Save the Date: Southern Fundraiser

February 4, 2012, 7:00pm: A Southern Little League fundraiser at Thousand Oaks Golf Club. Details to follow…

Fall Ball Schedules Updated

All the schedules for Fall Ball are now available under the Schedules link on the right sidebar. For those of you who grabbed the Minors schedule yesterday, we did make some corrections on it last night, so you'll want to get that again.

Fall Ball Schedules

The schedules for Fall Ball are in the works. The minors schedule is now available on the website, to be followed shortly by the schedules for the other levels. You can find all the Fall Ball schedules on the Schedules page. Look for the link on the right sidebar.

Fall Baseball Update

All 78er, Minor and Major teams will be divided tonight. You will receive an email or call sometime tomorrow from your team’s coach.

We still need 8 to 10 players at the Juniors level to fill our rosters. It's a great way to get in some extra practice on the big field and have fun at the same time. Juniors can still sign up online. Please sign up before 2pm on Thu-8-Sep. If any of you are having trouble with the new registration system, please contact Mark Norton (signup@southernll.org) right away for assistance.

Juniors: Click here to sign up online. Click here to read more details about Fall Baseball.

Sign Up for Fall Baseball Before Sun-4-Sep Deadline

The deadline for signing up for Fall Baseball is Sunday, September 4. Please sign up as soon as possible so we can do the necessary planning.

If any of you are having trouble with the new registration system, please contact Mark Norton (signup@southernll.org) right away for assistance.

Click here to sign up online. Click here to read more details about Fall Baseball.

Big T Fundraisers!

Tom Pohlman is a coach at Southern and was diagnosed with Leukemia earlier this summer. Please consider taking part in one of the fundraisers the community is organizing to support Tom.

Register Now for Fall Ball

It's time to think about Fall Ball again!

• Fall baseball will be for ages 7-14.
• This is a fun and instructional season. There are no practices, and we don't keep standings.
• The 7-8 age group will play coach pitch. The 9-10 age group and the 11-12 age group will play on the East and West small fields. Ages 13-14 will play on the Henwood big field.
• Please note that if you played as an 8-year old in coach pitch this past Summer, you now move up and play in the 9-10 age group for the Fall. If you played as a 10-year-old in the minors this past Summer, you will move up and play as an 11-year-old for the Fall. If you played as a 12-year-old in the majors this Summer, you will play as a 13-year old on the Henwood big field for the Fall. If you played as a 14-year old in the Juniors this past Summer, you continue to play as a 14-year old on the big field for the Fall.
• The season will start on September 11 with the final games on October 30.
  
• All games will be played on Sunday afternoons at 1:00pm and 3:00pm, with some games at 5:00pm only if required by the number of teams.
• The cost is $70 and includes a jersey you can keep. This fee helps us cover the costs of umpires, baseballs, etc.
• Please note: You must live within Southern's official boundaries to be eligible to participate in Fall ball. The only exception is if you used to live within the boundaries while playing baseball at Southern, you continue to qualify. If this is too confusing or if you're hoping for an exception, please contact Bob.
• You can sign up online here. To help us organize teams, recruit coaches and order shirts, we ask that you please sign up online as soon as possible.
  
• The deadline for signing up is Sun-4-Sep.
• If you have any questions contact:
  Bob Hams, league director (bhams@roofmelt.com)
  
• We need coaches! Please contact Bob if you are interested in coaching. (No full teams will be allowed this year so we can achieve an even competitive balance.)

Fall Baseball is Coming Soon!

We are planning another season of Fall Baseball. You can expect another announcement within the next week with more details. Stay tuned!

District 9 West Michigan Big League Baseball Gets the Southern Treatment at the Big League World Series

Easley, SC 8/3/2011

The District 9 Big League Baseball team from West Michigan has wrapped up play at the World Series in Easley, SC with a deceiving 1-3 record. With a tough draw the D-9 team started out with 4 time World Champion South Carolina District 1. The game featured many scoring chances early by both squads and very good pitching performances. Jake Ritsema (Kenowa and Aquinas college) held the Host team scoreless thru 2 and battled thruought the game. A 6-2 loss was the final result with the D-9 team stranding 9 batters and 7 in scoring position. Manager Chris Lamange pointed out that the Host team has 6 players going to play division 1 baseball in the fall. "They were a fundamentally sound team with alot of fire power" Lamange said. Game 2 featured D-9 against the 2008 World Champion from Greenville, SC who represented the Southeast region. Down 3-0 in the 3rd inning Zack Schwenneker (East Grand Raoids and Michigan State) belted a Grand Slam to give the D-9 team the lead. Chad Macherwicz (Kenowa Hills) held the SC District 7 team at bay until the 5th when they hit 3 home runs and scored 7 runs in the 5th and 6th innings. "We had chances and didn't cash in while Greenville did" Lamange said. "I think the host team may be a little stronger top to bottom but these are two very good teams". In game 3 the D-9 team defeated the West team from Hayward California 6-4. A great pitching performance by Matt Krzkywa (Catholic Central) helped keep the West at bay and then a relief performance by Austin Goodyke (Calvin Christian) closed the door. The West has won the World Series several times since 1977 so this was a big win. In the final game of pool play D-9 played the East from Cumberland, NJ. After taking a 5-0 lead early and 3 strong innings pitched by Zac Malewitz (East Grand Rapids) a few mistakes and a couple big hits and the East tied it at 5 in the 5th. Jake Ritsema came in to close and held the East scoreless until a double to left, a sacrifice and a grounder scored the winning run for the East in extra innings.Peter Cupery (Holland Christian) led the bottom of the 8th off with a single and then a pop fly that looked like a sure hit was turned in to a double play by the East after a diving catch by the 2nd baseman. "6 hits in two innings and then 2 hits in 6 innings was the story of this game" Lamange said. I feel we could have gone 3-1 just as easily as 1-3 in this World Series Lamange said. The breaks just didn't fall our way.

The real story of the World Series is the hospitality shown by the staff and mostly the host family of Chris, Alan, Taylor and Aaron Schaaf. The team landed on Monday and after checking in to the village and pictures, were treated to a home cooked meal at the Schaaf's house. During the tournament anytime someone needed anything from a bandaid to consoling Big Momma Schaaf was always there. The team went to Lake Keowee on Sunday and boated all day. The highlite was jumping off of a 35 foot high rock in to 70 foot waters. Coach Lamange's mom Betsy took the challenge and plunged in to the lake. Last night the Schaaf's had a Southern Boil at their house for the whole team. "Wow, what a great dinner Macherewicz said" The team is touring Clemson University today before attending the Finals tonight that will be televised on ESPN featuring the Southeast against Puerto Rico at 6:00 PM.

Also representing the D-9 team and not mentioned are MJ Oshinski(Catholic Central), Matt Brown(Kenowa Hills), Ryan Elble(East Grand Rapids) EJ Grochawalski(Union/GRCC), Grant VanPutten(Holland Christian), Jake Bruns(Holland Christian), Travis Kraii(Grand Rapids Christian), Kyle Corey(West Catholic) and Trent Zwiers(Calvin Christian/Calvin College). A star studded team that we are all very proud of. Tony Macherewicz and Ed Grochawalski were the other coaches.

Southern Juniors West All-Stars Come Up Just Short

Chuck Tanner, former MLB player and coach, once said, “It is hard to win a pennant,
but it is harder to lose one.” The SLL West Juniors Baseball All Star team experienced the full
measure of the truth of that famous quote on Sunday at Pinery Park as they dropped
a 5-1 decision to Western Little League in the District 9 championship game. The
team’s bats went silent after a series of games where they were able to run up
double-digit scores on their opponents.

Coach Mike Horjus’ squad was the odds-on favorite going into the weekend, having
taken one from Western Little League by a score of 10-1 earlier in the tournament,
but a determined Western squad prevailed in the end. The team was led in the
tournament by the formidable hitting of Jack Bates, Carter Masek, Sam Jansen, and
Casey Horjus. Matt Reglin, AJ Zawacki, Masek, and others turned in outstanding
defensive efforts, including more than a few “web gems.” All 13 players on the squad
contributed to the team’s outstanding post-season run.

