photo by: John McCabe

The Pirate Parrot poses with members of the Bitty Battin Burritos, from left, Aria Pepe, Ashby Lou Marshall and Emily Steele, during Wellsburg Baseball and Softball’s opening day festivities on Saturday.

WELLSBURG – Three weeks ago, the Wellsburg Baseball and Softball Association had virtually no money and very little hope for the upcoming season. With little time before opening day, the longstanding youth league seemed to be teetering as an alleged embezzlement scandal drained the organization’s funds.

But, as the association’s players, coaches and parents learned Saturday, times of need can lead to opportunities for an even greater good.

With support from local sponsoring businesses and a big boost from the Pittsburgh Pirates’ and Pirates Charities, the Wellsburg Baseball and Softball Association kicked off its season on Saturday, as scheduled, at Betty Carr Recreational Park, following a winding parade where the players of the Thunder Bats, River Monsters, Bitty Battin’ Burritos, Diamond Dogs, Gladiators and Hurricanes marched to the start of their saved season.

Once at the park, the procession was greeted by Pittsburgh Pirates’ in-game host Joe Klimchak who oversaw a prize drawing for the players, before Pirates owner and chairman Robert Nutting presented a $15,000 check to the youth baseball association’s president, Joe Pettini.

“It was a misfortune, obviously, a really bad thing that happened,” Pettini said. “We had maybe two months to scrape a season together. Our bank account was completely drained, just nothing.

“But from a bad thing, it turned out to be a good thing in the end – just like a lot of things in life, bad situations can have good things come from them. With the Pirates reaching out, donating to us, they’ve been awesome. They were clear – whatever you need, we will supply you. The community lent their time and money to make all this happen, that’s who really made this season possible, is the community and the Pirates. It’s been awesome.”

In need of equipment and without any funds, the Pirates stepped in to support the league and allow the kids to have a season.

“It was wonderful to see so many people turn out to support youth baseball here in Wellsburg,” Nutting, who also serves as CEO of the Ogden Newspapers, which publishes The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register, said. “You see all the coaches, all the players out here today bringing this to life and it reminds me how important youth programs are for communities and for every one of these kids.

“When I read the story of the embezzlement in the paper about three weeks ago, I did reach out to them, and then activated our Pirates Charities to see how we could help. What they needed was equipment, some jerseys, bats, and we were able to bring that to them, and we were able to give a grant to refill a checking account.”

The charitable effort came from the Pirates Charities’ Field for Kids program.

“I established Pirates Charities some 20 years ago, and one of our signature programs is our Fields for Kids programs,” Nutting said. “We’ve helped 400 fields over those 20 years, making sure they have equipment, helping with field renovations … and something like this today is exactly what we created that program for. I believe that youth baseball and youth sports in general are important to communities.”

Wellsburg youth baseball and softball had been an institution in the area for as long as Pettini could remember, and with the help of the Pirates – and the Wellsburg community – it is set to continue for years to come.

“People were wondering if Wellsburg youth baseball was going to be finished,” Pettini said. “But I guess we just can’t let Wellsburg baseball go. It’s been here so long, and thanks to the Pirates I think we’re going to be OK.

“The kids are excited, of course, to have a season. My whole mantra during this process was ‘it’s not rocket science, it’s baseball.’ We needed to get some bats, get some balls and have fun. If we can just get some kids having fun and playing baseball, that’s all we need for it to be a successful season. I think we’re going to be just fine.”

The teams gathered Saturday encompassed different age ranges, from as young as three to as old as 12.

Nathan Marshall, a coach for one of the T-ball teams in the league, was blown away by the response from the surrounding small businesses, and from the Pirates.

“We’ve definitely turned an obstacle into an opportunity,” Marshall said. “It was great to see the community come together – a community that had been hit hard the last couple years, and then something like this was a really big punch to the gut. But to see everybody come out and do what they’re doing, to see these kids be so happy and so excited, that’s what it’s all about, that’s what baseball and softball are all about. That’s what community is all about.”

“The things that (Nutting) does off the field are amazing. Miracle Leagues, Pirates Charities, making a personal call and getting involved with our league – and he came down here, he didn’t have to come down here, he’s the owner of the Pirates. You don’t see that all the time. He’s a quality man and we appreciate him.”

Saturday was not the first time that Pirates Charities had lent its support to communities in the Ohio Valley.

“One of the very first grants we did almost 20 years ago was for the Redbirds in Warwood,” Nutting said. “We put in the lights and did a field renovation program. Being able to give back to the Ohio Valley is really important to me. It’s been home to me and my family for a long time. It’s really fun to be here and working to support our youth.”

After the prizes and check presentation, and a ceremonial first pitch by the Pirate Parrot, kids flocked to the concession stands, parents unfolded chairs along the foul line of a neighboring t-ball field, and the sounds of laughter and cheering filled Betty Carr Recreational Park – a sight that was no sure thing only a short time ago.

“You read and hear a lot of bad things on the news, but the past few weeks are a reminder that there are good people who will help. The Pirates helping us was really huge,” Pettini said.