The return of warmer weather will soon mark the return to the diamond for Selma’s young athletes.

The 2013 youth baseball and softball seasons are approaching for the city of Selma, and the city’s recreation department is welcoming Lebo Jones as its director of baseball and softball.

Jones said he’s looking forward to the opportunity.

“I’m excited about it,” Jones said. “It gives me an opportunity to work with a lot of different kids and hopefully make an influence on their lives.”

Jones said his responsibilities as baseball and softball director will include finding coaches to coach teams, coordinating all the different games, doing the scheduling and finding sponsors for the teams.

Jones is also the head baseball coach of Meadowview Christian School, and he said that, along with having grown up playing the sport in the area, will help him do his job.

“I think it will help a lot. I grew up in this area and played baseball growing up in the city and have coached in the city before,” Jones said. “I think that background will really help me a lot and it’ll be a smooth transition.”

Jones said preparation has already started for registration and dates have already been set for meetings.

“We’re just getting kicked off. We have our first sign-up date on January 14,” Jones said. “We start signing up and then we’ll have our first meetings on February 4.”

The meeting on Feb. 4 will be the Selma Boys and Youth Baseball organizational meeting that will take place at the Ramshack at Memorial Stadium at 7 p.m.

The meeting is for returning coaches and anyone who is interested in coaching for the upcoming season.

The meeting is not for players.

The Selma Youth Softball organizational meeting will also take place on Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. in the Ramshack at Memorial Stadium.

That meeting is also for returning coaches and those interested in coaching for the upcoming season, not players.

Registration for players will begin on Monday, Jan. 14 in the recreation department office at Memorial Stadium from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will continue on Monday through Friday at the same times following that.

The registration fee is $10.

For more information on registration and coaches meetings, contact the Selma Recreation Department at 874-2140.