Play Ball – Harris Throws First Pitch

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WATER VALLEY – The Magnolia Youth League youth baseball and softball season got underway Saturday with opening ceremonies that included a welcome from Mayor Tommy Reynolds and Chuck Harris throwing the first pitch. Water Valley parks director Rachel Daniels reports over 300 kids have registered to play again this year, fielding 25 teams in different age groups from three to 14 years-old. The season extends through the end of May and teams play on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Harris’ first pitch Saturday marked another first, he is only person in city history who has thrown the opening pitch twice. He also delivered the first pitch in 1976 to mark the start of that season 49 years ago. Then 14 years old, Harris explained it was a special honor after he could not play ball that season due to injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident on Central Street several months earlier. The impact from the crash launched him high in the air, busting his helmet when he hit the ground. Harris sustained critical injuries including massive head trauma and was not expected to survive.

The son of the late Charlie and Betty Harris, Harris told the crowd Saturday that his parents instructed him to stay off the city streets when he rode his motorcycle. During Saturday’s ceremony he also explained that the Lord had spared him for a reason, and he had advice for the young ball players lining the field.

“Whatever you do, mind your mother and father,” Harris said.

Saturday’s opening ceremony marks a 70-plus year tradition for the launch of an organized league in the city.

“Like many things in Water Valley, the story of little league baseball and the Crawford Complex began with a handful of dedicated individuals who shared a vision—and simply made it happen,” historian Grant Thompson shared.

Thompson has compiled thousands of images and documents detailing Water Valley’s history and reported the 1996 Watermelon Carnival souvenir program published by the Chamber provides intricate details about the little league baseball in Water Valley. It all started back in the mid-1950s. Around 1955, Lawrence Berry organized a team of young boys who played at Hendrix Field, with Jack Craven joining him as assistant coach

Some of the early players included Butch Berry, Jimmy Miles, Bill Quinn, Hal Vaughn, Neil Woods, Larry Swearengen, Joe Elliott Jr., Bill Ray, Bully Wells, PeeWee Mayo, Bobby Williams, Clyde Sartor, Bill Beck, George Hayles, Bill Harris, James Knox Baddley, Joe Larson, Nathan Thomas, George Gafford, Sambo Hart, and Robert Turnage.

Even earlier, in 1953, Raymond Harralson and Crip Tyler formed an American Legion team that also played at the Hendrix Field, competing against teams from Charleston, Batesville, Senatobia and Pontotoc. Players on this team included Gaylon Booker, Joe Pegram, Jerry Harralson, Bill Harris, Jimmy Langford, Bobby Adams, Bear Bolen, Toy Dean Babb, Bull Kisner, Lowell Willingham, Charlie Harris and A. Palmer.

Transportation to games was often courtesy of O.J. Ross and his son Harry, who used their livestock truck, or Frank Hughes, who loaned an old school bus. While these early teams laid the groundwork, there still wasn’t a designated home for youth baseball in town.

This changed in 1958 when Jack Craven and Warren Ray crossed paths on Main Street and shared a conversation that would change the local sports landscape. Recognizing the need for a proper youth baseball field, they began rallying support. Soon, Charley Miles, Frank Evans, and his sons, Larry and “Little Brother,” joined the cause.

“With hoes and rakes in hand, they began clearing the former high school football field on South Main Street across the street from Cash Saver today,” Thompson explained, again citing the 1996 article. “As more community members pitched in, the field took shape. It soon featured a board fence, covered dugouts, bleachers, a concession stand, and a press box built from concrete blocks, thanks to the craftsmanship of the Hill brothers. And so, the Magnolia Youth League was born—built by the hands of a community, driven by a love for the game, and fueled by a desire to create something lasting for the next generation.”