While no one on the team was satisfied with the second-place finish on Sunday,
there is no taking away the memories and friendships made throughout the post-
season. There were great moments for both players and fans of the SLL squad along
every step of the way. As Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over till it’s over” and while
the season may have ended just a little earlier than the team would have liked, there
is little doubt in the minds of those who know and love these guys that they will be
heard from again; these guys aren’t done yet!! Baseball is the greatest game on earth
and the coaches and fans of the 2011 Juniors’ West All Stars are proud of the effort
this team made and look forward already to another season of pulling for our SLL
squads.

Seniors Baseball All-Stars Bow Out of Regional Tournament

The District #9 Boy's Senior Baseball team lost a best of three Sectional series with the District #12 team from Holton this weekend.

Here is a recap of the games.

Game #1: Mike Priest pitched a strong game for Southern. He battled throughout the game, allowing a few unearned runs, while getting out of multiple jams. Offensively, Southern had chances to score, but could not string anything together against Holton's pitcher who kept them off balance by mixing up his pitches well. Holton played a strong defensive game nailing a couple of Southern runners on the base paths. Southern scored their only run when David Zwiers hit a long double, and was driven in on a sacrifice fly from Austin Huizinga. Final score: District #12 over District #9, 3 to 1.

Game #2: Southern jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st. By the end of the 2nd it had increased to 5-0. Jake Lewis started the game on the mound for Southern but due to the early lead, was removed and saved for the championship game. Chris Collins did an excellent job in relief in this game to make sure the game ended in a Southern victory. Leading the hit parade were Austin Huizinga with 3 hits and 3 RBI, Taylor Martin with 2 hits and 4 RBI, and Nick Wojcynski with an RBI double. Final score: District #9 over District #12, 11 to 0.

Game #3: The rubber game was a well played game through the first 7 innings. As expected out of two teams good enough to make a Sectional Final Game, each team got some great pitching and defense through regulation. Jake Lewis pitched into the 8th inning, having a no-hitter for the majority of the game. However, once his pitch count required removing him from the mound, things fell apart for Southern. The Holton bats came alive against a trio of Southern relievers, coupled with some walks and Southern errors to blow open an exciting game scoring 12 runs. True to their character, the Southern team did not give up fighting scoring 4 runs of their own in the bottom of the 8th, before bowing out of the tournament. Leading hitters included Taylor Martin with 2 hits and an RBI, and Mike Priest who was on base many times. Final score: District #12 over District #9, 12 to 4.

The Southern Senior Boy's baseball team represented itself well, going 6-2 during their tournament run. They came together as a team (from different school teams including East Grand Rapids, Catholic Central, Christian, and Ottawa Hills) and battled not only other teams but also the high heat, playing 8 games in a span of 11 days in 90+ temperatures. While the outcome was not what everyone wanted, Manager Steve Lewis, coaches Jeff Huizinga and Jay Martin, along with all the parents that watched these games are all very proud of the effort put forth by the Southern kids.

Seniors Baseball All-Stars Win District Championship

Thanks to Jay Martin for providing some specifics on the the Seniors Baseball District Championship games between Southern and Western from Wednesday night.

Game #1: Southern jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a ground rule double from Elliott Zimmerman. By the 7th inning Southern upped its lead to 5-1, in large part to a monumental homer from Jake Lewis. Western battled back to tie the game in the bottom of the 7th and force extra innings. Southern responded in the extra frame scoring 2 huge runs, started off by a hit from Austin Huizinga and finished with a 2 run single from Austin Batka.
Bower Snedeker pitched an excellent game, with Mike Priest getting Southern out of a jam in the 7th and winning it in the 8th. Taylor Martin contributed 3 hits and the other RBI.

Game #2: In this game Western took the early lead with 3 runs in the top of the first inninng. Southern bounced right back in their half of the inning to tie the game. Pitcher Austin Batka then settled in to hold Western down while Southern took the lead and increased it to 11-4 after 4 innings. The big hits that lead to the lead came from the heart of the order with a Jake Lewis missle shot HR, 2 doubles from Taylor Martin, and a double from David Zwiers. Once again Western would not quit, cutting Southern's lead all the way down to 1 run 11-10. Mike Priest then had a huge double driving in two in the bottom of the 6th for some much needed insurance runs. Relievers Nick Wojcynski and Taylor Martin maintained the lead for the middle innings, before handing the ball over to Priest to come in slam the door shut, setting off a giant pile of exhausted and elated ballplayers.

Overall it was a total team effort that brought the Title to Southern, making them Back-to-Back District 9 Seniors Champions. Other members that all contributed to the Championship included: Tyler Boyd, Chris Dickow, Mitch Sayfie, Chris Collins, Remy Woods, and Taylor Smith.

Tournament Updates

The District 9 Big League Baseball will play for the championship of the Central States Regional Tournament at Pinery Park tonight at 7:00pm. There are several Southern players on that team so come out and support them.

Southern’s Juniors Baseball West All-Star team will be playing for the District Championship Saturday at 3:00pm at Pinery Park. The team is undefeated so come out and root them on to a championship.

Southern’s Senior Baseball All-Stars won the district championship with two hard-fought victories over Western on Wednesday night. CONGRATULATIONS!! They will play a sectional best two out of three against the district 12 champions Saturday at Pinery Park at 6:00pm and 8:00pm. Stay at Pinery Saturday and cheer for the Senior Baseball All-Stars!!

Good luck to all!!

Congratulations Seniors Baseball Teams

Congratulations to all four of our Senior Baseball teams for finishing first or second in the district-wide team tournaments. Team Lewis went undefeated in Class C to win the crown while Team Huizenga went all the way in Class C to win the championship. Not to be out-dueled, Team Vulpetti came from the losers' bracket all the way back to win the championship. Trying for a clean sweep, Team Norton came up just short and finished second in Class A. Great season and congrats to all of the senior baseball players and their coaches. Well done!

Coaches: Equipment Return Dates

Equipment return dates are July 12 and July 14 at 7:00pm for all leagues at Southern's equipment shed. All coaches need to return jerseys and equipment bags. 78ers players keep their shirts.

If you are not able to make it, please find a parent or assistant coach to turn in the equipment on one of the above dates on your behalf.

Questions? Contact Steve Bender at launchllc@gmail.com.

Missing Bat Bag

A black Nike bag has gone missing from Southern, It has about 5 or 6 bats including a DiMarini CF4. It was left at Southern on Saturday. If someone has it, Please email Amy McCulloch at amcculloch@lighthousegroup.net. Thanks!

Southern Big Leaguers Win Wooden Bat Tourney

Congratulations to Southern's Big League Baseball team coached by Chris Lamange and Steve Kraai for winning the annual wooden bat tournament championship. This was Southern's first championship in four years. Congratulations, guys!

Congratulations 2011 Seniors Baseball All-Stars

Manager: Steve Lewis 821-7535
Coach: Jeff Huizenga 293-2610
Coach: Jay Martin
Jake Lewis
Mike Priest
Elliott Zimmerman
Taylor Martin
Tyler Boyd
Austin Huizenga
Chris Dickow
Nick Wojczynski
Mitch Sayfie
Chris Collins
Pat Cvengros
Austin Batka
Bower Snedeker
Remy Woods
David Zwiers

Congrats to Southern's Class A Majors Baseball Champions!

An improbable tournament run that began with a heartbreaking loss and ended with an 8-1 Southern victory finished on Wednesday night at Southern's East Field.

Coach Matthew Sullivan's Majors team, coming off a 12-1 regular season, defeated Zeeland in a game filled with excitement and watched by hundreds. Two weeks ago, the team sponsored by Treadstone Mortgage lost a tough 3-1 decision at the hands of Byron Township. They then went on to win 7 games in 10 days to labor through the loser's bracket of the Class A District 9 Majors tournament.

