In just a matter of weeks the grass will be cut, dirt raked and chalk laid down at baseball diamonds across the area, but for one local school the season got underway this week.

The Goshen High School baseball team hosted its first ever Parents Night gathering for players and parents to learn information about the upcoming season.

The event was the brain child of Eagle head baseball coach Robby Kinsaul. Kinsaul said the event was a list minute thought.

“It was kind of a spur of the moment deal,” said Kinsaul. “Dr. Warren Weeks (Goshen High School principal) and I got together and picked a date, and it grew from there. We agree that is important to have good relationships with the parents of the players.”

The event was highlighted by speaker Barry Dean.

Dean, president of the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association, gave a 25 minute talk to the assembled group on the importance of sportsmanship and the role of the parent in a player’s development.

“We were lucky to get Barry to come speak,” said Kinsaul. “He has been around the game for a long time, and knows what works and what doesn’t. He is knowledgeable about every aspect of our sport, and I’m sure the kids and parents took something away from it.”

Kinsaul said that the player parents play a vital role in helping the program succeed and grow.

“They help us out so much,” said Kinsaul. “They volunteer to work the concessions, and that’s a job that wouldn’t get done without them. They are always around willing to help, and the team appreciates everything they do.”

The Eagles open the season in the friendly confines of their home field against cross-county rival Pike County on Feb. 19.

The Eagles have turned the program around in recent seasons, and looking for another trip to the state playoffs.

“My first day here a few years ago I asked myself what I needed to do to help these kids win,” said Kinsaul. “We have a system, and they have bought in to it. We have made the state playoffs two years in a row, and know we can do more.”

Kinsaul said he hopes the event will become an annual gathering.