Barrier Islands Little League's new fields: the plan and how to help

Barrier Islands Little League has been a chartered Little League since 1991, and baseball has been played on its fields since the 1950s, according to the league. Its fall season is under way now at the Maybank Fields on Maybank Highway.

In November 2024, Charleston County Council approved $1.6 million in greenbelt funds for the Lowcountry Land Trust to buy 40 acres off Main Road on Johns Island, Live 5 reported. The trust is to place a conservation easement on the land and transfer it to the league.

About a third of the 40 acres would be active recreation: fields with dugouts, lights, bleachers, fencing, concessions and parking, with possible courts, batting cages and playgrounds. The league would get priority on the fields, and the public could reserve them when the league isn't using them. The rest would stay undeveloped, with walking trails and picnic areas open during the day.

The council's condition: the league has six years to show it has contributed its $317,700 match toward the project, or the property goes to another qualifying greenbelt project. Live 5 reported the total cost to finish the complex at around $10 million. The league hasn't posted an update on the purchase on its website.

How to help: the league's 2026 Hit-A-Thon is taking pledges online, and its last Hit-A-Thon said gifts help pay for maintenance equipment and the development of new fields. Businesses can sponsor too — the league lists $100 to sponsor a player, $350 for an outfield banner and $800 for a team sponsorship.