Wareham Gatemen Scouting for Bat Kids on the SouthCoast

It's too bad that batboys and batgirls never get any ink from the media, and yet their history has been part of baseball since 1897.

Andy Lang, the new president of the Wareham Gatemen, is spreading the word that they're looking for batboys and batgirls this season. The 2022 Cape Cod Baseball League season begins Sunday, June 12, and the Gatemen will play at 6 p.m. at Spillane Field in Wareham.

"We're looking for more bat kids about 10 years old or so, but if he or she is familiar and comfortable with a ball field, even eight or nine-year-olds will be fine," Lang said.

It's a key job that ensures the players' on-field needs are met, but it also gives the youth an interesting glimpse into the inner-workings of the players' lives. It's a unique position to sit on the field with great athletes who are big league-bound. In a real sense, it's a chance to be an integral part of the team.

"We have plenty of Gatemen who are in the big leagues now, who still keep in contact with their host families," Lang said.

Speaking of which, they could use a couple more host families in the New Bedford area.

"Especially if any former Bay Sox host families are interested," Lang said. "This season, we have eight to 10 new families who are paid to basically give the players room and board."

This season, the Gatemen will be holding free, local clinics for kids in New Bedford, Dartmouth, Acushnet, Fairhaven, Dighton, Rochester, Carver and Wareham.

"We're not going to tear the kid down to build up again," Lang said. "We're just going to expose them to great baseball players, who were kids themselves not that long ago."

We're just 20 minutes away from the Wareham Gatemen, one of the nation's premiere collegiate summer teams and one that has featured so many players who've gone on to play in the major leagues. Just think of the advantage this would be for a 10-year-old kid.

"The Gatemen is the best kept secret, and if you don't want to spend any money, you don't have to," Lang said. "And there's not one bad seat in the house!"

For more on the Wareham Gatemen, visit gatemen.org.