Magnolia is working to revive its youth baseball league and has created an athletic department within its parks and recreation department.
Aldermen this month hired Pernell Bateaste as the parks and recreation director and set up the athletic department.
Bateaste also is coach of the Magnolia Hurricanes youth football team. Mayor Anthony Witherspoon is an assistant coach for the team, on which his son Amani is a player.
Witherspoon said the football team was started by his father, the Rev. Alton Witherspoon.
“We make sure that the kids have their homework done before they can practice,” Witherspoon said.
Witherspoon said he’s been approached about the city bringing back its baseball little league.
The city is planning on building a park behind South Pike Junior High School on Quinlivan Road and renovating a ball field.
The estimated $244,000 park will be included in a $1.3 million bond issue. The park will have playground equipment, benches for seating, walking track, a lighted walking track and basketball court. South Pike School District agreed to renovate the tennis courts if the city built the park.
The bond issue also will pay to pave nine streets and build a pavilion at the farmer’s market.
Magnolia last had a youth baseball league in the 2000s. Dixie Youth Baseball leagues in McComb and Summit reorganized as the Pike Youth Sports league this year.
