngest in the Shetland League to the oldest in the Pony Leagues. In all, more than 1,200 girls and boys have signed onto the season’s softball and baseball teams at Valley-Wide community parks.
The highlight of the morning ceremonies for the more than 4,000 parents and friends of the players was hearing the announcers, Public Information Officer Craig Shultz and Recreation Supervisor Robert Byers, name off each of the young players and their coaches as they rounded the main ballfields third baseline around home base and over first base to the cheers of their families crowded behind the ballfield fences and dugouts. As they reached first base Valley-Wide Board Members Robert Douglas and Christopher Carnes reached down to give each player a welcoming “high five.” In a show of team spirit, some older teams had the younger players run under hand arches as they completed their runs.
Even more exciting to the teams was an ongoing team banner contest with prizes and honors taking place during the ceremonies and plaques presented to last season’s Girls Softball Coaches of the Year. 2025 Coaches of the Year included: 6U Coach Nick Rodriguez, 8U Coach Craig Day, 10U Coach Jeniifer McMinn, 12U Coach Jon Kunz and 14U Coach Daniel Fry.
2025 Youth Baseball Coaches of the Year included: Shetland Coach Travis Leavit, Pinto Coach Jon Kunz (second award), Bronco Coach Josh Murphy and Pony Coach Hector Perez.
The ceremony also included Scout Troop 46 presenting the Color Guard with a huge waving hand held American Flag, the National Anthem sung by Rebecca Catlin, the Invocation given by Kyle Headlee and the poem “They’re Just Children” read by Lyric Skinner and Jay Gonzales and the League Philosophy read by Senior Recreation Supervisor Rene Gonzales.
Also attending the Opening Day and Sign Presentation that morning were Hemet City Council members Mayor Jackie Peterson, Mayor Pro-Tem Carole Kendrick, and Council Members Linda Krupa and Joe Males. San Jacinto City Council members were also present including Mayor Valerie Vandever, and other council members. Also in attendance were California Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa-Bogh from the 19th District. Members of the Soboba Foundation board, a sponsor of the event, were present.
For information about the many Valley-Wide youth programs, visit GoRecreation.org.
Tony Ault can be reached at tault@reedermedia.com.
