Save the Date: 2015 Southern Little League Annual Lead-off Party

Please add the date to your calendar:
Saturday, February 7, 2015

This is our annual winter fundraiser for Southern Little League.

Food, drinks, entertainment, silent and live auction. Join us for a great evening of fun, Southern Little League style!

To make this event even more successful than last year please consider donating quality items for the auctions.

Please contact Tim Kolk (timkolk@grar.com – 616.446.7186) with any questions.

Major and Minor Fall Ball is Full and Signups are Closed

78er and Junior players are still needed. Contact Bob Hams at bhams@roofmelt.com or Ethan Rohen at erohen@rivercitymech.com to sign up for Junior or 78er Fall Baseball. Online registration is closed so you will have to contact one of them to sign up.

Last Chance to Sign Up for Fall Ball

Please sign up for Fall Ball ASAP. You can read all the details and sign up online here. The deadline is midnight TONIGHT.

Fall Ball Deadline is This Sunday

Please sign up for Fall Ball ASAP. You can read all the details and sign up online here. The deadline is Sunday, August 17.

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 Sunday, August 24, skip Sunday, August 31, for the Labor Day weekend, with the final games on Sunday, October 5. That's a total of six Sundays of play.
• 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 has been reduced to $60 this year 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.
• Interested in Fall Softball? If enough people email Wendi Moore (weemoore@comcast.net), then we will organize a fall softball season with Sunday afternoon games at Manhattan Park. Please do not sign up yet for softball, but do email her ASAP.
• 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-17-Aug.
• 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.)

One More Thank-You

OK, for all of you who think I am 40 years old, you are wrong. My old age has kicked in. There is one person I forgot to mention in my previous thank-you note: our own webmaster, Paul VanderLei. Paul, your skill and ability to design our website is second to none. What a great service you provide on behalf of all of Southern. Thank you for your time!
Joe Mead
President, Southern Little League

A Huge Thank You to All Our Volunteers

Southern, we have completed the hosting of the Seniors  and the 9-10 state tournaments. If I had a $1000 to put in the "kitty" for every compliment we received, we wouldn't have to worry about fundraising!

I would like to recognize the following people and groups:

• Jen Rowe - concessions. She and all of her teammates and the volunteers did an awesome job. "Courteous" and "friendly" were a few of the adjectives used to describe them.
• Joe Malewitz and the grounds crew. What can we say? Our fields were second to none!
• Jim Weiss and Rick Stockhill - umpires. The umpires were professional and timely as usual.
• Dave Wallet - the master griller. Dave put full days in at the grill. Quite an accomplishment with the weather. Special mention to Ethan Rohen as well.
• All of our own Southern players who donated their time for pitch counting, score keeping, and announcing. Parents please pass along our thanks to them.
• Mathew Sullivan, the announcer for the Senior tournament and the 9-10 championship game. I can't even begin to tell everyone all of the compliments we received. Thank you, Mathew!
• Bridgette Billo and Doreen Lambert for having our merchandise tent ready to go and stocked every day.
• Let's not forget our committee - Bob Hams, Tim Kolk, Jamie Billo, Bridgette Billo, Doreen Lambert, Natalie Bernecker, and Amy Stuursma. Their behind the scenes work and tireless hours made a huge contribution to the success of these tournaments. I can't thank you enough.
• Finally, to all of the Southern volunteers who I didn't mention who stepped up. Thank you again! I can guarantee you, for those visiting teams who were not familiar with Southern, they are now! 

Southern Little League does it the right way!

Note of Thanks from a Visiting 9-10 State Tournament Team

Southern President Joe Mead received this email from the coaches of one of the visiting teams in the 9-10 state tournament:

Joe, I would like to thank you, your staff, the Southern LL, and all your Volunteers, for hosting a fabulous, classy State Tournament. You folks made us all feel welcomed and made the experience for our kids and parents something they will not soon forget. On behalf of the Grosse Pointe Woods Shores LL I salute the Southern LL for doing such a tremendous job in hosting not 1 but 2 State tournaments at the same time. Kudos to you and your community for a job well done you deserve a long break.
Respectfully
Bill Babcock
Manager of the GPWS LL 9 10 District 6

This speaks volumes for the great contributions from so many folks in the Southern community. Thanks everyone for helping to host two successful tournaments simultaneously!

Note of Thanks from a Visiting Seniors State Tournament Team

Southern received these kind words of thanks from one of the visit teams in the seniors state tournament:

We were just there for the Senior Baseball tournament, we came in second. I am the president of Taylor North Central, as well as one of the coaches. I wanted to say thank you for running an awesome tournament and welcoming our group the way you did. From the concession crew, to the umpires,to the best announcer we have heard in years, the tournament was top notch. The umpiring was second to none, very fair and professional. Just thought you would like to know, thank you and we hope to see you next year. -Doug Cloutier

Congrats and thanks to all our Southern volunteers for helping put together a "top notch" tournament!

Come Watch the 9/10 State Championship Game on Wednesday Night

Wednesday night at 6pm at Southern's east field, District 9 champion and Southern rival Western Little League takes on District 14 Essexville-Hampton Little League in the 9/10 state championship game. Both teams are undefeated in pool and bracket play, so expect a great matchup. It's a great way to show your support for Southern and to help us celebrate a successful 9/10 state tournament.

Welcome District Champions

Southern Little League welcomes you to the 2014 Seniors and 9-10 State Tournaments. Please click on one of links below to go to the website for your tournament:

• Seniors Tournament Website
• 9-10 Tournament Website

Congrats District 9 Regional Big League Champs!

The District 9 Big League team won the Central Region this week. They now advance to the World Series in Easley, SC. Good luck!

Junior and Senior League Players Needed for Scorekeeping and Announcing

Southern needs you to volunteer to keep score, pitch count and announce. This is a volunteer opportunity that is a great way to use service hours and also give back to Southern Little League. We will have an in person signup SATURDAY MORNING AT 9:00 AM at the office building behind Henwood field.

 

Players please volunteer and experience a great tournament next week!!

