Daring acrobatics. Mad dashes. Spins of at least 360-degrees. Extreme grass pulling.

Enter the world of T-ball.

The Nash family officially joined the ranks of team sports, signing up our oldest, Reed, for Sequim Little League earlier this year.

Fitting baseball in with everything else in life seemed slightly daunting to mom and dad, but it was hard to deny his interest in the sport, one that started last summer.

We welcomed a set of giant plastic tee, bat and balls to our backyard. It made all of us — dad included — feel like Nelson Cruz crushing balls over our small fence and into the neighbors’ yards.

We prepped Reed as best we could with a cool glove, cleats and a T-ball bat. We’d later go on to buy matching orange socks and black baseball pants.

When practices and games began for Coon Plumbing — our team sponsor — Reed jumped in with an eagerness that lasted through the season. After his first game on opening day, I asked him his favorite part. His response? High-fives at the end.

I asked him after another game. This time, it was the snacks.

I asked him at the last game on June 2: Hitting.

While the snacks were popular with the players and surpassed those golden days (mine) of simply receiving a juice box after games playing in the early 1990s, these youngsters were definitely coming away with more than just a brown bag of awesome goodies.

Kudos to all the coaches, including our coach John Coon, for their dedication and patience for working with players ages 4-6 — who started the season with little to no experience — and built the confidence and skills of each.

For the future

One of the first things coaches want their players to learn is to attack the ball when a hit comes your way. Use instinct to scoop the ball up and throw.

With some T-ball players though the instinct was for the whole infield to go for the ball, resulting in pile-ups. In some cases, even hitters attempted to field their own hits, too.

But as the season progressed, those pile-ups lessened and players learned their basic plays. Like, get the ball and throw to first base.

In Sequim T-ball, there are no outs and no steals, and every player bats once in an inning, advancing one base at a time. Each team’s last hitter gets to clear the bases with a grand slam.

Some games lasted three innings and others four, depending on the weather and players’ moods.

Early in the season I worried about certain plays with Reed, hoping he’d make the play. Every parent wants their child to succeed, whether it’s on a math test or throwing to first base, but I needed to remember that he and everyone else is learning — including the parents.

Bottom line, whether it’s a 16-year-old all-state basketball player or 5- and 6-year-old T-ball players, they’re all still kids.

I knew Reed loved playing because he always wanted to be at practices and games. He cheered for teammates and even opponents in the field or on the bench. He’d let me know when he saw and spoke with teammates at school.

From what we’re seeing and hearing, T-ball and Little League as a whole help build a foundation for life socially.

T-ball was definitely a hit with the Nash family and I’m sure we’ll lace up for another year next spring.

Learn more about Sequim Little League, an all-volunteer organization, at www.sequimlittleleague.com.

Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.

Marcus Shelden smiles after making a throw during warm-ups. Sequim Gazette photos by Matthew Nash

Len Horst serves as third base coach for his son Parker during a T-ball game earlier this season. Coon Plumbing was one of six T-ball teams with Sequim Little League.

Reed Nash takes a swing as T-ball coach John Coon looks on during a game earlier this season. For many players, it was their first experience on a team sport. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash