Warm spring weather means little league baseball games are right around the corner.
But when Belmont Little League of Joliet got ready for the first outdoor practice of the season--they were met with heartache.
Thousands of dollars of equipment gone.
"Why would you do that to little kids," 9-year-old Damien Drake said. "Like, we are just out here trying to have fun."
Brenden Scoville, also 9, is also distraught over the loss.
"When I found out I felt really really sad," he said.
A lot of the adults are also sad and mad.
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"You want to prepare for the season and get these kids ready to go and you dot have any stuff for them--it’s hard," the league's president, Rick Brown, said.
Dan Vestal is the vice president of Belmont Little League Baseball.
"Especially right before the start of season is brutal," he said. "It tore me up, what are we going to do for the kids now?"
Rachel Robinson says the league has kept her boys out of trouble.
"We live in part of the city where its a lot of violence," she said.
Robinson said she can’t imagine why someone would want to steal their equipment.
"That really put a damper on the season," she said.
But board members say the season will go on.
They’ve reached into their own pockets to replace some of the equipment and there's also been donations. But with 255 kids in the league, a lot more is still needed.
The 68th season of Belmont Little League starts April 20 and parents and coaches say they are ready.