District 9 Big League Team Advances

The District 9 Big League team won 5-1 over Illinois Wednesday and plays Michigan District 16 on Thursday night at 8:00pm at Pinery Park. Come cheer on your Southern players and cheer on D-9 at Pinery Park on Thursday night!

Parking Shuttle, Raffle Sales, and Grilling VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

In addition to volunteers at the concession stand, we also desperately need folks to sign up for a few other jobs during the state tournaments:

Parking Shuttle: We need folks to drive fans between the far parking lots and the fields.
Raffle Sales: We need volunteers to sell 50/50 raffle tickets.
Grillmasters: We need people to staff the grill.

Sign up for all these jobs here.

Thank You!

Seniors State Tournament VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

The 2014 Senior League Baseball State Tournament will be hosted at Southern starting July 24. The tournament features eight district champs from around the state and players age 15 and 16 years old. Southern will host games at 10:00am, 1:00pm, 4:00pm and 7:30pm on Thu-24-July, Fri-25-July, and Sat-26-July and at 10:00am and 1:00pm on Sun-27-July. Southern’s Seniors won the state tournament last year and are just starting district play so we are hoping they can pull it out and compete again this year.

Volunteers are needed very badly. You have seen a few blasts about volunteering for the 9/10 tournament. We have a single sign-up sheet because both tournaments are running at the same time. If you can volunteer on Thursday, July 24, in particular, please sign up for that ASAP. We need grillers and concession stand workers. We also need volunteers to sell 50/50 tickets and 21 or older adults to drive the club cart to the back of the parking lot and assist people to our fields. We'll send out more information about signing for those jobs soon.

Sign up here.

This is going to be an exciting and very fun week at Southern. Please volunteer and bring out the whole family!

Thank You!

We REALLY need your help!

A group of Southern parents and staff have been working on the planning for the State Tournament for 9 and 10 year-olds July 24-30. Southern is the host for the state tournament this year. This is a wonderful opportunity for Southern Little League that only comes around once every 16 years. This has potential of being a HUGE money maker for our program if it is run well and staffed by many volunteers.

We will have 256 nine and ten year-olds and all of their families descend upon Southern for 6 days of games. We plan to have the grill going every day with daily specials. We will need help staffing the concessions stand, selling apparel and grilling. I know your child may not be playing in this tournament, but our organization is hosting and therefore we must fill all of the volunteer spots.

Come join us, bring your kids while you volunteer to watch some good baseball and support Southern Little League.

Please click on here to sign up for one or more volunteer spots...support our organization.

Please consider forwarding this on to other families who are part of the Southern family who may be willing to volunteer for an hour or two. (Children 16 and older can volunteer as well.)

Thank you!

Southern Needs Your Help!

Southern is hosting the state tournament for the 9-10-year-olds and for Seniors in July. We desperately need your help in staffing our concession stand! The sign up system is up and running. Please make your selection now. We need to fill ALL of the volunteer spots to make this a successful event. We are asking each volunteer to commit to a 90 minute time slot in the concession stand. Click here to sign up. Thank you!

Congratulations 2014 Seniors Baseball All-Stars

Jared Allen
Brennan Burke
Scott Boeve
Tanner Hoppman
Joe Ens
Mark Primus
Bryce Henkey
Mike Clifford
EJ Sullivan
Emmett Warners
Quinton O'Connor
Jonathan Winkle
Tristan Ogdahl
Will Berglund
Ben Burroughs
Sam Ward
Manager: Rob Henkey
Coach: Matthew Sullivan

Congratulations Juniors Baseball D Tournament Champs

Coach Jamie Billo's juniors baseball team won their class D district team tournament!

Congratulations Juniors Baseball C Tournament Champs

Coach Bernie Malewitz's juniors baseball team won their class C district team tournament!

Congratulations Juniors Baseball E Tournament Champs

Coach Murray's team won the district class E tournament!

Schedule Change in Seniors Baseball Wed-2-Jul

Senior baseball for Wednesday July 2, Henkey vs. Vandenberge now at
5:30 at Southern. Kirchgessner vs. Grunewald now at 6:00 at Remington
Field. This change is being made so that Southern's Junior class C
championship game between Southern 1 and Southern 2 can be played at
Southern at 7:30.

2014 Fall Baseball Juniors Schedule

• League Director: Bob Hams
  email: bhams "at" roofmelt.com (replace "at" with @)
  
• We do not keep standings for this league, so there's no need to phone in scores.
• Home team will occupy the 3rd base dugout.
• Round robin batting in all fall ball games.
• No inning shall start after 20 minutes before the start of the next game.
• 5:00pm game shall have a 1 hour 45 minute time limit.
• Changes made to the original schedule will be announced via email and marked on the schedule with a C in the C column. Rescheduled rain-outs are denoted by an R in that column.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

2014 Fall Baseball Majors Schedule

• League Director: Bob Hams
  email: bhams "at" roofmelt.com (replace "at" with @)
  
• We do not keep standings for this league, so there's no need to phone in scores.
• Home team will occupy the 3rd base dugout.
• Round robin batting in all fall ball games.
• No inning shall start after 20 minutes before the start of the next game.
• 5:00pm game shall have a 1 hour 45 minute time limit.
• Changes made to the original schedule will be announced via email and marked on the schedule with a C in the C column. Rescheduled rain-outs are denoted by an R in that column.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

2014 Fall Baseball Minors Schedule

• League Director: Bob Hams
  email: bhams "at" roofmelt.com (replace "at" with @)
  
• We do not keep standings for this league, so there's no need to phone in scores.
• Home team will occupy the 3rd base dugout.
• Round robin batting in all fall ball games.
• No inning shall start after 20 minutes before the start of the next game.
• 5:00pm game shall have a 1 hour 45 minute time limit.
• Changes made to the original schedule will be announced via email and marked on the schedule with a C in the C column. Rescheduled rain-outs are denoted by an R in that column.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

2014 Fall Baseball Coach-Pitch Schedule

• League Director: Bob Hams
  email: bhams "at" roofmelt.com (replace "at" with @)
  
• We do not keep standings for this league, so there's no need to phone in scores.
• Home team will occupy the 3rd base dugout.
• Round robin batting in all fall ball games.
• No inning shall start after 20 minutes before the start of the next game.
• 5:00pm game shall have a 1 hour 45 minute time limit.
• Changes made to the original schedule will be announced via email and marked on the schedule with a C in the C column. Rescheduled rain-outs are denoted by an R in that column.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

Volunteers Needed for 9/10 Year Old State Tournament July 24-30

WE NEED YOU!!!!!! The sign up system is up and running. Please make your selection now. We need to fill ALL of the volunteer spots to make this a successful event. We are asking each volunteer to commit to a 90 minute time slot in the concession stand. Click here to sign up.

