The T-ball scene apparently is a home run in Aspinwall.
Opening day for Aspinwall Tee Ball kicked off June 13 with packed stands of spectators and plenty of eats from the concession stand.
Aspinwall Tee Ball has evolved into a popular summer sporting staple for youngsters ages 3 to 8 from the Fox Chapel area and beyond, with some players coming from Bethel Park and Bellevue.
Game days take place from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays with 20 teams — 14 T-ball teams and six coach pitch.
Founder and president Gemma Pollice, an Aspinwall native and TribLive employee, said the league was born from necessity because the program was in peril.
Reviving the program was personal for Pollice. She played on those same fields for years, starting when she was 6.
Now in its fourth year, the program has grown beyond her initial goals, growing from 120 participants to nearly 260 this season.
Pollice noted the league’s roster likely will continue to grow because area T-ball leagues play in the spring and fall, not in the summer.
Aspinwall Councilman Lou Curcio, who serves as vice president of the league’s board, is thrilled to see kids back on the field.
Curcio said Saturdays in Aspinwall at the ball field is the place to be.
“Bringing back T-ball to Aspinwall has turned out to be such an outstanding thing for the entire community. Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces every week is priceless,” Curcio said.
“Our church league disbanded and there wasn’t too many (players) there, and I thought how hard could this be?” said Pollice, who recently was elected president of Aspinwall Tee Ball’s board.
The nonprofit was founded in 2023 and rebranded in 2026.
It’s managed by a five-person board and a three-person advisory board.
TribLive columnist Joe Starkey and 93.7 The Fan radio personality attended opening day as part of the Youth Baseball and Softball Showcase, an annual program hosted by the radio station and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
KDKA-TV anchor and “Pittsburgh Today Live” co-host David Highfield showed up to support the big day, even logging some time in the canteen and making his first walking taco. He later joked during an on-air segment that he “never realized how many varieties of Skittles there were.”
Pollice recently was named a UPMC Community Hero for her contributions to reviving Aspinwall’s Tee Ball scene and was featured in a KDKA news segment hosted by Highfield in May.
Seven rotating regular volunteers handle the concession stand and sales benefit program equipment, social events for the players and overall expenses.
Signature snacks include the walking taco and hot dog of the month. The Bee Sting features pepperoni, nacho cheese, honey and red pepper flakes on top of a jumbo hot dog.
Food goes hand in hand with the fun on the field.
David Weber of Aspinwall has served as a coach from Day 1 of the program.
He has two sons in the league — Teddy, 5, whose T-ball team he coaches, and Chuck, who at 8 is on a coach pitch team and is in his last season with the program.
As one of the older players, Chuck even helps his dad with his brother’s team as an assistant coach.
“It’s a great way to spend the summer and make friends,” Weber said. “It’s laid back and there’s no pressure. (There’s a) good focus on sportsmanship and having a good attitude.”
What keeps him coming back year after year is the program’s impact on building community and helping kids.
Weber, who played baseball through high school, also appreciates the opportunity to share his passion for the game while having fun with his sons.
Equally rewarding, he said, is witnessing the players’ excitement as they notch a lot of firsts — the first ball they catch, the first home run.
“It’s nice being around kids when they’re having fun,” Weber said.