Owego Little League

Our League History The Early Years Owego Little League was started in 1952 by Ray Manchester (our first Owego Little League President), Len Porter, Clarence Reynolds, Robert Kuhns, Leonard Schmidt, Stan Morey, Jim Osburn, Paul Blow, Robert Babcock, Hubert Smith, Sam Deeb, and Fred Thomas to provide organized, supervised baseball activities to the boys of Owego. In the first season, there were four teams of 15 boys each. Sponsors were The Talcott Street PTA, Endicott-Johnson and combined sponsorships of the Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs (Ki-Ro) and Conti Jewelers and Lynn's Drug Store (Conti-Lynn.) The league played it's games on McMaster Street on land owned by Endicott-Johnson Corporation, and dedicated the field to Nick Raftis, an Owego resident, professional baseball player and a man dedicated to Owego Little League and youth baseball. In 1965, under the supervision of Bill Warner, a new clubhouse building was built at the McMaster Street site. In 1977, this building was moved to Hyde Park where it now serves as a storage shed. Hyde Park As the participation grew, we were no longer able to survive with the limited space at the E-J site. The Owego Little League playing complex on George Street had its beginnings in 1965 when Owego Little League purchased an option on the land now occupied by Raftis and Cheresnowsky fields from Mr. and Mrs. Theron Lewis. During the same period, the village sold land to Stackmore, and according to press reports, "agreed to earmark the money from the sale of the land to Stackmore for the purchase of a permanent site for a ball park." Based on this commitment, the league voted on February 8, 1966 to sign over the land option to the village for "the express purpose of a park for the Owego Little League". The collaboration resulted in the purchase of the land as a village park for use by Owego Little League. The new field was constructed and play began at the new park in 1967. The Nick Raftis field on McMaster Street was also used. In 1968, Kent "Red" Compton built, with volunteer labor, the field house at Hyde Park that now bears his name. In 1969, a second field was constructed. With two fields on George Street, and the continued use of Raftis Field, three fields were now in use. In 1978, this second field was dedicated to George Cheresnowsky, an eight year Owego Little League president and the District 7 administrator from 1981-2000. In 2001, Marguerite Cheresnowsky’s name was added, in memory, and in recognition of her life-long service. The third field at Hyde Park was built in 1973. In 1982, this field was dedicated to Jim Beauter, who had been a manager, director and league president in his many years of service to the league. The fourth field at Hyde Park was built in 1975. With the completion of this field, play on McMaster street came to an end, and what was simply "Field 1" at Hyde Park became the new Nick Raftis Memorial Field. In 1986, the fourth field was dedicated to Dick Franz, who has been a dedicated Lit