Congratulations to 2014 Baseball Juniors League Champions!

Congratulations to Team Law Weathers for taking the regular season championship in the Juniors Division at Southern.  Team Law Weathers was managed by Eric Lundeen, Jason Gardner and Roger Jacobsen.  They finished the regular season with a record of 13-2.  They also advanced to the championship game in Class A (top division) of the District 9 Team Tournaments, but fell short losing to Western LL.

From left to right; Front Row: Joey Diemer, Nolan Gardner, Michael Barnes, Maddox Lee, Shiloh Boosamra; Back Row: Eric Lundeen (Head Coach), Jack Tietema, Max Luke, Max Lundeen, Joe Huffman, Ethan Tipping, Peter Kratt and Jason Gardner(Asst. Coach);  not shown: Josh Jacobsen and Roger Jacobsen (Asst. Coach).

6 Passenger Golf Cart Needed for State Tournaments

Does anyone have a contact with a 6 passenger golf cart who would be willing to donate its use for the state tournaments? We would like to use it July 24-30 to transport people from the back parking lots to the fields. If you or anyone has one and is willing to donate it for the week please contact Bob at bhams@roofmelt.com. We can offer an ad in the tournament program as compensation.

Thank You
Tournament Committee

Please Sign Up for Concession Stand at the State Tournament

As we prepare for the state tournaments, we need folks to volunteer for a variety of tasks. You can always find a list of volunteer opportunities on the right sidebar of southernLL.org. The first opportunity we have is for volunteers at the concession stand. You can sign up for that by clicking here. Please sign up as soon as you can. It makes everyone's job that much easier. Thank you!

Southern Hosting State Tournaments

Hello Southern Families,

Starting July 24 and running through July 30, Southern Little League will be hosting the 9-10-Year-Old and Senior League state baseball tournaments. This is a huge honor as Southern was chosen out of the 28 leagues in District 9, and District 9 only hosts these tournaments once every 16 years. This will be a great experience for the teams participating and for the volunteers running the tournament. There are a total of 24 teams coming to Southern Little League to participate in these tournaments, and the committee has planned for an exciting opening ceremony on July 25 at 6:00pm as well as a Family Day atmosphere throughout the tournaments. Also look for souvenirs and pins at the souvenir tent. As you can imagine we will need many volunteers to make this a really special tournament for all of the teams participating.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Very soon you will see an announcement requesting tournament volunteers. Whether it is for the concession stand, the souvenir tent, or the outside food sales, we need your help! Doreen Lambert is the head of the volunteer committee. Please sign up as soon as you see the announcement come out so it makes Doreen’s job easier. You will also see a separate announcement requesting grilling volunteers, and Nick Stadel would appreciate your prompt response in signing up for that. In most cases we are asking for 1.5 hour shifts and sometimes 2 hours. Please volunteer and show the rest of the state why Southern Little League is so great!

Thank You,

Joe Mead
President Southern Little League

Congratulations 2014 Baseball Majors West All-Stars

Manager: Tim Sullivan
Coach: Pat Batka
Coach: Jim Weiss
Mica Baermann
Keegan Batka
Myles Beal
Matt Moore
Kelly Murray
Askar Olsson
Aidan O'Connor
John Shelton
Ryan Sullivan
Ethan VanderBoegh
Henry VanderZyden
Henry Wassink
Josh Weiss

Congratulations 2014 Baseball Majors East All-Stars

Manager: Scott Bernecker
Coach: Joel Passinault
Coach: Steve Southerington
Billy Bernecker
Jerry Crampton
Trinidad Chambliss
Aidan Callahan
Alex DeBoer
John Holmes
Aidan McCahill
Jack Mundell
Jake Passinault
Robbie Stuursma
Daniel Southerington
Kyle Tepper
Ben Whiteside

Congratulations 2014 Baseball 11-Year-Old All-Stars

Manager: Chris Lee
Coach: Tim Kolk
Luke Aardems
Jordan Bergsma
Trent Elzinga
Luke Fynewever-Muyskens
Aidan Gardner
Kyle Kirk
Alex Kolk
Gabriel Laughlin
Declan Lee
Nathan Milanowski
Jake Myers
Brady Plachecki
Dominic Vicari

Congratulations 2014 Baseball Minors West All-Stars

Manager: Dan Gelderloos
Coach: Jack Conway
Coach: Tom Kuzner
Aiden Stadel
Luke Gelderloos
Luke Kuzner
Luke Conway
Ben English
Tanner Warners
Gavin Bishop
Cam Brandstadt
Levi Heerema
Keegan Cox
Derek Jacobsen
Charlie Walters
Camden Seth

Congratulations 2014 Baseball Minors East All-Stars

Manager: Scott Hall
Coach: Matt Vriesenga
Coach: Mark White

Nate VanDyke
John Passinault
Hans Pruis
Adam Hall
Brendan Burns
Ian Masek
David Bernecker
Ryan Reszka
Matt Ydenberg
Nick Collins
Mitchell White
Ryan Bishop
Zach Vriesenga

Congratulations 2014 Baseball Juniors West All-Stars

Manager: Eric Lundeen
Coach: Jamie Billo
Alex Bergsma
Elliot Bergsma
Jack Billo
Ben Forstner
Nolan Gardner
Nolan Heerema
Cam Knuble
Peter Kratt
Nick Lambert
Max Lundeen
James Murray
Max Vicari
Marty Ward

Congratulations 2014 Baseball Juniors East All-Stars

Manager: Jeff Hoppman
Coach: Bernie Malewitz
Dane Addington
Mark Boeve
Henry Breems
Peter Burns
Jacob Elzinga
Noah Groen
Matt Henkey
Jake Hoppman
Joe Huffman
James Klein
Mike Malewitz
Tommy Pohlman
Jack Tietema

Congratulations to Coach Gelderloos' Minors Baseball Champions

Congratulations to coach Dan Gelderloos whose baseball minors team won the title for the second year in a row with a record of 12-1-1. The team's combined record over these past two years is 26-3-1.