Members of the team were:
Dane Addington
Brett Bauman
EJ Sullivan
DeShawn Dykhouse
James Murray
Rashon Adams
Emmett Warners
Teddy Russo
Jackson Reid
Matthew Winkle
Kyle Cornetet
Max Israels

The success for the Treadstone Crushers began on Monday, June 20 with a 7-3 win over Lowell, followed with a win over Grandville 4-0 on Wednesday, a 9-4 victory over Pinery Park on Thursday, and continued with a 6-3 decision over Western on Saturday. On Monday, the team faced the same Byron team that had beaten them earlier in the tournament and defeated them 4-3 thanks to a masterful pitching performance by Jackson Reid and Matthew Winkle and a 3-run first inning towering home run by Teddy Russo. Reid scored the game winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fifth.

The next day Coach Sullivan's squad travelled to Zeeland to face the previously undefeated Zeeland team. The team never gave up hope when they were down 6-0 after 3 innings, rallying for two runs in the fourth and three in the fifth thanks to an Emmett Warners two-run home run. In the sixth, after Winkle had struck out the side in the top of the frame, EJ Sullivan singled to start the inning which brought up Warners again. On the 8th pitch of the at-bat, he homered again to right-center field and bedlam ensued.

On Wednesday in the championship game, Zeeland came to the friendly confines of Southern Little League and although the faces were friendly, the Southern bats did not greet them warmly. Russo went deep in the second inning, making the score 5-0. Zeeland's lone run came in the fifth on a leadoff homer. As the Zeeland player rounded first on his home run trot, Max Israels, Treadstone's second baseman, gave the player a high-five of congratulations, displaying true Little League sportsmanship.

EJ Sullivan was a beast on the mound throughout the game, keeping the hitters off balance all evening. Matthew "Papa Grande" Winkle came in to close the deal, securing the final four outs. Treadstone's final run came on a Kyle Cornetet double which plated Israels in the sixth to complete the scoring.

Immediately after the last out was made, about 50 of Southern's other players stormed the field to congratulate the winners. It was an awesome scene.

Congratulations to Coach Sullivan and the Treadstone Mortgage Crushers for a great tournament run and for a District 9 Class A Majors Championship.

Coaches: Equipment Return Dates

Equipment return dates are July 12 and July 14 at 7:00pm for all leagues at Southern's equipment shed. All coaches need to return jerseys and equipment bags. 78ers players keep their shirts.

If you are not able to make it, please find a parent or assistant coach to turn in the equipment on one of the above dates on your behalf.

Questions? Contact Steve Bender at launchllc@gmail.com.

Southern's Baseball Majors A Team Plays for Championship Wednesday Night

On wednesday night at Southern's East Field at 6:00pm, Southern's Class A Majors Baseball team takes on Zeeland for the District 9 championship. Come on out and cheer on your home team!

Big League Matchup Tonight

Southern's two Big League Baseball teams (Lamange vs. Berrios) play each other tonight at 5:00pm in a double header. Grills will be fired up so come out and enjoy some baseball tonight at Southern.

Congratulations 2011 Juniors Baseball West All-Stars

Manager: Mike Horjus
Coach: Steve Salasky
Coach: Dan Vaughn
Mason Banbury
Jack Bates
Zac Correll
Alec Hollen
Casey Horjus
Sam Jansen
Miles Kuperus
Carter Masek
Matt Reglin
Noah Salasky
Sam Vaughn
Ben Wollet
AJ Zawacki

Congratulations 2011 Juniors Baseball East All-Stars

Manager: Zach Lewis
Coach: Victor Jimenez
Coach: Jeremy Hankiewicz
Scot Boeve
Jared Bulthuis
Brendan Bowman
Sean Campbell
Drew Hankiewicz
Bryce Henkey
Rylan Jaglowski
Hunter Karczewski
Spencer Near
Skyler Pruis
Jacob Rabideau
Kyle Vulpetti
Jon Winkle

Seniors Baseball Rain-outs Rescheduled

Three recently rained out games in Seniors Baseball have been rescheduled as follows:

• The Lewis vs Norton-Campbell game from Mon-20-Jun has been rescheduled for Tue-28-Jun at 7:45pm.
• The Lewis vs Vulpetti game from Wed-22-Jun has been rescheduled for Fri-24-Jun at 5:30pm.
• The Huizenga vs Norton-Campbell game from Wed-22-Jun has been rescheduled for Fri-24-Jun at 7:45pm.

The online schedule has been updated.

As a rule, whenever we make a change or correction to a schedule, we always announce it to all our email subscribers. That means some of you might receive schedule change announcements for leagues not of interest to you. But hopefully you can understand the importance of notifying players, families, umpires and volunteers about schedule changes.

Seniors Baseball at Southern Canceled Tonight

Seniors baseball at Southern is canceled tonight due to poor field conditions. This ONLY affects the Henwood (Juniors and Seniors Baseball) field at Southern. All other team tournament games are ON as scheduled.

Team Tournament Rain-outs Rescheduled

All of the district team tournament games that were rained out last night have been rescheduled for Thursday night. The schedules are updated on the District 9 website.

Team Tournament Seedings for Majors Baseball

For those of you following the Majors Baseball team tournaments, here's a list of which pool each team was assigned:

A: Sullivan
B: Rohen
C: Combs (Southern #1)
C: Henkey (Southern #2)
D: Grunewald
E: Goulet (Southern #1)
E: Southwell (Southern #2)
F: Lundeen
G: Sayfie
H: Uglietta
I: Markham (Southern #1)
I: Vulpetti (Southern #2)

Good luck Southern Majors Baseball teams!

GR Christian Takes Second in State

Congrats to the Grand Rapids Christian HS  baseball team on their runner up finish in the state final game.  Southern was well represented as 8 players were in uniform for the final game.  Taylor Pruis had 2 of the 3 hits for the Eagles and Travis Kraai pitched 3 shutout innings.  Other players  included Brandon Pott,  David Pluymert,  David Warners,  Joel Schipper,  Brent Primus, and  Jake Maurer.  Congrats on a great year and a school record 30 wins.  Southern is very proud of you guys!!!  

Schedule Change in Seniors Baseball

Because of a mix-up with the Big League Baseball scheduling, the Mon-20-Jun Seniors Baseball game between Norton/Campbell and Lewis has been postponed until a later date. We'll make another announcement once the date has been set.

As a rule, whenever we make a change or correction to a schedule, we always announce it to all our email subscribers. That means some of you might receive schedule change announcements for leagues not of interest to you. But hopefully you can understand the importance of notifying players, families, umpires and volunteers about schedule changes.

Congratulations GR Christian Eagles!

The Grand Rapids Christian boys baseball team defeated Mt. Pleasant today by a score of 1-0 in the state semifinals. Southern's own David Pluymert knocked in the only run of the game. The Eagles advance to tomorrow night's state championship game in Battle Creek against St. Clair.

Tournaments

The District 9 Little League website provides the tournament brackets, results and directions to each of the fields around the district. Coaches will contact players to let them know which bracket each team is in.

We do not make weather decisions for District 9 tournament games, nor do we post weather-related announcements about District 9 tournament games on our website.

Schedule Change in Seniors Baseball

The Wed-15-Jun game between Vulpetti and Lewis has been rescheduled for Sat-18-Jun. The game will be played as the back half of a Vulpetti vs Lewis doubleheader. The game will begin immediately after the regularly scheduled 2:00pm Vulpetti vs Lewis game.

As a rule, whenever we make a change or correction to a schedule, we always announce it to all our email subscribers. That means some of you might receive schedule change announcements for leagues not of interest to you. But hopefully you can understand the importance of notifying players, families, umpires and volunteers about schedule changes.

2011 Big League Baseball Rosters

These are the team rosters for the Big League Baseball. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. Click here to open this document on its own for downloading or printing.

