For most youngsters birthdays are a time to enjoy parties, games and all the things that go along with being a kid.

For others, however, there are different things that need attended to on birthdays.

On his eighth birthday, Brandon Stogsdill spent the day doing one of the things he loves best – playing baseball.

“I like baseball a lot,” Stogsdill said. “I like being out on the field and seeing what I can do when the ball is hit to me.”

Stogsdill hoped to earn a spot playing baseball for the coming summer.

The 9-and-under Kansas Rebels held tryouts Saturday at the No. 4 field of Youth Sports Inc.

There Stodsgill, along with nearly 25 other baseball hopefuls, practiced fielding, bunting and hitting.

And after the tryouts wrapped up, Stodsgill felt confident about his effort.

“I think I did pretty good,” he said. “It was fun.”

Although Stogsdill may be a newcomer to the Rebels, he is not a stranger to the game.

“He’s been playing baseball since he was four,” Brandon’s father, Mike, said. “He started playing T-ball and then he played over in Topeka with SCABA (Shawnee County Amatuer Baseball Assn.) He just loves it.”

And having a chance to play for the Rebels was definitely something that fit into everyone’s plans.

“We came out here because he really wanted to play baseball in Lawrence,” Mike Stodsgill said.

Stodsgill loves baseball, but he also finds time to get involved in other sports as well. He plays football for the Lawrence Youth Football Chops on Sundays and plays basketball during the winter.

In fact, he began his Saturday birthday celebration by trying out for the Hoopsters at Holcom Recreation Center that morning.

The multi-sport 8-year-old finds the game on the court to be just as fun as baseball, but for slightly different reasons.

“I like basketball because you get to play as a team,” Stodsgill said. “It’s fun to see what you can do out there.”

After spending his birthday on the basketball court and on the ball diamond, Stodsgill went home and finished out his big day with another activity most kids would not find themselves doing on their birthday.

“We live out in the country,” Stodsgill said. “So when we got home I went home and picked corn with my dad.”