All Games Canceled

Because of the weather. all games are canceled for Wednesday, June 18.

Congratulations to Coach Sullivan's Majors Baseball Champions!

Coach Sullivan's majors baseball team won the 2014 league championship with a regular season record of 14 wins on 4 losses. Good luck in the district team tournament!

All Games Canceled for Wednesday, June 11

Because of the wet conditions, all games for Wednesday, June 11, are canceled. All Southern ballfields are closed.

Schedule Change in 78ers Softball: Hildebrand

We have rescheduled a rained out game in the 78ers softball schedule:

• Team Hildebrand: On Monday, June 16, you will make up a previously rained out game at 5:30pm at Pinery Field #4.

Schedule Change in Juniors Softball: Donnelly

We have made a time change to the juniors softball schedule:

• Team Donnelly: On Wednesday, June 8, instead of 5:30pm and 7:30pm games, you will now play at 5:00pm and 7:00pm.

Big League Signup Deadline Extended to Wednesday, June 11

Please sign up for Bug League ASAP. The price goes up after Wednesday night's deadline. Click here to sign up.

Big League Signup Deadline is Tuesday, June 10

Please sign up for Bug League ASAP. The price goes up after tomorrow's deadline. Click here to sign up.

Schedule Changes in Majors Softball: Huey

We have made an addition and a change to the majors softball schedule for team Huey:

• We have added a game to your schedule on Saturday, June 14, at 2:30pm on Pinery #7 against one of the Pinery Park teams.
• On Wednesday, June 18, you will now play at 7:30pm.

Southern's 18th Annual Family Day is TODAY!

Saturday, June 7, is Family Day. 37 ball games and lots of other activities will be going on all day long, so bring the whole family - Grandma, Grandpa, aunts, and uncles.

Join us for lunch or dinner, and enjoy our expanded menu:

• Marinated sirloin steak-on-a-stick
• Teriyaki chicken kabobs
• Hamburgers, jumbo hot dogs and fresh brats from Ken's Market
• Famous sauteed onions and all your favorite condiments
  
• Corn-on-the-cob

Activities for the kids: free!

• Double water slide
• Bounce land with a slide
  

Raffle:

• Reminder: Please sell your raffle tickets and turn in the money and stubs before the deadline at 2:00pm 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 Minors and Majors Baseball All-Star Games at 7:30pm.

Weather Updates:

• Sign up to get notified by text message of any cancellations or schedule changes due to the weather. It is SO simple to sign up. Click here.

All Games Canceled for Wed-4-Jun

Because of the wet conditions, all games for Wednesday, June 4, are canceled. All Southern ballfields are closed.

Congratulations 2014 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 Saturday, June 7, at 7:30pm on the West field.

American League managed by Tom Kuzner
Coach Kuzner: John Passinault & Luke Kuzner
Coach Gelderloos: Tanner Warners & Hans Pruis
Coach Conway: Alec Koval & Luke Conway
Coach Luciani: Myatt Butler& Sam Patton
Coach Turner: Nick Collins & Liam O’Malley
Coach Force: Ryan Bishop & Jackson Force
Coach McIntyre: Noah Bilyeu & Danny McIntyre

National League managed by Scott Hall
Coach Burns: Brendan Burns & Cam Brandstadt
Coach Hall: Gavin Bishop & Adam Hall
Coach Billo: Cole Knuble & Mitchell Stuursma
Coach Westerbeke: Connor Jendritz & Kadin Cornell
Coach Walters: Kerry McCarthy & Matthew Ydenberg
Coach Vriesenga: Oscar Osbourne & Zach Vriesenga
Coach Tucker: Levi Heerema & David Bernecker

Congratulations 2014 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 Saturday, June 7, at 7:30pm on the East field.

American League managed by Scott Bernecker
Coach Bernecker: Billy Bernecker, Robbie Stuursma, & Jerry Crampton
Coach Mundell: Jon Shelton, Jack Mundell, & Jake Myers
Coach Stadel: Josh Weiss, Jack Sheridan, & Aidan Stadel
Coach Batka: Keegan Batka, Aidan Gardner, & Mica Baermann
Coach Southerington: Jordan Bergsma, Luke Hoekstra, & Daniel Southerington

National League managed by Tim Sullivan
Coach Sullivan: Ryan Sullivan, Ben Whiteside, & Henry Vanderzyden
Coach Passinault: Kyle Tepper, Kelly Murray, & Jacob Passinault
Coach Kolk: Matt Moore, Ethan VanderBoegh, & Oskar Olsson
Coach O'Connor: Myles Beal, Kyle Kirk, & Aidan O'Connor
Coach Lee: Henry Wassink, Aidan McCahill, & Aidan Callahan

Family Day Raffle Update

• Raffle tickets are available at the concession stand all this week fro those who want more. Email Brandan O'Driscoll at brendanodod@gmail.com with any questions.
• Turn in raffle tickets and money collected at the raffle table near the concession stand on Saturday.  Kids vying for the prize for most tickets sold need to turn those in by 2:00pm with their name written on the back.
• All other tickets must be turned in before the 7:00pm drawing on Saturday.
• PLEASE try to sell all of you tickets an support the kids!

Cancellation in Baseball Minors TODAY: Tucker vs McIntyre

The 5:00pm baseball minors game TODAY is canceled. The JC West field is underwater and unplayable. Other games at Southern are still on unless you hear otherwise.

Family Day is Saturday, June 7

Southern needs your help!

Southern needs your help on Family Day. This is one of the best days of the year at Southern Little League. This day will not be a success without the help of volunteers.

A sign up board can be found at the concession stand. We need 8 volunteers for each 90 minute time slot. If you have not done this is in the past, please make the effort to do so this year.

