The smell of fresh cut grass and the sound of ball connecting with bat…It’s officially baseball season and Vernal Youth Baseball is celebrating opening day tomorrow from 7:30am until the last game of the night ends. A special part of the festivities will be the induction of a very special person into the Vernal Youth Baseball Hall of Fame. The late Jody Murray Jr. impacted countless players and had a love of baseball that began as a little leaguer and lasted throughout his life. Jody helped in the early years of the league to make the fields playable, bringing in his own materials and employees, and recruited help from others to make upgrades to the facilities. He helped finance the start of the league and donated countless pieces of equipment to keep the league going. He was also generous with his time as an umpire and coach. “Jody never left a player behind,” shares the Hall of Fame announcement. “If a player couldn’t pay for registration, Jody took care of it. If a player didn’t have pants or cleats, Jody took care of it. He didn’t care if a kid wasn’t a great player in someone else’s eyes. He took the underdog and turned him into a player. He was a dedicated coach who threw a bucket of balls to every kid at practice and at the end of a game would send them to the snack shack for a reward.” Jody was there for his kids and then grandkids. His booming voice cheering from the stands is something remembered by many. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Joday Murray Jr. will take place Saturday morning.
