AUBURN - Spring has sprung and it is time to play ball.

This morning will kick off the official start of the 2007 Auburn Little League and Pony League seasons and league president Dave Rabuano has a big day planned for all the players and their families.

Like any other opening day, the start of the youth baseball season is a day that players anxiously anticipate.

“It is a big day for all of us,” Rabuano said. “The kids get so excited and they look forward to this. We want to make it something special and fun for all of them and make it a big day for the whole league.”

Along with games that begin at 10 a.m. and run all day long, there will be food, pictures, music and lots of fun attractions for the players and the whole family.

“We're always battling the weather around here,” Rabuano said. “But as long as the weather is good we are ready to go. We've got a really big day planned. We've invited Mayor Lattimore and Senator Nozzolio and a lot of local sports figures. We just want to make it something exciting for the kids and make it a really big day for them to get out and play and have some fun.”

It has been no small task to get ready for opening day.

After constructing a new concession stand last season, Rabuano and members of the board have been hard at work making other improvements to the playing facility.

“We just keep trying to make it better all the time,” Rabuano said. “We keep working to improve the grounds and make it better for the kids to play on. We've installed drainage to make the fields better. Things like that, the things you don't see - the little improvements to make the fields better so this year you shouldn't see too many things like rainouts.”

According to Rabuano the league has grown considerably the past few seasons.

Rabuano sees the league as the foundation of baseball programs in Auburn, whether Babe Ruth or high school ball, the cornerstone of a player's skills can be traced right back to Pony League and Little League.

“This is where kids learn,” Rabuano said. “We want them to learn those fundamentals that they are going to take with them as they go on to play and we want to be able to give them the best we can for them to learn those skills.”

Much of this learning begins with the coaches.

“We have some tremendous coaches,” Rabuano said. “They are all volunteer and they are so important to what we do. We have some new coaches coming in and we have some that have been here for a while and they just have a tremendous knowledge of the game and so much to teach these kids. When you have dedicated coaches like that, it can only help to make your whole program better.”

For many years the board has been discussing installing a batting cage at the park to help kids improve their skills.

After much planning and discussion, Rabuano said the league has received approval from the park to install the cage.

“I think that is a really big thing for us,” Rabuano said. “We want to give the kids the best we can. Having this is so important. It is going to help kids learn to stand in there and face pitches. It can be tough to get up there in a game. I think this will help a lot of kids build confidence, which is so important.”

Rabuano said that now it is a matter of ensuring that the funding will be there for the cage, but one way or the other he said he plans to have it installed within the next few months.

“We have a lot of great sponsors,” Rabuano said. “We couldn't do all this without all the support we get that sponsors our teams and everything we do really and we are so grateful. We can always use more help to keep making things better up here.”

This season will also see some changes to the rules handed down from the governing body of Little League Baseball in Williamsport, Penn.

Perhaps the biggest of these changes is the pitch count rule.

Rabuano explained that pitchers will only be allowed to throw so many pitches in a game and will be required to rest in the rotation after reaching their pitch limit before they can pitch again.

“They want to protect the kids' arms,” Rabuano said. “I think it is only going to help ultimately, it is going to make more kids learn how to pitch, which can only help the kids to learn more. But I think it is going to be a little difficult for kids and parents and everyone to get used to.”

Another new rule has also called for break-away bases to make sliding safer.

This year Auburn will also be hosting the 10- and 11-year-old All-Star District competition.

“Our team made it to states last year,” Rabuano said. “So I think we have a good chance this year and we are going to be hosting it which is huge for us. It should be a really big fund-raiser for us.”

But first opening day.

“It should be great,” Rabuano said. “The kids are excited, we are going to have a lot going on all day, it should be tremendous. It's just a great way to start the season and we are all really looking forward to opening day.”

For a complete schedule of rainouts or delays contact the concession stand at 252-0751.