Congratulations 2011 Majors Baseball West All-Stars

Manager: Mark Warners
Coach: Ethan Rohen
Tommy Alkema
Harrison Rohen
Johnny Southwell
Easton Shultz
Mark Primus
Ben Burrows
Parker Caul
Michael Uglietta
Emmett Warners
Brennan Burke
Reid Grunewald
Will Berglund
Jackson Reid

Congratulations 2011 Majors Baseball East All-Stars

Manager: Matt Sullivan
Coach: John Combs
Coach: Bernie Malewitz
Connor Goulet
Andrew Combs
Jack Combs
Mike Malewitz
Jack Liszewski
Will Kortz
Jacob Elzinga
Elliot Jung
EJ Sullivan
Teddy Russo
Joel Huffman
Jack Tietema
Kevin Vulpetti

Congratulations 2011 9/10 West Baseball All-Stars

Manager: Tim Sullivan
Coach: Jamie Billo
Henry Vanderzyden
Peter Kratt
Jack Billo
Jack Ward
Ben Biermacher
Aidan O’Connor
Aidan Jennings
Nolan Gardner
Jash Jacobsen
Ryan Sullivan
Josh Weiss
Tommy Pohlman
Hayden Taylor

Congratulations 2011 9/10 East Baseball All-Stars

Manager: John McCulloch
Coach: Jim Passinault
Nicholas Lambert
Luke Passinault
Reily O’Connor
Mark Boeve
Levi Slagter
Joe Collins
Brendan Leonard
Sam Farrington
Andrew McCulloch
Will Marsh
Billy Bernecker
Luke Elzinga
Josh Verstraete

Congratulations 2011 11-year-old Baseball All-Stars

Manager: Rob Henkey
Coach: Jeff Hoppman
Coach: Dave Kortz
Marty Ward
Ca'nas Coleman
Max Vicari
Max Lundeen
Matt Henkey
Jake Hoppman
Dane Addington
Peter Burns
Ben Forstner
Henry Breems
Noah Groen
Elliot Bergsma
Colin Beggs

Correction: Schedule Change in 78ers Baseball

(Sorry for the inconvenience. The previous announcement was incorrect.)
On Sat-11-Jun, two teams have traded game times and opponents:

• Hicks will now play at 3:00pm vs Scofield.
• Kuzner will now play at 9:00am vs Masek.
• For Scofield and Masek, only the opponent changes, not the time.

The online schedule has been updated.

As a rule, whenever we make a change or correction to a schedule, we always announce it to all our email subscribers. That means some of you might receive schedule change announcements for leagues not of interest to you. But hopefully you can understand the importance of notifying players, families, umpires and volunteers about schedule changes.

Rescheduled Game in Seniors Baseball

The previously postponed game in Seniors Baseball has been rescheduled:

• Vulpetti vs Lewis will now be played on Sat-18-Jun at 2:00pm.

The online schedule has been updated.

As a rule, whenever we make a change or correction to a schedule, we always announce it to all our email subscribers. That means some of you might receive schedule change announcements for leagues not of interest to you. But hopefully you can understand the importance of notifying players, families, umpires and volunteers about schedule changes.

Game Postponed in Seniors Baseball

Tonight's scheduled game between Vulpetti and Lewis in Seniors Baseball has been postponed until a future date. We will make another announcement once the new date is determined. The online schedule has been updated.

As a rule, whenever we make a change or correction to a schedule, we always announce it to all our email subscribers. That means some of you might receive schedule change announcements for leagues not of interest to you. But hopefully you can understand the importance of notifying players, families, umpires and volunteers about schedule changes.

15th Annual Family Day

Saturday, June 4, is Family Day. Thirty ball games and lots of other activities will be going on all day long, so bring the whole family.

Volunteers:

• We still need lots of volunteers of all kinds at various times on Saturday.
• Please sign up at the concession stand or contact Amy at volunteer@southernll.org.

Enjoy our expanded menu:

• Mom's marinated steak-on-a-stick
• Pulled pork sandwiches
• Hamburgers, jumbo hot dogs and Johnsonville stadium brats
• Meal deals
• Famous sauteed onions and all your favorite condiments
  
• Corn-on-the-cob

Activities for the kids: free!

• Water Run - a bouncy runway that leads to a shallow pool at the end
• Bounce Land - a place for kids to bounce around
  

Raffle:

• Reminder: Please sell your raffle tickets and turn in the money and stubs before the deadline at noon on Saturday. Look for the raffle table near the concession stand.
• The big raffle drawing will take place at 7:00pm.
  

All-Star Games:

• Plan on staying for the Minor and Major Baseball All-Star Games at 7:30pm.

We're all hoping for good weather! We'll see everyone out at Southern on Saturday!

Congratulations Majors Baseball Family Day All-Stars

Congratulations to the following majors baseball players who were chosen by their teammates to play in the all-star game on Family Day. The game will take place on Sat-4-Jun at 7:30pm on the East field.

American League	National League
Southwell (Thousand Oaks):    Johnny Southwell    Josh Rabideau    Charlie Bogo	Grunewald (3form):    Brennan Burke    Reid Grunewald    Ca'nas Coleman
Combs (Lighthouse Insurance Group):    Andrew Combs    Jack Combs    Tommy Alkema	Sayfie (Shoe Carnival):    Caleb Corell    Ben Kole    Alec Malaszenko
Rohen (Great Lakes Shipping):    Jack Liszewski    Harrison Rohen    Mike Malewitz	Lundeen (Law Weathers):    Jacob Elzinga    Elliot Jung    Jack Foy
Henkey (Metal Tech Buildings):    Mark Primus    Will Kortz    Easton Schultz	Markham (Quaker Steak & Lube):    Brady Oosse    Elliot Bergsma    Matt Blewett
Uglietta (Thirsty Knights):    Ben Burrows    Michael Uglietta    Parker Caul	Goulet (Blue Sphere):    Connor Goulet    Ben Loos    Marty Ward
Vulpetti (Miller-Johnson):    Ian Ogdahl    Max Vicari    Jon Oostindie	Sullivan (Treadstone Mortgage):    Emmett Warners    EJ Sullivan    Teddy Russo

If you see any spelling errors, please email the webmaster.

Congratulations Minors Baseball Family Day All-Stars

Congratulations to the following minors baseball players who were chosen by their teammates to play in the all-star game on Family Day. The game will take place on Sat-4-Jun at 7:30pm on the West field.

American League	National League
McCulloch Phillies:    Peter Kratt    Nicholas Lambert	Weiss Nationals:    Levi Slagter    John Shelton
Billo Red Sox:    Jack Billo    Griffin Caul	Potteiger Braves:    Aidan Jennings    Joe Collins
Boender Rays:    Carson Warners    Lee DeHaan	Abdalla Dodgers:    Nolan Gardner    Ryan Smith
Sullivan Yankees:    Jack Ward    Ben Biermacher	Hebert Cardinals:    Brendan Leonard    Louis Ortiz
Passinault Indians:    Luke Passinault    Daniel Southerington	Gelderloos White Sox:    Sam Farrington    Louis Breems
O'Connor A's:    Aidan O'Connor    Reily O'Connor	Grabowski Angels:    Brendan Severson    Zachary Grabowski
Berglund Marlins:    Jonah Witte    Nils Berglund	Jacobsen Twins:    Josh Jacobsen    Henry Vanderzyden
Murray Cubs:    Mark Boeve    Jake Myers	Tepper Tigers:    Keegan Sullivan    Joey Hildebrand

If you see any spelling errors, please email the webmaster.

Team Parents: Photos are Ready to be Picked Up

Coaches and team parents only (not parents of individual players):

The photo packets have been delivered to the concession stand. To minimize the chaos at the concession stand, we are asking that only the coach or team parent pick up the packets for the entire team, then distribute them to the players and their parents. Please, unless you are the coach or the team parent, do not go to the concession stand to pick up your child's individual photos.

Changes to Baseball Majors Schedule for Thu-9-Jun

• Markham vs Grunewald will now play at 4:00pm.

The dates and fields are unchanged. The online schedule has been updated.

