Waterford — The clinking of baseballs hitting metal bats echoed into open blue sky Saturday afternoon as a group of 8, 9 and 10-year-old boys played ball at the Waterford Little League’s south complex.

Youth baseball and softball leagues from around the region were out in the sunshine knocking balls around.

“When in doubt, get the out,” assistant coach Joe DiBuono told members of the Little League team, the Defenders.

The coaches were working on identifying players’ abilities as they rotated the boys among different stations in the field. It was the third outdoor practice for the team this spring, and the first with temperatures rising into the 60s.

The assistant coaches said bad weather had kept players inside for some practices. But Saturday, with spring in full swing, cold and rain thankfully was not in the forecast.

“Springtime is Little League,” Assistant Coach Jon Peck said after practice in the dugout, putting emphasis on “is.”

“This is what it’s all about,” he said.

The practice was “the best one we’ve had” in terms of weather, said Little League mom Angela Rasmussen.

“It’s so nice to see the sun on them,” she said as she stood by the fence of the field, watching her 10-year-old son Matthew Reilly practice.

Before the most recent practices, the fields were “soaked and wet and muddy,” she added — and the weather frigid. Practice Thursday took place in 40-degree temperatures.

“It was freezing,” Rasmussen said. Not that the players cared, she pointed out.

“They just wanna be outside,” she said.

“It’s hot,” Quaker Hill fifth-grader Zach Beardsley, 10, remarked about the weather as he sat with his teammates in the dugout following practice.

A few miles away in East Lyme, four Little League teams practiced simultaneously at the fields located behind East Lyme Middle School, where some of the players are students.

The 6- and 7-year-old members of team Thunder were learning the basics of field positions.

Flanders Elementary first-grader Payton Kelly, 6, played T-ball in kindergarten and said she was feeling pretty good about her batting skills.

“I like to hit,” she said.

She said she liked “learning more stuff, different stuff” now that she’s graduated from T-ball — "stuff" like catching pop-up balls and ground balls.

Over by the fence of the next field over, Jason Westcott coached Yankees team player, East Lyme Middle School sixth-grader Nick Wilkinson, 11, in batting. Holding out a springy ball-tipped staff he called a “hit stick,” he gave Wilkinson pointers about his stance. Don’t move your foot out, he advised.

“Getting the winter cobwebs out,” remarked Westcott.

Wilkinson’s teammates, who were playing a practice game among themselves, commented on the fair spring weather.

“I think it’s great,” said East Lyme Middle School fifth-grader Patrick Kelly, 10.

“Finally,” said Logan Rolfe, 12, a sixth-grader at the school.

The Yankees are slated to have their first game April 21. Wilkinson said he felt ready for the start of the season.

Thunder is scheduled to have its first game April 25. As for whether they’re ready for that game — well, team manager Liz Dumond pointed out that some of the kids had never picked up a baseball before practices recently began.

“These are some really well-prepared 6- and 7-year-old kids,” she said, a playful hint of sarcasm in her voice.

The Defenders’ first game is April 22, Peck confirmed. As for whether his team was ready, he said: “We’re getting there.”

He pointed out that it’s less about competition and more about having fun.

t.townsend@theday.com

Twitter: @ConnecticuTess