District 4 Big League retires the T-Ratts jersey

June 17 was a special day for District 4 Big League.  Besides being Father’s Day, it was the last day of the spring season for the teams. Those 18 year olds who are graduating out of the program were given graduation certificates and the teams all received Apples Pies, a long-standing tradition in the program. And, the league officially retired the name “T-Ratts” from their program.

T-Ratts was the nickname of the Timber Rattlers, a team that played seven seasons in District 4 Big League. The overall record of the team was 91 - 10 - 1. Gary Snider came to manage the team in the fall of 2008, bringing with him Tommy Thomas, Ed Delaney and Rick Ferguson.  Snider brought pitching experience with him from the Royals organization and Thomas brought infield experience from the Mets organization. The T-Ratts coaching staff brought with them a love for the game and for teaching young men how to play better baseball.
 
There have been a number of players who have played for the T-Ratts, but two of the original players were on hand Sunday for the dedication - Garrison Snider and Eddie Delaney. Tyler Horner, now on the Naturals, was present for the ceremony as were Sebastian Ferguson, Kyle Roller and Chris Fort from the Hot Rods. Stephen Pope, a member of the T-Ratts for several seasons graduated from the program and served his country in the Marines before coming back as one the coaches for the Hot Rods.  

The coaching staff of the T-Ratts also coached four seasons of All Stars, winning three state championships over those four summers. Those three state championships won the District 4 teams a chance to play in the Big League Southeast Regional Championships in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Although the team did not win any Regional titles, the players gained valuable experience when they faced Division I College players.
 
Linda North, District Administrator of District 4 Little League, said “We are extremely proud of the tradition the T-Ratts players and coaching staff have given us. We have seen players come into the program, graduate out of the program and come back with the desire to give back to their community by coaching and umpiring in our program. We owe our coaching staff a great deal of thanks for helping instill those values in our young men.”  

District 4 Big League Fall Registration will open in mid-July. The fall season will run Sept. 16 - Nov. 11. Players aged 15 - 18 may register online at www.d4bigleague.com For more information contact linda@northptc.com.