As a rule, whenever we make a change or correction to a schedule, we always announce it to all our email subscribers. That means some of you might receive schedule change announcements for leagues not of interest to you. But hopefully you can understand the importance of notifying players, families, umpires and volunteers about schedule changes.

Coaches: More Batting Cage Reservations Now Available

Coaches: Reservations for LSouthern's batting cages are now open through the end of the season.

Seniors Baseball Schedule Now Available

The schedule for the 2011 Seniors Baseball season is now available here on the website. Just click the Schedules link on the right sidebar.

2011 Seniors Baseball Rosters

These are the team rosters for the Seniors Baseball League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. Click here to open this document on its own for downloading or printing.

Family Day Game Schedule

Based on the standings in Baseball Minors, Majors, and Juniors, the game schedule for Family Day on Sat-4-Jun is now set. The schedules for each league now reflect these matchups. Here's a handy schedule of all the games at Southern on Family Day:

• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

All Games ON as Scheduled

Keep watching the website. We'll make another announcement here if we do have to cancel any games tonight.

Rescheduled Rain-outs in Juniors Baseball

The following rain-outs in Juniors Baseball have been rescheduled:

• Horjus vs. Gooch has moved from Sun-5-Jun at 3:15pm to Sun-12-Jun at 1:00pm.
• Gooch vs Hankiewiczwill play on Sun-5-Jun at 3:15pm.
• Vandenberg vs Lewis will play Sun-12-Jun at 3:15pm.

The online schedule has been updated. Please use that schedule as the authoritative one.

As a rule, whenever we make a change or correction to a schedule, we always announce it to all our email subscribers. That means some of you might receive schedule change announcements for leagues not of interest to you. But hopefully you can understand the importance of notifying players, families, umpires and volunteers about schedule changes.

All Games Canceled for Tonight

Schedule Change in Juniors Baseball for TONIGHT

The Juniors Baseball game tonight (Wed-25-May) between Gooch and Buffinga has been rescheduled for Tue-21-Jun at 5:30pm. The online schedule has been updated.

As a rule, whenever we make a change or correction to a schedule, we always announce it to all our email subscribers. That means some of you might receive schedule change announcements for leagues not of interest to you. But hopefully you can understand the importance of notifying players, families, umpires and volunteers about schedule changes.

Make-up Games in Baseball Minors, Majors, and Juniors

Because of all the rain this Spring, we have rescheduled a number of rained out games. We have not rescheduled every rained out game, but have chosen to reschedule games for the teams who have had the most rain-outs. We will try to reschedule other rain-outs as we have field time available. The online schedules have been updated to include the following games:

Sunday, June 5

• Majors Baseball
• Vulpetti vs Uglietta – 1:00 East
• Markham vs Sayfie – 5:00 East
• Grunewald vs Rohen – 3:00 East
• Minors Baseball
• McCulloch vs O’Connor – 1:00 West
• Hebert vs Abdalla – 3:00 West
• Sullivan vs Berglund – 5:00 West
• Juniors Baseball
• Vaughn vs Lewis – 1:00 Henwood
• Gooch vs Horjus – 3:15 Henwood

Sunday, June 12

• Majors Baseball
• Vulpetti vs Sayfie – 1:00 East
• Grunewald vs Uglietta – 3:00 East
• Markham vs Rohen – 5:00 East
• Minors Baseball
• Tepper vs Hebert – 3:00 West
• Sullivan vs O’Connor – 1:00 West

Coaches: More Practice Field Reservations Now Available

Coaches: Reservations for Lakeside, Breton Downs, and Southern's batting cages are now open through June 4.

All Games Canceled

Important Team Tournament and All-Start Tournament Dates

Level	District Team Tournaments	District All-Start Tournament
9-10 Baseball	n/a	July 12
10-11 Baseball	n/a	July 12
Majors Baseball	June 18	July 5
Juniors Baseball	June 25	July 12
Seniors Baseball	TBA	July 12
Big League Baseball	TBA	July 12
9-10 Softball	n/a	July 12
10-11 Softball	n/a	July 12
Majors Softball	June 18	July 5
Juniors Softball	June 25	July 12
Seniors Softball	TBA	July 12
Big League Softball	TBA	TBA

Concession Stand Reminder

To all parents of 78ers, Minors, and Majors Baseball Players:

Thank you to the parents who have volunteered their time this year by working in the concession stand. As many of you know, Southern Little League is a non-profit organization and we rely heavily on parent volunteers. The revenue from the concession stand helps to subsidize the registration fees and plays a big part in the maintenance of our facility.

Each team is expected to staff the concession stand for one hour during or around their game time. So far, we have had pretty good success with parents volunteering their time and working in the stand. However, there have been a few games where we haven't had any volunteers. We typically only have one Southern employee working which isn't enough to handle the number of kids that are in line after each game.

If you haven't signed up to volunteer yet, please see your team parent, coach, or Amy McCulloch (amcculloch@lighthousegroup.net) to set-up a time. If you are at Southern and you see a big line, please feel free to help out as needed.

Lastly, children under the age of 16 are not permitted in the concession stand due to safety and insurance requirements. Please make other arrangements for your young ones while you are volunteering.

Thanks!

Changes to Baseball Minors Schedule Fri-17-Jun

• Berglund vs Jacobsen will now play at 6:30pm.
• Grabowski vs Billo will now play at 5:00pm.

The dates and fields are unchanged. The online schedule has been updated.

As a rule, whenever we make a change or correction to a schedule, we always announce it to all our email subscribers. That means some of you might receive schedule change announcements for leagues not of interest to you. But hopefully you can understand the importance of notifying players, families, umpires and volunteers about schedule changes.

Coaches: Scores Hotline Technical Difficulties

The call-in number for scores is reportedly giving out a busy signal. If you get a busy signal, please email your scores to webmaster@southernll.org. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Coaches: More Practice Field Reservations Now Available

Coaches: Reservations for Lakeside, Breton Downs, and Southern's batting cages are now open through May 28. Remember to play nice by limiting your reservations to one practice field and one batting cage slot per week.

Get Weather Announcements by Text Message

Tired of checking the website over and over when the weather is questionable?
Did you know you can get a text message whenever there's a weather announcement at Southern?

It's WAY easier than you think.

Simply send the following text message to 40404
     follow southernll
Then follow the instructions in the text message replies.

That's it! Now you'll get a text message each time we make a weather-related announcement.

• Keep in mind that you'll only get texted when it's a WEATHER-RELATED announcement. You'll still need to check your email or the website for all other announcements.
• Of course you knew that your phone's normal text messaging rates will apply.
• And now you can brag to your friends that you know how to use Twitter!

All games 10:30am and later are ON as scheduled

Please keep an eye on the website for more announcements as the weather changes throughout the day.

8:30am and 9:00am games are canceled

We'll make another announcement about the later games.

All Games Canceled Tonight

Important Information about Baseball Bats

If you own or are thinking about buying a baseball bat, please read this important article from little League International.

Changes to Baseball Majors Schedule Thu-12-May

• Lundeen vs Vulpetti will now play at 5:30pm.
• Combs vs Grunewald will now play at 7:30pm.

The dates and fields are unchanged. The online schedule has been updated.

As a rule, whenever we make a change or correction to a schedule, we always announce it to all our email subscribers. That means some of you might receive schedule change announcements for leagues not of interest to you. But hopefully you can understand the importance of notifying players, families, umpires and volunteers about schedule changes.

All Games Canceled

All tonight's games are canceled because of the weather.

Lost Bat

A bat is missing following a game last Thursday night at 7:30pm. The Blue Sphere team coached by Steve Goulet used the batting cage prior to the game. We're not sure which team may have followed. The bat was on the ground next to the south batting cage.

The bat is RED with the word COPPERHEAD on it.

We're guessing that it got into a team's equipment bag. Coaches, can you please do a quick check of the bats in your bag to see if the red Copperhead bat is in with your equipment? Other families and players, please help us to locate this missing bat.

If you find it, please contact Carol Dana at cdana@wnj.com or call her at 292-8167 (cell) or 285-5893 (home).

