Go Blue Claws! Go Raptors!
As another successful youth baseball season comes to a close, players, parents, and Ocracoke residents are looking forward to the opening of their very own community park.
The Ocracoke youth baseball league ended its season last week, earning one first place and one runners-up title.
The seven- to nine-year-old team, the Blue Claws, brought home a championship after a perfect 13-0 season.
David Scott Esham, three-time head coach for the Blue Claws said the team was a great group that was eager to learn more about the sport.
The Raptors, ages 10-13, earned second place this season after back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.
First-year head coach Tyler Gilbert said the team worked hard and improved this season. He also noted that the young team is looking forward to next year when the Raptors will have many returning players.
“We couldn’t be any more proud of the way the kids played this year,” Ernest Doshier, assistant coach of the Raptors, said. “We’ll be bringing the championship back home to Ocracoke on our own field next year.”
Ernie is referring to the opening of the new Ocracoke community park, or “the field of dreams,” that should be open by next season.
The project has been “seriously” in the works for three years, according to David Scott who is the vice president of the Ocracoke Youth Center, or OYC, board. Tyler, who is also involved with OYC said the idea had been tossed around before, but they first had to secure land for the project.
“It was pretty much a dream before that,” Tyler explained.
Darlene Styron, active community member and parent of second-year Raptors player Alan Doshier, explains how the community had come together to get this project off the ground.
“The community has taken the initiative to raise the funds; that says a lot,” Darlene said. “Everybody who has contributed in any way, whether they donated money or volunteered their time, should be proud of this project.”
Community support for baseball is no new story. Tyler explained that even though the Ocracoke teams have to commute to Hatteras for every game, the Raptors and Blue Claws still draw bigger crowds than many of the Hatteras teams.
“It’s a big commitment for us,” Tyler said. “It takes us six and a half hours to play one ball game.”
Darlene agreed with Tyler that the games are an investment, albeit a rewarding one, for everyone involved.
“You have to be dedicated. The parents, grandparents, family, and friends,” Darlene said. “Having a field here will open up a lot of opportunity for the kids, their families, and the community.”
The community park will be home to the Raptors and the Blue Devils, but it also will have the potential to host high school baseball, youth and adult softball leagues, soccer, and other community events.
“In the off season, the gym pulls the whole community together,” Bob Chestnut, board member of the OYC, explained, noting basketball games, cookouts, meetings and other events. “The field will be another thing that brings the community together.”
A home field will cut down on travel time for the Ocracoke teams on some game days, but it also means that they will have a regulation practice field.
David Scott notes that having a field will be “better than practicing in a front yard,” which is all the teams currently have.
“It’s going to benefit the kids to actually have a field to practice on,” Tyler agreed.
The community park is a bright light in Ocracoke’s future, and will eventually be home to a baseball field, soccer field, an exercise loop, environmental education paths, and an activity center.
To learn more about the Ocracoke Community Park and how to donate, please visit www.ocracokecommunitypark.org