With your help we can make this one of the best Family Days ever!

As you know,
"It's 90% about the kids.... and the other half is about playing ball."

Volunteer for the State Tournaments

Please click on on of the links below to sign up for various tasks at the state tournaments. Yes, you can definitely sign up multiple times for a variety of tasks! We'll be adding more sign-up sheets to this list as we go along. We need to fill all these slots to make the tournament a success!

• Concession Stand
• Parking Lot Shuttle Golf Cart Driver
• 50/50 Raffle Ticket Sales
• Grill

Questions? Contact Doreen Lambert at emnick0001@att.net

Family Day is Saturday, June 7

Southern needs your help!

Southern needs your help on Family Day. This is one of the best days of the year at Southern Little League. This day will not be a success without the help of volunteers.

A sign up board can be found at the concession stand. We need 8 volunteers for each 90 minute time slot. If you have not done this is in the past, please make the effort to do so this year.

With your help we can make this one of the best Family Days ever!

As you know,
"It's 90% about the kids.... and the other half is about playing ball."

Scoreboards

We are happy to announce that the scoreboards in both the east and west fields are back in operation!

Please Sign Up Now for Big League

Hello Everyone,

We hope you are all having a great high school season. It is time to sign up for Big League Baseball. Southern and District 9 boast the best Big League program in the state every year and one of the best in the country. The cost is only $150 and you will play approximately 20 games including a wooden bat tournament. The season starts after your high school playoffs. We should have two teams, and Mike Horjus and Max Wozniak will be coaching as well as some other high school assistant coaches. Please pass this info on to your high school teammates so they can sign up as well. Please sign up soon so we can finalize planning. Go to southernLL.org and look for the signup link on the right sidebar. You can contact Mike Schwenneker at 616-291-6431 or Bob Hams at 616-633-5495 with any questions. Good luck in the playoffs, and we will see you soon.

Sincerely,
Mike Schwenneker
Bob Hams

Schedule Change in 78ers Baseball: DeBoer, Sova, Scofield, Ferguson

We have made a change to the 78ers baseball schedule on Saturday, May 31:

• Teams DeBoer & Sova: Instead of playing at 3:30pm, you will now play at 5:15pm.
• Teams Scofield & Ferguson: Instead of playing at 5:15pm, you will now play at 3:30pm.

Schedule Change in Seniors Baseball: Henkey, Rohen, Grunewald, VandenBerge

We have made a change to the seniors baseball schedule on Wednesday, May 28:

• Teams Henkey & Rohen: Instead of playing at 5:30pm, you will now play at 7:30pm.
• Teams Grunewald & VandenBerge: Instead of playing at 7:30pm, you will now play at 5:30pm.

Final Umpire Sign-up

The third and final umpire sign-up will be this Saturday, May 31, at 7:00am. Please have your own baseball schedule to avoid any conflicts.

All Fields are Closed

We are requesting that folks stay off the playing fields this weekend. Thanks. 

Baseball Seniors Roster and Schedule

We're all set for another exciting season of seniors baseball on the Henwood Field at Southern. You can take a look at the roster and schedule on the website. Games begin on Tuesday, May 27. Have a great season!

Schedule Change in Majors Baseball: Stadel, Sullivan, Batka, Southerington

We have made a change to the majors baseball schedule:

• Teams Stadel & Sullivan: Instead of playing on Wednesday, June 4, at 7:30pm, you will now play on Monday, June 2, at 7:30pm.
• Teams Batka & Southerington: Instead of playing on Monday, June 2, at 7:30pm, you will now play on Wednesday, June 4, at 7:30pm.

Time to Sign Up for Big League Baseball

Hello Everyone,

We hope you are all having a great high school season. It is time to sign up for Big League Baseball. Southern and District 9 boast the best Big League program in the state every year and one of the best in the country. The cost is only $150 and you will play approximately 20 games including a wooden bat tournament. The season starts after your high school playoffs. We should have two teams, and Mike Horjus and Max Wozniak will be coaching as well as some other high school assistant coaches. Please pass this info on to your high school teammates so they can sign up as well. Please sign up soon so we can finalize planning. Go to southernLL.org and look for the signup link on the right sidebar. You can contact Mike Schwenneker at 616-291-6431 or Bob Hams at 616-633-5495 with any questions. Good luck in the playoffs, and we will see you soon.

Sincerely,
Mike Schwenneker
Bob Hams

Schedule Changes in Juniors Baseball: Murray, Billo, Winkle, Hoppman

We have made a change to the juniors baseball schedule:

• Teams Murray & Billo: Instead of playing on Friday, May 30, at 6:00pm, you will now play at 5:30pm.
• Teams Winkle & Billo: Instead of playing on Saturday, June 7, at 10:45am, you will now play at 10:30am.
• Teams Murray & Hoppman: Instead of playing on Saturday, June 7, at 1:00pm, you will now play at 12:30pm.

78ers, Minors & Majors Coaches: Practice Field Slots for This Week

Coaches:
We just acquired a few more practice field slots at Lakeside School for this week. A few reminders, since you've been asking:

• You may only use the practice fields at Lakeside and Breton Downs Schools if you have signed up for one of our slots. At all other times, EGR Parks & Rec does NOT want us on those fields.
• Batting cages at Southern no longer require signup. We're assuming you can all figure out how to share them nicely in the time before your game.
• Please, and this is IMPORTANT: Do NOT telephone EGR Parks & Rec for any reason. If you have questions or issues, please contact the webmaster or Mike Schwenneker.

Sign up for those new slots on the coaches page as usual. Be kind, not greedy.

Schedule Change in Majors Softball: Huey

We have made a change to the majors softball schedule:

• Teams Huey: Instead of playing on Monday, May 19, at 6:00pm, you will now play on Tuesday, May 20, at 6:00pm.

Family Day Volunteer Signup

Family Day at Southern is on Saturday June 7, 2014.

Southern needs your help on Family Day. This is one of the best days of the year at Southern Little League. This day will not be a success without the help of volunteers.