Thank you.

Changes to Baseball Majors Schedule Thu-9-Jun

• Grunewald vs Markham will now play at 7:30pm.
• Vulpetti vs Henkey will now play at 5:30pm.

The dates and fields are unchanged. The online schedule has been updated.

As a rule, whenever we make a change or correction to a schedule, we always announce it to all our email subscribers. That means some of you might receive schedule change announcements for leagues not of interest to you. But hopefully you can understand the importance of notifying players, families, umpires and volunteers about schedule changes.

Catholic Central vs East: Friday 5pm at Southern

Catholic Central takes on East Grand Rapids in varsity baseball Friday night at 5pm at Southern. We also have a full slate of baseball and softball games taking place on the other fields. We'll be firing up the grill with Southern's famous burgers and dogs, so bring the family and enjoy the action at Southern Friday night.

Umpire Reminders

Umpire sign-up will take place Saturday morning, May 7 at 7:30am at the Southern Little League Office behind Henwood Field. This sign up period is for games from May 9-21. Only umpires who have registered and completed training are eligible to sign up for games. Uniforms will be distributed during sign up to those who need them.

Umpire checks for all games up to and including May 7 will be available in the concession stand Monday night by 7:30 pm. Uniform fees will be subtracted from these checks.

Coaches: More Practice Field Reservations Now Available

Coaches: Reservations for Lakeside, Breton Downs, and Southern's batting cages are now open through May 21.

CORRECTION: Sat-7-May is Picture Day!

We mistakenly announced the wrong Saturday for picture day. It is on Saturday the 7th, not the 14th.

Saturday is Picture Day at Southern

Sat-7-May is picture day.

• Each team has been given a specific time slot for pictures, and by now your coach or team parent should have contacted you about what time you need to be there. If not, please contact your team parent for details.
• There's also an opportunity for players to have individual pictures taken.
• Even if you're not planning on purchasing a team or individual photo, as a courtesy to others on the team, please make sure your child is present for the team picture anyhow.
• Save time by filling out your order form ahead of time if you have one. If not, the photographer will have forms available there.
• Pictures are taken over near the Mackay Jaycee soccer fields, under the pavilion in the woods, near the playground.
• They run a tight ship, so be on time for your team's scheduled slot.
• RAIN OR SHINE! Regardless of any possible weather-related game cancellations, picture day will go on as scheduled.

Minors Baseball Schedule Correction: Grabowski vs Potteiger

The Grabowski vs Potteiger game scheduled for 6:30pm on Sat-7-May was mistakenly scheduled for the East field. The online schedule has been corrected to indicate that this game will take place on the West field, same date and time.

Please Sign Up Now for Seniors Baseball & Softball

• DEADLINE IS MAY 21! Online sign-up will close after the deadline.
• The cost is now $125.
  
• Please help the tireless volunteers who do the league organizing by signing up sooner rather than later.
• You can sign up and pay online by clicking here.

Baseball Juniors Rain-Out Games Rescheduled

We have rescheduled three rained out games in Baseball Juniors:

• Horjus vs Buffinga will be replayed on Wed-4-May at 7:30pm
• Hankiewitz vs Lewis will be replayed on Thu-5-May at 5:30pm
• Hoppman vs Vandenberg will be replayed on Thu-5-May at 7:30pm

The online schedules have been updated to reflect these changes.

Coaches: More Practice Field Reservations Now Available

Caoches: Reservations for Lakeside, Breton Downs, and Southern's batting cages are now open through May 14.

Softball Juniors Schedule Now Available

We have posted the schedules for softball junior leagues. Look for the "Schedules" link on the right sidebar.

Juniors Game Canceled

Due to poor field conditions on the Henwood Field, tonight's Juniors game between Hoppman and Vandenberg has been canceled. All other games on other fields are still ON.

Announcing the 2011 Raffle

Grand Prize: $2,000 cash
Second Prize: $1,000 cash
Third Prize: Apple iPad2

• Tickets cost $20 each. They have been distributed to all coaches and/or team parents. It's important that we sell all these tickets to make the raffle a success.
• The drawing takes place on Family Day, Sat-4-Jun, prior to the All-Star Game. (You need not be present to win.)
• The individual player who sells the most tickets will also win an Apple iPad2. To track this, the player's name must be legibly written on the back of each ticket they sell and turned in by noon on Family Dat, Sat-4-Jun.
• If you have any questions or need extra tickets, please contact Brendan O'Driscoll at 460-8624 or brendano@treadstonemortgage.com.

Wednesday Games are Canceled

Due to inclement weather and poor field conditions all games for tonight are canceled.

Games are Canceled

All games tonight are canceled.

Coaches: More Practice Field Reservations Now Available

Caoches: Reservations for Lakeside, Breton Downs, and Southern's batting cages are now open through May 7.

Help Ready the Fields Early Saturday!

The rain is expected to end during the night, so the grounds crew will have its hands full in the morning trying to get those fields ready for a full slate of games at Southern on Saturday. If any of you can come out early and help get those fields ready, it would be much appreciated. The first game begins at 8:30am, so it's all hands on deck at 7:30am!

Tonight's Games are ON

If the weather worsens and we need to cancel later on, we will announce that right here. In the meantime, report to the field for tonight's games.

Additional Umpire Training Scheduled

First-Year Umpires:
All first-year umpires are required to attend a full training session before working their first game. Please attend one of the following beginning umpire training clinics at Southern:

• Thursday, April 21, 4:00-5:30pm, Henwood (Juniors) field
• Saturday, April 23, 6:30-8:30pm, JC fields

Umpires wishing to move up from Minors to Majors:
You must attend the following intermediate training clinic at Southern:

• Thursday, April 21, 7-8:30pm, East (Majors) field

In of the event of inclement weather, we will make every effort to post it on the website.

Additional training sessions will be conducted if necessary. Questions? Contact our umpire coordinator.

Coaches: More Practice Field Reservations Now Available

Coaches, we have opened up another week of reservation slots for Lakeside, Breton Downs and Southern's batting cages. Please continue to respect the one slot per week rule.

Umpire Training Postponed

Because of the weather, today's umpire training has been postponed until a later date.

Cleanup Day is Canceled

Cleanup Day is canceled due to bad weather.

Schedules Available for Baseball 78ers, Minors, Majors & Juniors

Look for the Schedules link on the right sidebar. Please bear in mind that we may fix some errors and make some other changes before the season starts. We promise to announce all schedule changes that take place after April 20 via our email subscriber list.

Coaches: Juniors Practice Field Reservations Now Available

Coaches only: You can now go to the coaches page on the right sidebar and reserve the juniors practice field at Southern. As always, please read the instructions carefully. The password is the same as last year. It starts with an F and was announced at the drafts. If you don't know it, email webmaster@southernll.org.

Coaches: Equipment Handouts

Equipment handouts for the following leagues will take place Friday, April 15, at 7:15pm at Southern's equipment shed:

• Minors softball
• Majors softball
• Juniors softball

Another announcement will follow for other leagues' handout times.

Softball Majors and Minors Schedules Now Available

We have posted the schedules for softball minor and major leagues. Look for the "Schedules" link on the right sidebar. The softball juniors schedule is coming soon. We'll post it as soon as we receive it.

Coaches: Southern East & West Practice Field Reservations Now Available

Coaches only: You can now go to the coaches page on the right sidebar and reserve the east and west practice fields at Southern. As always, please read the instructions carefully. The password is the same as last year. It starts with an F and was announced at the drafts. If you don't know it, email webmaster@southernll.org.

Umpire Training

First-Year Umpires:
All first-year umpires are required to attend a full training session before working their first game. Please attend one of the following beginning umpire training clinics at Southern on the East (Majors) field:

• Thursday, April 14, 6:00-8:00pm
• Saturday, April 16, 3:30-5:30pm

Umpires wishing to move up from Minors to Majors:
You must attend one of the following intermediate training session.
Intermediate training clinics at Southern on the East (Majors) field:

• Thursday, April 14, 4:00–5:30pm
• Thursday, April 21, 7-8:30pm

In of the event of inclement weather, we will make every effort to post it on the website.

