Come hear the crack of the bat and the cheers of the crowd as Fort Myers Beach Little League kicks off its 57^th season this Saturday March 3rd.

The first pitch of the 2012 season is set for 10 a.m. at Bay Oaks as the youngest of the Beach ballplayers, the T-Ball Cubs and Cardinals, take the field.

Following the T-Ballers the Beach Minor (age 7-11) Dodgers and Rays will square off on the same field.

Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 11:30, and will include the hanging of last year’s District and Sectional championship banners for the Beach Seahawks senior softball team.

At High Noon the Beach Major (9-12) Tigers will take on Bonita Springs.

The Seahawks (girls 13-16) won sectionals at Bay Oaks before representing southwest Florida in the state tournament this past summer. They will take on San Carlos Park on the big field at 1 p.m.

The fully-stocked concession stand will be open all day because as Charlie Brown said “A hot dog just tastes better with a ball game in front of it.”

Beach Little League is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to providing a positive recreational outlet for Beach youngsters as well as the benefits that team sports can provide. Games are played at the Bay Oaks Rec Campus on the site where Beach volunteers first built ballfields in 1956.