A sign up board can be found at the concession stand. We need 8 volunteers for each 90 minute time slot. If you have not done this is in the past, please make the effort to do so this year.

With your help we can make this one of the best Family Days ever!

As you know,
"It's 90% about the kids.... and the other half is about playing ball."

From: All the kids that play at Southern

Schedule Change TOMORROW in 78ers Softball: Bolduc, Hildebrand

We have made a change to the 78ers softball schedule for tomorrow, Saturday, May 17:

• Team Bolduc: Instead of playing at 1:30pm on JC East, you will now play at 7:00pm at JC West.
• Team Hildebrand: Instead of playing at 3:30pm on JC East, you will now play at 5:30pm at JC West.

We apologize for the short notice.

CORRECTION: Softball Minors

We incorrectly announced a change to the minors softball schedule. Please disregard that last announcement. The online schedule is correct. Here is the correct information:

• Team Sprague: Instead of playing on Thursday, June 12, at 6:00pm at Pinery #7, you will now on Friday, June 13, at 6:00pm at JC West.
• Team Koetje: Instead of playing on Friday, June 13, at 6:00pm at JC West, you will now on Thursday, June 12, at 6:00pm at Pinery #7.

Seniors Baseball Signup Deadline is Sunday, May 18

Now is your last chance to sign up for Southern's Senior League Baseball. The deadline is May 18, after which you will be assessed a late fee.

PLEASE DON'T PUT THIS OFF. WE NEED YOU TO SIGN UP RIGHT AWAY SO WE CAN ARRANGE TEAMS AND COACHES.

Click here to sign up.

2014 Softball Juniors Schedule Now Available

You can view online schedules by clicking on the Schedules link on the right sidebar of the website (southernLL.org).

Schedule Change in Minors Softball: Koetje, Sprague

We have made a change to the minors softball schedule:

• Team Koetje: Instead of playing on Thursday, June 12, at 6:00pm at Pinery #7, you will now on Friday, June 13, at 6:00pm at JC West.
• Team Sprague: Instead of playing on Friday, June 13, at 6:00pm at JC West, you will now on Thursday, June 12, at 6:00pm at Pinery #7.

Schedule Change in Minors Baseball: Westerbeke, Hall, Walters Kuzner

We have made a change to the minors baseball schedule on Saturday, May 17:

• Teams Westerbeke & Hall: Instead of playing at 7:00pm, you will now play at 3:00pm.
• Teams Kuzner & Walters: Instead of playing at 3:00pm, you will now play at 7:00pm.

Schedule Changein 78ers Baseball: Stotts, VanGessel

We have made a change to the 78ers baseball schedule:

• Team Stotts: Instead of playing on Thursday, June 19, at 7:30pm, you will now on Tuesday, June 17, at 4:30pm play at 6:00pm versus Shelton.
• Team VanGessel: Instead of playing on Tuesday, June 17, at 4:30pm, you will now on Thursday, June 19, at 7:30pm versus Zimdar.

All Games on JC Fields Canceled

All games scheduled for tonight on the JC fields are canceled. Games on the East, West, and Henwood fields are still on. Stay tuned for more updates.

Schedule Change in 78ers Baseball: Doezema, Zimdar, Ferguson, Stotts

We have made a change to the 78ers baseball schedule on Thursday, May 15:

• Teams Ferguson & Stotts: Instead of playing at 7:30pm, you will now play at 6:00pm.
• Teams Doezema & Zimdar: Instead of playing at 6:00pm, you will now play at 7:30pm.

Saturday, May 10, is Picture Day

Sat-10-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.
• 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.

Please Sign Up NOW for Seniors Baseball

It is now time to sign up for Southern's Senior League Baseball. The deadline is May 18, after which you will be assessed a late fee.

PLEASE DON'T PUT THIS OFF. WE NEED YOU TO SIGN UP RIGHT AWAY SO WE CAN ARRANGE TEAMS AND COACHES.

Click here to sign up.

Next Umpire Sign-up

The second of three umpire sign-ups will be at the usual location this Saturday, May 10, at 7:00am. Please have your baseball schedule handy to avoid any conflicts.

Gene Missad Field

Here are a couple photos of the new rock commemorating Gene Missad Field.

Schedule Change in Majors Baseball: Passinault, Sullivan

We have made a change to the majors baseball schedule:

• Teams Passinault & Sullivan: Instead of playing on Tuesday, May 6, at 5:30pm, you will now play on Sunday, May 4, at 4:00pm.

Schedule Change in Majors Baseball: Bernecker, Lee

We have made a change to the majors baseball schedule:

• Teams Bernecker & Lee: Instead of playing on Monday, May 19, at 7:30pm, you will now play on Sunday, May 18, at 4:00pm.

Important Announcement

We are saddened to announce that Bob Hams has resigned his position as Southern Little League President, effective immediately.  Due to work reasons, Bob has made the decision that he no longer has the considerable time that it takes to run the best little league in the state.

We would like to thank Bob for all he has done for so many children over the last 25 plus years with his involvement with Southern Little League.  Bob is the definition of what it means to be a volunteer.  He has given our children so much over the years with his countless hours of work. It is an incredibly time-demanding and thankless job to run a league with over 700 players. Bob has done this for many, many years without being paid.  He generously gave freely of his time for the love of the game and, most importantly, to give our children the best experience possible.  He will continue to help out the league on a behind-the-scenes basis as his schedule permits.  When you see Bob at Southern this spring/summer, please thank him for all he has done.  His contributions are immeasurable.

Joe Mead will take over the presidency on an interim basis.

The season is off to a good start and we look forward to another great year.  Please follow Bob’s lead and volunteer your time at Southern when you can.

Thanks,
The Board of Southern Little League

All Games Canceled Tonight

due to the weather. 

Schedule Change in Baseball Minors: Force, Burns, Hall, Walters

We have made a change to the minors baseball schedule on Monday, May 19:

• Teams Force & Burns: Instead of playing at 4:30pm, you will now play at 7:30pm.
• Teams Hall & Walters: Instead of playing at 7:30pm, you will now play at 4:30pm.