Additional training sessions will be conducted if necessary. Questions? Contact our umpire coordinator.

Saturday is Cleanup Day!

Please plan to come out to Southern Little League on Saturday, April 16th. We'll be working to clean up our facilities and prep the fields to get Southern ready to kick off the season. We need volunteers of all ages! The day will begin at 9:00am, and we expect to be done by noon. All help is greatly appreciated. Bring an extra rake if you have one. Also, please note that if we need to cancel due to the weather, we will post it on the website. So come out and pitch in!

(Our apologies to those of you who had heard conflicting announcements about the date of cleanup day.)

2011 Juniors Softball Rosters

These are the team rosters for the Juniors Softball League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. Click here to open this document on its own for downloading or printing.

2011 Majors Softball Rosters

These are the team rosters for the Majors Softball League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. Click here to open this document on its own for downloading or printing.

2011 Minors Softball Rosters

These are the team rosters for the Minors Softball League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. Click here to open this document on its own for downloading or printing.

Coaches: Practice Field Reservations Now Available

Coaches only: You can now go to the coaches page on the right sidebar and reserve practice fields at Breton Downs and Lakeside elementary schools . We also have reservations available for the two batting cages at Southern. As always, please read the instructions carefully. The password is the same as last year. It starts with an F and was announced at the drafts. If you don't know it, email webmaster@southernll.org.

Calling All Umpires!

All Umpires:
Don’t forget to sign up to receive emails as an “insider.” Future umpire announcements will not be broadcast to everyone, just to that "insiders" email list. Click here to sign up for that.

Returning Umpires:
All umpires who plan to umpire this year must send an email to: umpires@southernll.org stating you wish to umpire this season. Please include:

• your name
• your cell or home phone number
• number of years as an umpire
• highest level umpired at Southern
• your current grade in school
• your current baseball level (school and little league)

Questions? Contact our umpire coordinator.

Majors Baseball Coaches: Equipment Handouts

Equipment handouts for Majors baseball will take place Tuesday, April 11, at Southern's equipment shed at 6:45pm.

Coaches: Equipment Handouts

Equipment handouts for the following leagues will take place Monday, April 11, at Southern's equipment shed:

• 78ers baseball: 6:30pm
• Minors baseball: 7:00pm

Another announcement will follow for other leagues' handout times.

2011 Minors Baseball Rosters

These are the team rosters for the Minors Baseball League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. Click here to open this document on its own for downloading or printing.

2011 78ers Baseball Rosters

These are the team rosters for the 78ers (coach pitch) Baseball League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. Click here to open this document on its own for downloading or printing.

78ers Baseball Coaches: Rosters are available

78ers baseball coaches: The rosters are now available on the coaches page. For now, these rosters are password-protected and not yet available to all the general public. We'll be publishing the final rosters for all players and families to see later this week.

2011 Juniors Baseball Rosters

These are the team rosters for the Juniors Baseball League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. Click here to open this document on its own for downloading or printing.
>

2011 Majors Baseball Rosters

These are the team rosters for the Majors Baseball League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. Click here to open this document on its own for downloading or printing.

Minors Baseball Coaches: Rosters are available

Minors baseball coaches: The rosters are now available on the coaches page. For now, these rosters are password-protected and not yet available to all the general public. We'll be publishing the final rosters for all players and families to see later this week.

Majors Baseball Coaches: Rosters are available

Majors baseball coaches: The rosters are now available on the coaches page. For now, these rosters are password-protected and not yet available to all the general public. We'll be publishing the final rosters for all players and families to see later this week.

Coaches: Equipment Checklist

The following items are provided by Southern Little League and will be handed out prior to the season. Dates to follow.

This list does not include shirts and jerseys that are provided as well.

Other than T-shirts, all equipment must be returned at the end of the season.

Equipment Checklist
Each coach should receive the following:

7/8er Team

• 5 Batting Helmets
• Catchers Equipment
• Catchers Mask w/ Throat Guard
• Chest Protector
• Shin Guards
• Baseball Bat
• Practice Balls - Soft/Flex Balls

Minor Team

• 5 Batting Helmets
• Catchers Equipment
• Catchers Mask w/ Throat Guard
• Chest Protector
• Shin Guards
• Catchers Glove
• Practice Balls
• Game Balls – 18 DLL1
• Baseball Bat - Optional
• Score Book (Small Diamond Format)

Majors Team

• 5-6 Batting Helmets
• Catchers Equipment
• Catchers Mask w/ Throat Guard
• Chest Protector
• Shin Guards
• Catchers Glove
• Practice Balls
• Game Balls – 18 DLL1
• Baseball Bat – not supplied
• Score Book (Small Diamond Format)

Junior Team

• 5-6 Batting Helmets
• Catchers Equipment
• Catchers Mask w/ Throat Guard
• Chest Protector
• Shin Guards
• Catchers Glove
• Practice Balls
• Game Balls – supplied by umpires
• Baseball Bat – not supplied
• Score Book (Big Diamond Format)

Senior Team

• 6 Batting Helmets
• Catchers Equipment – Check w/ Coach, quite often catcher will have his own
• Catchers Mask w/ Throat Guard
• Chest Protector
• Shin Guards
• Catchers Glove
• Practice Balls
• Game Balls – supplied by umpires
• Baseball Bat – not supplied
• Score Book (Big Diamond Format)

Big League Team

• 6-7 Batting Helmets
• Catchers Equipment – Check w/ Coach, quite often catcher will have his own
• Catchers Mask w/ Throat Guardo
• Chest Protector
• Shin Guards
• Catchers Glove
• Practice Balls
• Game Balls – supplied by umpires
• Baseball Bat – not supplied
• Score Book (Big Diamond Format)

Minor Softball Team

• 5 Batting Helmets
• Catchers Equipment
• Catchers Mask w/ Throat Guard
• Chest Protector
• Shin Guards
• Practice Balls – 11” Softballs
• Game Balls – 12-18 11” Softball
• Softball Bat
• Score Book (Small Diamond Format)

Major/Junior Softball Team

• 5-6 Batting Helmets
• Catchers Equipment
• Catchers Mask w/ Throat Guard
• Chest Protector
• Shin Guards
• Practice Balls – 12” Softballs
• Game Balls – 12-18 12” Softball
• Softball Bat
• Score Book (Small Diamond Format)

Verify that Your Child is Signed Up

Parents, if you're not sure if your child's registration has been processed, you can check our roster here.

Click here if you cannot see the roster above.

If you have any questions or concerns, call Mark Norton at 954-0504. Make your message only your name and clearly state your phone number twice.

Tryout Session and Umpire Meeting Reminder

A reminder that the tryout session is scheduled for Saturday, March 26, at the East Grand Rapids High School gymnasium. Only certain players need to attend, so please take the time to read through the information about tryout day to determine if and when your child needs to be there. Click here to read all the details.

Softball players will not be having a tryout session. They can expect to be contacted by coaches once the rosters are finalized.

Also, a change in policy from previous years: If your child is 10 years old and wishes to try out for the Major League (baseball), he or she must be present at tryouts. Otherwise, 10-year-olds will be placed in the Minor League by default. Also, all 10 year olds who are new to Southern this year should plan to come to the tryouts. 

Finally, umpires, don't forget the informational meeting immediately following the tryouts.

Important Dates for Southern Softball and Baseball

Opening Days:

• Coach Pitch, Minor, Major and Junior Baseball: April 22
• Major and Minor Softball: April 22 (tentative)
• Junior Softball: some time after Memorial Day
• Senior Baseball: May 31
• Senior Softball: mid-June (tentative)

Family Day: June 4

Team Tournaments Start Dates:

• Major Baseball and Softball: June 17
• Junior Baseball: June 17
• Junior Softball: June 24
• Senior Softball and Baseball: June 27

All-star dates will follow.

