NATCHEZ — The Natchez-Adams Girls Softball league is getting set to begin its 2011 season in late April, and this season they will be adding a younger age group to the mix.

The ponytail league will be for girls ages 3 and 4 to get introduced to the game, and to come out and have a good time playing softball, said league secretary Bridget Wactor.

“We’ve actually had a lot of parents the last few years that wanted to put (the 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds) with the 5-year-olds and 6-year-olds,” Wactor said.

“But, we thought they may be a little too young to play with the 5 and 6 (year-olds) and the younger ones may have gotten hurt. More and more parents asked about it and we discussed it and we are going to try it this year and see how it comes out.”

The 3 and 4-year-olds will use a softer, rubber ball, Wactor said. Wactor hopes that getting the kids started at a younger age will help to prepare them to be better players when they move on to the older age groups, she said.

“We have the ponytail league strictly for fun and to (let the girls) learn the basics of where to run and how to hit the ball,” said league board member Belinda Brashier.

The final day to register is March 19. Registration is $40 for three and four year olds. The league also has teams for ages five through 18 and the cost to register players for those teams is $50 for the first child and $45 for each additional child, Wactor said. Parents can register their children at Sports Center.

Last season the league featured around 275 players with about 20 to 25 teams, Brashier said. The jamboree will begin the season April 28 through 30, and regular games will start May 2. Games will be played at the Natchez softball complex.

The league will feature tee-ball for the younger players, age 3 through 6, and be entirely fast pitch for the older girls, Brashier said.

“We’ve gone (fast pitch) all the way through,” Brashier said, “because slow pitch no longer really exists, and for the (girls) that want to go on and play in high school they will learn the basics.”

But the main focus is fun and providing a place for the girls to play, Brashier said.

“(We are) there for all the kids of the Miss-Lou area. Every little girl in the area deserves to be able to play ball,” Brashier said.