Schedule Change in 78ers Baseball: Ferguson, Doezema

We have made a change to the 78ers baseball schedule:

• Team Ferguson: On Thursday, May 6, you will now play at 6:00pm.
• Team Doezema: On Thursday, May 6, you will now play at 4:30pm.

All Games Canceled

All games scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, are canceled due to the weather.

CORRECTION: Schedule Correction in 78ers Softball: Hildebrand

This is a correction to a mistake in a previous announcement. The previous announcement said May28, when it should have said April 28.

We have made field-only correction to the 78ers softball schedule:

• Teams Hildebrand: On Monday, April 28, you will now play on the JC East field.

Schedule Change in Baseball Minors: Westerbeke, Gelderloos, Billo, Conway

We have made a change to the minors baseball schedule on Saturday, May 10:

• Teams Conway & Billo: Instead of playing at 5:15pm, you will now play at 10:15am.
• Teams Westerbeke & Gelderloos: Instead of playing at 10:15am, you will now play at 5:15pm.

Reminder: Grill at Southern

Beginning in 2014, the "Grille at Southern Little League" will be run by volunteers. Using volunteers instead of paid grounds crew helps us keep the money where it belongs, on the field.

We are asking that one person from each team volunteer for one hour at the grill. This is only for Saturdays. So any Saturday that your team has a game, we ask that you provide at least one volunteer to help tend the grill. Your volunteer time does NOT have to be during your child's game time, you are welcome to volunteer for any time slot that is available. We welcome parents, grandparents, and other supporters to sign up for a shift at the grill. Adults over 18 only, please.

The grill will already be set up and ready to go, so all you have to do is make sure there are enough dogs, burgers, and onions available for people that are buying them. It's a lot of fun, and a great way to meet other Southern families and to show your support for Southern.

Click here to sign up

If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach Nick Stadel at 616-350-7629, or by email at stadel3@yahoo.com

Please Sign Up NOW for Seniors Baseball

It is now time to sign up for Southern's Senior League Baseball. The deadline is May 18, ager which you will be assessed a late fee.

We look forward to all of you signing up for the Senior League which has a rich tradition of competitive baseball with a great sense of community. Under the direction of Jim Henwood, Southern’s Seniors program is second to none. The season starts after the Memorial Day weekend. Please sign up as soon as possible so we have time to organize teams and contact everyone.

Click here to sign up.

ANOTHER CORRECTION: Schedule Change in Baseball Minors: Conway, Burns, Turner, Hall

This is a correction to a correction to a mistake in a previous announcement. Please disregard the previous correction to the previous mistake! We had the fields wrong in the correction. Sorry for the inconvenience!
We have made yet another change to the minors baseball schedule on Saturday, May 3:

• Teams Conway & Burns: Instead of playing at 8:30am on the West field, you will now play at 6:30pm on the East field.
• Teams Turner & Hall: Instead of playing at 6:30pm on the East field, you will now play at 8:30am on the West field.

Schedule Correction in 78ers Softball: Hildebrand

We have made field-only correction to the 78ers softball schedule:

• Teams Hildebrand: On Monday, May 28, you will now play on the JC East field.

CORRECTION: Schedule Change in Baseball Minors: Conway, Burns, Turner, Hall

This is a correction to a mistake in a previous announcement. Please disregard the previous announcement.
We have made a change to the minors baseball schedule on Saturday, May 3:

• Teams Conway & Burns: Instead of playing at 8:30am, you will now play at 6:30pm.
• Teams Turner & Hall: Instead of playing at 6:30pm, you will now play at 8:30am.

Schedule Change in Baseball Minors: Conway, Burns, Turner, Hall

We have made a change to the minors baseball schedule on Saturday, May 3:

• Teams Conway & Burns: Instead of playing at 6:30pm, you will now play at 8:30am.
• Teams Turner & Hall: Instead of playing at 8:30am, you will now play at 6:30pm.

Erroneous Email

You recently received an erroneous message from Southern entitled "Sunday Practice Time Availability". This was a mistake on our part. Please ignore that. Our apologies for the inconvenience!

Coaches: Lakeside Practice Fields Available for Signup

(This post is being emailed to "Insiders Only". If you didn't get an email about this post, then you're not signed up for the "Insiders Only" mailing list. Click on the Coaches page on the right sidebar to get signed up!)

Coaches: You can now sign up to reserve practice fields at Lakeside School. Thanks for your patience as we had to work this out with a new person at EGR Parks & Rec. Click the Coaches link on the right sidebar to make your reservations.

2014 Softball Schedules (78ers, Minors, Majors) Now Available

You can view online schedules by clicking on the Schedules link on the right sidebar of the website (southernLL.org). Schedules for other leagues will be published and announced as soon as they are available. Stay tuned.

Umpire Sign-Up Dates

Umpire sign-up dates have now been scheduled for this upcoming season.  Any NEW umpire who completed a training session this past weekend and any RETURNING umpire who umpired minors or majors games last season can sign up for games starting this Saturday, April 26, at 7:00am.  Please line up along the baseball office located behind Henwood Field and have your baseball or work schedule handy to avoid any conflicts.  Future sign-up dates will be May 10 and May 31 and take place at the same time and location.

Saturday is Cleanup Day

Please plan to come out to Southern Little League on Saturday, April 19th. We'll be working to clean up our facilities and prep the fields to get Southern ready to kick off the season. We need tons of volunteers of all ages! The day will begin at 9:00am, and we expect to be done by 2:00pm. All help is greatly appreciated. Please bring an extra rake if you have one. We'll also be painting all the buildings, and we will provide all the paint brushes, rollers, and pans. 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!

Schedule Corrections in 78ers Baseball: Koster, Zimdar, Sova, Millman, Fox, VanGessel

We have made field-only corrections to the 78ers baseball schedule:

• Teams Koster & Zimdar: On Saturday, May 17, you will now play on the West field.
• Teams Sova, Millman, Fox & VanGessel: On Thursday, May 29, you will now play on the West field.

Schedule Change in Baseball Minors: Gelderloos, Tucker, Vriesenga, Walters

We have made a change to the minors baseball schedule on Saturday, May 3:

• Teams Gelderloos & Tucker: Instead of playing at 12:30pm, you will now play at 4:30pm.
• Teams Vriesenga & Walters: Instead of playing at 4:30pm, you will now play at 12:30pm.