Sign-Up Extended Until March 22

The deadline to sign up has been extended through Tue-22-Mar. You can read all the details about signing up here. Hurry! Space is limited.

Sign-up Deadline is TOMORROW

Remember to sign up for softball and baseball before the deadline of March 15. Click here to read all the details about signing up.

District 9 Baseball Coaching Clinic

On Sunday, March 20, District 9 will be hosting a coaching clinic. We encourage Southern's coaches to attend. Click here to view, print or download the brochure and registration form.

Sign Up Soon!

There are only 15 days left to sign up before the fees go up. Please help us to be as organized as possible by signing up now. Senior leaguers, please sign up now. We know you have school ball first; however, please sign up now so we can plan for the season. You can find out all the details and sign up here.

Last In-Person Sign-Up Session

The final in-person sign-up session is Sat-26-Feb from 10am to 1pm at Breton Village Mall. Remember, anyone who signs up either online or in person before 11:59pm on Sat-26-Feb is eligible to win our drawing. Two lucky winners will receive a full refund for their registration fees. So why wait? You can find out all the details about signing up by clicking here.

Online Sign-up is Easy!

This year all sign-ups for Southern Little League are online. Even if you attend one of our in-person sign-up sessions at Breton Village, you'll be filling out the information online on one of the laptops we have available. Handling all the sign-ups online makes it much easier for the volunteers at Southern to organize the information for the 700 or so kids who take part in softball and baseball each summer.

Online sign-up also makes it easier for you. When you sign up online the first time, you'll create an account with a password. So next season when you sign up, you won't need to enter all that information again. Just remember your account and password. In fact, if you signed your child up for Fall Ball last August, you can already take advantage of this, since we already have all your information on file.

You can find out all the details about online sign-up and also about our one remaining in-person sign-up session by clicking here.

In-Person Sign-Up Session Tomorrow

The next in-person sign-up session is Sat-12-Feb from 10am to noon at Breton Village Mall. You can find out all the details about signing up by clicking here.

Sign Up for the 2011 Season

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Time to start thinking about Southern Little League baseball and softball.

Here's what you need to know. Please take the time to read this information thoroughly.

• Deadline: You must sign up online or in person no later than March 15. (Seniors baseball: the sign-up deadline is not until May.)
• Those who register before 11:59pm on Sat-26-Feb will be entered into a drawing for free registration fees. We will select two winners at random.
  
• Cost: $110 per player before the deadline. $125 after the deadline based on availability. This is the same cost as last year. (No player will be denied based on inability to pay. Please see our sign-up staff for details.)
  
• How to sign up: Online (click here) or at one of our in-person sign-up sessions at Breton Village Mall (click here). The cost is the same either way. You cannot sign up by mail.
• Age eligibility and divisions: Signup is for all divisions of baseball and softball. Read more here.
  
• Geographical boundary eligibility: See our official league boundaries here. You must reside within these boundaries or have played in Southern last year to be eligible.
  
• Tryouts: After signing up, players in certain situations MUST attend their player evaluation (aka "tryout") session. Click here for details.
  
• Umpiring: Anyone 13 years old or older who is reliable and passionate about baseball can earn some extra cash umpiring at Southern. Sign-ups for umpiring will be held after tryouts at 2:30 on Saturday, March 26, in the East Grand Rapids High School gym. Training will take place at a later date.
  
• Volunteering: Southern depends on volunteers for a wide variety of roles. You'll have a chance to fill out volunteer information when you sign-up. Learn more here.
  
• Important dates:
• In-person sign-up sessions: February 9, 12, and 26
  
• Sign-up deadline: Tuesday, March 15
• Player evaluation/tryout day: Saturday, March 26
• Clean-up day: Saturday, April 9, 9am (we need lots of volunteers)
• Practices begin: After March 28 (depends on coach)
• Games begin: Week of April 18
• Family day: Saturday, June 4 (volunteers needed)
• Our website: We make all our weather and schedule announcements and we keep all our schedules, results, standings and other information here on our website. Make sure to stay on top of all the latest news by signing up for automatic email updates here. It really is the simplest way to make sure you don't miss an important announcement.
  
• Questions? Call Mark Norton at 954-0504. Make your message only your name and clearly state your phone number twice.
  

More on Composite Bats

If you're following the composite bats issue at all, please read this article from Little League Online.

2011 Sign-ups Coming Soon

The volunteers at Southern Little League have begun planning another season of great baseball and softball. We expect to have the online sign-up system ready to go around February 1. We'll be making an announcement about how and when to sign up for the 2011 season on or after that date. And we make all our announcements right here on this website. So in the meantime, if you haven't already, please take a moment to sign up to get email updates here. That way you won't miss any important announcements.

Field Location: Belding Little League

View Belding Little League in a larger map

2011 Tryout Schedule

PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE NOTE

First off, keep in mind that the term "tryout" here is a bit of a misnomer. It's actually more of an evaluation to help determine the appropriate league for each child. No one is omitted from participation based on this evaluation. We use the term "tryout" regardless, so bear with us.

To determine your child's official Little League Age, use their online age calculator here. Please use ONLY this official Little League age when considering which tryout session to attend.

All of the time slots listed below are for baseball. There will not be a softball tryout session this year.

Please notice that only kids in certain situations need to come to tryouts. Read the conditions below carefully. If you find that your child does not fit into any of these situations, then there's no need to come to tryouts. Get it? If you're still not sure, you can contact the director.

Here is the schedule for tryouts:

• Date: Saturday, March 26th
• Location: East Grand Rapids High School Gym.
• Please plan to arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled time slot.
• These times are subject to change. We will announce all changes on the website and email all subscribers. Sign up for email notification here.
• 9:00am-10:00am: all 9 yr olds (baseball). No 8 yr olds will be allowed to play in the minors.
  
• 10:30am-11:30am: all 10 yr olds (baseball) who were not in the majors last year and who wish to try out for majors this year. Also, any 10 yr olds (baseball) who are new to Southern this year must attend at this time. (For 10-yr-olds who were in minors last year and want to play in minors again this year, you do not need to attend the tryout.)
  
• 12:00pm-1:00pm: all 11 and 12 yr olds (baseball) who were not in the majors last year
• 1:30pm-2:30pm: all 13 and 14 yr olds (baseball) who were not in the juniors last year
• 2:30pm-3:00pm: umpire sign-up and meeting

If you have any questions or concerns, or if you know your child will not be able to attend, please contact the director.

Sign Up In Person for the 2011 Season

You can sign up in person for the 2011 season. This is for folks who do not want to use a credit card to register online. If you'd rather pay by cash or check, come to the in-person sign-up sessions where we'll be able to accept your payment and provide you with access to a laptop so you can fill out the rest of the registration information online. There are no paper sign-ups this year.

The in-person sign-ups will take place at Breton Village Mall, not at Southern as in prior years. The sign-up table will be located near the fireplace inside the mall.

• Where: Breton Village Mall (near the fireplace)
  
• When:
• Wednesday, February 9th, 6-8pm
• Saturday, February 12th, 10am-noon
• Saturday, February 26th, 10am-1pm
• A parent or legal guardian must be present at sign-up.
• The child need not be present.
• We no longer need to see birth certificates.
• Cost is $110, payable by check, cash, or credit card.
• You cannot sign up by mail.

Sign Up Online for the 2011 Season

• Online sign-ups are still open for some leagues:
• Minors/Majors/Juniors Softball: we are no longer accepting sign-ups.
• Seniors baseball & softball: Please sign up ASAP.
• Big League Baseball: Please sign up ASAP.
• Minors/Majors/Juniors Baseball: we are still accepting sign-ups.
• The cost is $125.
• You can sign up and pay online by clicking here.
• Please note: The online sign-up is hosted by a third party (active.com). There have been reports of high volume on their site. Please keep trying. There is nothing the Southern webmaster can do about this.
  
• There is no additional fee for online sign-up. The cost is the same as in-person sign-up.
  
• We no longer need to see birth certificates.