The customary sights upon walking into any local ballpark - parents sitting in folding chairs along the chainlink fence, pre-teen kids playing tag behind the stands - were early signs of a return to normalcy.
But it was the familiar sounds - the reverberating ping of metal bat striking a baseball and the sing-song cheers rising from softball dugouts - that truly signaled how far removed this spring is from last year. After having their entire seasons canceled last year by COVID-19, prep spring sports returned to action on Monday.
"It was a little strange because after last year I didn't want to get my hopes up too much in case we didn't get to play," said Lookout Valley senior pitcher Makenlie Williams. "I forgot how much I missed the adrenaline of things like a close play at first base.
"We learned last year how true it is to always play each game like it could be your last. I remember crying when the season got canceled last year. I've played the game since tee ball but I know I won't play in college so school ball is my last time to get to be out there playing."
There were still reminders of the pandemic - coaches putting their masks on before trotting onto the field to debate a close call by an umpire and fans sitting further apart in certain places. But just having kids return to the fields to compete - and the smiles that were brought back to their faces - was another reminder of how far things have progressed.
"When our players raised the American flag before the game, I was standing there thinking how much I had missed this," said Silverdale Baptist baseball coach Lance Rorex. "Today wasn't as much about winning or losing as just getting to feel normal again for a couple of hours. I told our kids to soak it all in because after everything we've all been through, it's pretty special to be back out there playing ball again."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.