{"id":22216,"date":"2025-05-17T17:31:55","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T17:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dolores-youth-baseball-brings-families-communities-together\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:11:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:11:44","slug":"dolores-youth-baseball-brings-families-communities-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dolores-youth-baseball-brings-families-communities-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolores Youth Baseball brings families, communities together"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dolores
Dolores freshman Branson Lee (left) and sophomore Levi Hampton (right) umpire during the 11-13U game between Dolores and Mancos on May 3 at Joe Rowell Park. (Courtesy of Kym Hampton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

As T-baller Keoghan Walker heads toward first base, his older sister, Lilly, holds down the same position on the neighboring field in the 9-10U age group. On the sidelines, their parents, Cassandra and Tuck Walker, cheer with their heads on a swivel, trying to capture both of their children\u2019s special moments on Saturday morning at Joe Rowell Park.<\/p>\n

From Lebanon, the Walkers are now in their third year with the youth baseball program and appreciate how it offers something the whole family can enjoy while also being near home.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely convenient, especially when you have two kids playing,\u201d said Cassandra Walker. \u201cIt works because a lot of their games don\u2019t clash. It can feel like I have to prioritize, and I don\u2019t want to do that. I want to give both my kids the opportunity to play if they want to.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the 15U field, parents Cinda and Cory Tunnell waited for their son, Tommy, to play later that afternoon. They appreciate that he will have a smoother transition into high school baseball alongside the same teammates he\u2019s grown up playing with.<\/p>\n

\"yden
yden Winter pitches for the Dolores team in the 11-13U group against Mancos on May 3 at Joe Rowell Park. (Courtesy of Kym Hampton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"All
All the teams of Dolores Youth Baseball gather for a group photo during the opening ceremonies of the day on May 3 at Joe Rowell Park. (Courtesy of Kym Hampton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cWe\u2019re really looking forward to seeing him move into high school baseball and continue on with his teammates,\u201d said Cinda Tunnell. \u201cMy dad and uncle played baseball and basketball for Dolores High School back in the \u201970s, and we\u2019d like to see that tradition carried on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel Robson, a parent and local sponsor of DYB alongside her husband Josh, is excited about the long-term benefits of raising kids in a tight-knit sports community. Their son, Jaxx, plays in the 11-12U group.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn sports, when you\u2019re part of a team, you often build strong bonds and learn how to work together,\u201d she said. \u201cAs the kids get older, they\u2019ll have jobs where they\u2019ll have to work in a team. If they can figure that out while they\u2019re young, I think it\u2019ll make their adult lives a lot easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea of reviving the Dolores Youth Baseball program emerged five years ago, as communities were beginning to reconnect in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing the need to rebuild a sense of community through a shared passion for baseball, a group of Dolores baseball moms took action. Kym Hampton led the charge in spearheading the initiative, joined by dedicated parents including Heather Skelton, Stephanie Lee, Kyan Maloney, Gary Hampton, and Rebecca and Joe Samulski.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur children had to go to Cortez (for youth league) and ended up split between different baseball teams,\u201d Kym Hampton said. \u201cSo, our boys never got the chance to play together. A few of us moms got together and said, \u2018Hey, we should bring Little League back to Dolores.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The group eventually drafted bylaws and established rules for the league before shifting their focus to recruiting local families. In their first year, the Dolores team played in Cortez but competed under their own name. By the following year, the program had grown enough to form its own independent league. Since then, participation has remained strong, Kym Hampton said.<\/p>\n

This season features eight teams with around 90 participants and will run through mid-July. During the opening ceremonies on May 3, Mancos entered a team in the 11\u201313U group, while Durango brought their 15U team to compete against the Dolores teams, both of which Dolores won.<\/p>\n

The league also gave several high school players the chance to give back, having been part of the first DYB group when it launched in 2020. Freshman Branson Lee, along with sophomores Levi Hampton and Orin Samulski, were on hand for opening day to umpire and mentor the younger players.<\/p>\n

For Orin Samulski, the program offers a fun trip down memory lane and an opportunity to strengthen family bonds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fun to look back at a younger version of myself. My younger brother plays too so I feel like I have a little bit more skin in the game,\u201d Orin Samulski said. \u201cI helped coach his team last year, so I love coming back down to watch him play ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Levi values the strong connections he built with his teammates since their early days in DYB.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve played in Dolores my whole Little League career with the same group of kids,\u201d Levi Hampton said. \u201cWe\u2019re like a family. We\u2019ve grown up together and really know each other, so it\u2019s something pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mothers like Kym Hampton, whose son Levi is now on the Dolores High School team, and Heather Skelton, mother of fellow high school player Declan Warren, said they feel proud watching their sons, who grew up in the league, now pass down the knowledge and skills they gained over the years to the younger players in DYB.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re coming back to umpire these games and it\u2019s so cool to see,\u201d said Kym Hampton. \u201cThey help with practices and during a scrimmage earlier, they would pause the game at times to help the kids with their positioning on the bat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon Range, now the head coach of the high school team, once coached in the Little League program, bringing his journey nearly full circle.<\/p>\n

After moving to Dolores in 2010 with a baseball background, Range joined an adult softball league, as there was no adult baseball league at the time. Through that experience, he met Kym Hampton, who invited him to get involved with the Little League program as a coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe group of kids we have now (in high school) started in Little League a few years ago,\u201d said Range. \u201cIt\u2019s been awesome to see their growth and the transition they\u2019ve made. We still have a young team with the potential to carry on for the next two to three years and set the example for the younger kids coming up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that DYB is well-established, the next step in its growth is upgrading the fields.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been working with the town of Dolores on a grant for new dugouts, bathrooms, and improved field material,\u201d said Kym Hampton. \u201cI think if we can improve the facility, it\u2019ll not only look better, but it\u2019ll also encourage more people to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program is always open to recruiting volunteers throughout the season to help keep things running smoothly. The members of DYB encourage community members to become involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re always looking for anyone willing to help or interested in carrying this forward,\u201d said Kym Hampton. \u201cIt takes a lot of time and effort, but we don\u2019t want the league to fade away. We want it to keep growing and thriving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parents like the Walkers, Tunnells, and Robsons said similar feelings about the importance of keeping the program alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just really happy the program is back,\u201d Cassandra Walker said. \u201cIt works for us and the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just hope that the community continues to support Dolores baseball and its development,\u201d said Cinda Tunnell.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to see communities come together for the kids and I like to see local businesses sponsor these communities,\u201d Rachel said. \u201cI think we\u2019re investing into our youth, which is important.\u201d<\/p>\n

More information about Dolores Youth Baseball can be found on their website and on their Facebook page, both listed under the same name.<\/p>\n

\"All
All the teams of Dolores Youth Baseball gather for a group photo during the opening ceremonies of the day on May 3 at Joe Rowell Park. (Courtesy of Kym Hampton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Support from parents, athletes, and sponsors fosters a bigger turnout than years past<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[470,44,28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-22216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-baseball","tag-dolores","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22216"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77622,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22216\/revisions\/77622"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22216"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=22216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}