Numbers are down, but Warner Robins National League still playing ball

WARNER ROBINS -- Like a quality middle reliever, Joey Walker Sr., is keeping his team in the game.

Walker is president of Warner Robins National League, a Dixie Youth Baseball affiliate. Now in his second year at the helm, Walker took over for Christine Etheridge, who reinvigorated the Simpson Park association after years of declining relevance.

Led by Walker, the board is paying its bills. Enough sponsors floated in -- Houston Healthcare contributed $1,000 -- to allow for enhancements to the clubhouse and restrooms. WRNL continues to reach out for support.

“Oftentimes it’s just who you know and raising awareness,” Walker said.

But participation numbers, which enjoyed a spike in 2011, are back at 2010 levels. The league was scheduled to celebrate opening day Saturday with four fewer baseball teams than a year ago. The league is not offering softball this year.

“I think it stems from the economy,” Vice President Clay Wilson said. “That might sound a little weak because we seem to blame everything on the economy these days. But if you can’t afford to pay your bills, you dang sure can’t have your son playing baseball or your daughter playing softball.”

Numbers are up at Warner Robins American Little League, President Mickey Lay said. The association, which has sent several teams to the Little League World Series in recent years, has 77 teams participating, six more than last season. Five of those are from a newly created junior league.

Upward baseball and softball, administered by Second Baptist Church on Moody Road in Warner Robins, has 50 teams, according to information on its website.

For whatever reason, parents of youth ball players are looking at options other than WRNL. Walker, whose day job is as a logistics manager at Robins Air Force Base, understands the need to raise the program’s profile. There’s also an effort to undo damage done to the league’s reputation given a history of vandalism and theft at the park. The scoreboard at the junior league field doesn’t work because the connecting cable was stolen. It will cost about $1,500 to replace, Wilson said.

The league added security lighting and is benefiting from an increased police presence in the neighborhood. In addition, because of the league’s fall ball program and the travel teams that use the facilities, Simpson Park is rarely abandoned.

For those who choose WRNL, the league offers a mom-and-pop feel. Of the board’s 11 members, three are Walkers, two are Whitfords and two are Wilsons, yielding a pride of ownership that is palpable.

“It’s a core group of dedicated adults who love baseball,” Walker said. “It’s our best opportunity to expose kids to competitive baseball, and we do whatever it takes for kids to have a great experience.”

For that reason, Walker denies a need to compete with other organizations. Each serves a purpose. He said he was as happy as anyone when Warner Robins was chosen as the host site for the Little League Southeast Region baseball and softball tournaments.

“What’s great for baseball in this area -- that’s what we’re all about,” he said.

This story was originally published April 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Numbers are down, but Warner Robins National League still playing ball."