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Lyme Recreation Commission: baseball program rebuilding as Majors roster falls short for 2026
Summary
Presenters Kerri and Andrew Gandin told the Town of Lyme Recreation Commission on Oct. 27 that the youth baseball program is in a rebuilding phase, with just five players eligible for the Majors in 2026 and a roughly $2,500 annual operating loss; commissioners assigned follow-up tasks on fields and finances.
At its Oct. 27 meeting, the Town of Lyme Recreation Commission heard from Kerri and Andrew Gandin that the town’s youth baseball program is in a rebuilding phase and expects only five players to be eligible for the Majors division in 2026, making it unlikely the program can field a full Majors team.
The Gandins told commissioners they expect about 21 players for the Minors division, which would form two teams; they also anticipate roughly 15 players for the coach-pitch division and proposed limiting that division to first graders only. T-ball registration totals remain pending with incoming kindergarten sign-ups yet to be finalized.
The presenters and commission members discussed switching from grade-based divisions to Cal Ripken birth-year guidelines for assigning players to divisions, a change intended to simplify placement by birth year rather than school grade.
The commission reviewed program sustainability. The Gandins reported the baseball program operates at an approximate $2,500 annual loss and requested a separate budget breakdown for baseball within the overall recreation budget. Commissioners asked staff to provide that breakdown so they can consider options for offsetting costs.
Field availability and configuration were raised as constraints. There is no existing middle-school–eligible field (90-foot base paths) in town; extending the current infield would affect the adjacent soccer field. Alternatives discussed include using Crossroads Field or partnering with nearby towns such as Hanover or Thetford for middle-school play. Commissioners assigned follow-up tasks: Curtis Shepard will contact Graham Webster to assess possible field modifications, and Dina Cutting will contact Crossroads about field availability.
Members also reviewed a wish list of facility and equipment priorities: pursuing a temporary fence (possibly borrowed from the men’s softball league or purchased via fundraising), researching pricing for a pitching machine, storing the batting cage indoors to prevent damage, exploring pricing for a new electronic scoreboard usable for both baseball and soccer, and modifying the snack shack (Curtis Shepard to arrange shed modifications). The recreation department reported a drinking fountain was fully installed and functional this past summer.
The Gandins asked whether the regular season and All-Star programs should remain under the Recreation Commission; they said they do not have the bandwidth to manage those programs independently and prefer they stay with the commission. Commissioners noted that there may not be enough All-Star–eligible players every year to consistently field teams and requested a cost estimate and further discussion of partnering with nearby towns for All-Star play.
The commission did not take a formal vote on structural changes at the meeting but set follow-up actions to assess fields and finance details before deciding on longer-term changes to divisions or All-Star arrangements. The commission set its next meeting for Nov. 24, 2025.
