Fulton leads effort for Westside sports

Seasonal Westside Park Director Greg Fulton is working to revive a baseball and softball league at Westside Park, aiming to restore the park to its former glory from 20 years ago.

Fulton, who also manages Neshoba County Youth Football and Area Wide Sports Elite Basketball and Football, took on the park director role in early March.

“The community is gravitating to it, and they deserve it,” Fulton said. “We’ve registered over 110 kids here, but I want up to 275—I want to get Westside back to like the days when Mr. Leon Baxstrum had it, but it’s going to be a crawling process.”

Fulton hopes to enroll more children, ages 7-12 for baseball and 9-15 for softball, while building a “new Westside” that is safe and more active.

“I’ve talked to the Police Department about monitoring it and making sure people can have a chance of watching their children play and give them an activity,” he said. “The park needs a lot of attention, but if we can get the kids back out, we can get the attention and support from the city of Philadelphia.”

Fulton is looking to form at least three teams per age group for older children (7-12) and has already signed up 45 co-ed t-ball players as of last week.

Sponsorships are available, and he encourages people to register teams through him. More coaches and volunteers are also needed, but above all, more children are needed to participate.

The registration deadline is May 2, with the league set to begin on June 2.

Baseball players (ages 7-12), coach-pitch players (ages 7-8), and slow-pitch softball players (ages 9-15) must provide their own pants, while the $60 fee covers jerseys and hats. The t-ball fee is $40, which includes jerseys, hats, and pants.

Although the field requires some maintenance, the city is assisting with a new scoreboard, and volunteers are encouraged to come out to help restore the park.

“Mr. Leon Baxstrum dedicated his life over there—he was the park director for over 30 years,” Fulton said. “I want to get it back to where people are sitting outside in a safe environment, mingling and socializing, and where kids are getting the opportunity to walk and ride their bikes to the field in their community.”

Fulton envisions a structured, professional environment that instills discipline and fosters scholar-athletes.

“We want to bring structure and discipline to the children and give them the opportunity to get as many reps as possible so they can compete and make the junior varsity and varsity teams and further their education with a scholarship,” he said.

The community can support the league by donating, volunteering for cleanup efforts, or assisting with park improvements such as painting benches, poles, and dugouts.

To register children for baseball and softball, parents can pay at City Hall or contact Greg Fulton directly at (601) 650-8301.