In Redmond, youth baseball and softball leagues are preparing for the spring season as league administrators hope to resume some normalcy during the pandemic with America’s favorite pastime.

Parents can register their boys and girls, ages 4-16, to play in either Redmond West or Redmond North Little Leagues.

However, this year’s season will be met with challenges as the leagues will have to conform and comply with COVID-19 regulations and social distancing practices.

Ellie O’Rourke, marketing director for the Redmond little leagues, said the leagues’ opening dates will be dependent on guidelines and rules given by the Governor’s Office as well as the City of Redmond.

She said once the leagues are granted permission to gather and use ballparks, parents, players and even umpires will be under a different set of social distancing protocols than ever before.

Dugouts, which have players sitting in close proximity to each other will not be used, parents will have to watch their children’s games socially distanced and with masks on, and umpires might not be standing directly behind the plate along with other safety measures, according to O’Rourke.

Redmond North Little League President, Alec Weintraub, said via press release that after a year of social distancing, “Little league is needed now more than ever,”.

For more information and to register for Redmond West Little League, go to

https://www.redwestll.org/. To register players for Redmond North Little League, go to https://www.rnll.org/.