All Practices Canceled Today

All practices at Southern are canceled for Tuesday, April 15, because of the snow! Merry Christmas in April!

Picture Day is Saturday, May 10

Sat-10-May is picture day. Please mark your calendars!

2014 Baseball Schedules Now Available

You can view online schedules by clicking on the Schedules link on the right sidebar of the website (southernLL.org). Schedules for other leagues will be published and announced as soon as they are available. Stay tuned.

2014 Softball Rosters Now Available

Softball players from 78ers (coach pitch), Minors, Majors, and Juniors have been assigned to their teams for the summer season. You can view those by clicking on the Rosters link on the right sidebar of the website. Or you can just click here. Coaches should contact players soon. If you have not heard from your coach by Friday, feel free to call your coach with the contact information listed on the roster.

Southern Little League Night at MC Sports

MC Sports is offering a “Southern Little League Night” this Thursday from 6-9pm at the 28th Street store. Get 20% off and help fund Southern Little League at the same time. Please print and fill out this PDF to get your discount.

New Umpire Training Session Dates and Times

All new 13-15 year old umpires must attend ONE of two scheduled training sessions before umpiring any minor league games this upcoming season at Southern. Any returning umpire is welcome as well but is not required to attend a session.

The first session is scheduled for this Saturday, April 19, at 8:30 am. The second session is scheduled for this Easter Sunday, April 20, at 6:00 pm. Each of these sessions will go on rain or shine, last 90 minutes or less, and be conducted by Southern's umpire director, Jim Weiss. Plan on meeting Jim at the equipment shed/maintenance building which is located in the rear of Southern's complex and behind the minors and majors fields.

Call Jim at 520-1306 for any additional questions or information regarding these sessions.

2014 Baseball Rosters Now Available

Baseball players from 78ers (coach pitch), Minors, Majors, and Juniors have been assigned to their teams for the summer season. You can view those by clicking on the Rosters link on the right sidebar of the website. Or you can just click here. Coaches should have called players by now. If you have not heard from your coach yet, feel free to call your coach with the contact information listed on the roster.

Coaches: Practice Field Signup is Live!

(This post is being emailed to "Insiders Only". If you didn't get an email about this post, then you're not signed up for the "Insiders Only" mailing list. Click on the Coaches page on the right sidebar to get signed up!)

Coaches: You can now sign up to reserve practice fields at Southern. We will be adding more slots for Breton Downs and Lakeside schools in the next few days. Click the Coaches link on the right sidebar to make your reservations.

This Week at Southern

Here's a handy schedule of ALL games coming up at Southern in the next week or two. This page updates continuously, so any time you're thinking about coming out to Southern to watch some great ballgames, visit this page to see which games are taking place on which fields. You can always find a link to this page on the right sidebar.

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

All Southern Fields are Closed

Please keep off all the fields at Southern until further notice. Using them now will damage them too much. Thanks for understanding. 

Tryouts are Saturday, March 29

This coming Saturday is tryout day at East GR High School Gym. Not every child needs to attend. Please take the time to read all the details here. If parents are fully informed, it really makes a huge difference in how smoothly this busy day runs.

Still a Few Open Spots!

Thanks to the hundreds of folks who have already signed up for this season. For those who let the deadline slip past, we still have some openings:

Softball

• Coach Pitch – 3 spots open
• Minors – 6 spots open
• Majors – full
• Juniors - open
• Seniors – open

The deadline for these softball open spots is April 2. Please sign up right away to claim a spot.

Baseball

• Coach Pitch – 12 spots open
• 9 thru 12 (Minors/Majors) – 4 spots open
• Juniors – full
• Seniors – open

9 thru 12 must be signed up by Thursday, March 27, so we can hold tryouts and drafts. Coach pitch please sign up by April 2nd.

Click here to read all the info and to get signed up.

Calling All New Umpires!

If you are passionate about the game of baseball and turn the age of 13 by April 30, 2014, then you are invited to a meeting at East Grand Rapids High School's gym on Saturday, March 29, at approximately 1:30pm -- and immediately following the juniors' tryout/evaluation. This meeting will last about a half-hour or so and will give you the opportunity to learn more about how to become a new umpire at Southern Little League for the upcoming season. Jim Weiss, Southern's umpire director, will host this meeting and address several topics including training dates, sign-up dates, pay scale, etc. This is an excellent opportunity for you to earn some money this spring, take on the responsibility of running a baseball game, interact with players and coaches, and enhance your future college application or job resume by becoming an umpire.

Concussion Awareness Certification Reminder

As a reminder, all coaches and assistant coaches MUST complete the concussion awareness certification training before they will be allowed to coach this season. Please click here for details on how to get certified.

2014 Tournament Dates

This note is for coaches:

Here are the important tournament dates for 2014.


You can download this spreadsheet as a PDF here.

Concussion Awareness Training

This note is for all coaches and assistant coaches at Southern:

The state of Michigan has mandated that all coaches and assistant coaches be certified for concussion awareness. It's a simple 25-minute video you can watch online. When you finish, you send us your certificate, and that's it. It's easy, but it is mandatory.

Please understand that you will not be allowed to coach at all until you have completed this certification.

Click here to see the details and start your training.

Sign Up for the 2014 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: The deadline for all levels of softball and baseball is now past EXCEPT for baseball big league. Those divisions are now closed. Signup is still open for baseball big league only.
• Cost: $150 ($100 for softball) per player before the deadline. $175 after the deadline based on availability. (No late fee for softball. 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. Your child must reside or attend school 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 29, 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: March 3, 10, and 15
  
• Sign-up deadline: Friday, March 21
• Player evaluation/tryout day: Saturday, March 29
• Clean-up day: Saturday, April 19
• Practices begin: April 14 or later (depends on coach)
• Games begin: April 25
• Family day: Saturday, June 7 (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. You can also follow all our announcements by liking us on Facebook here.
  
• Questions? Call Mark Norton at 954-0504. Make your message only your name and clearly state your phone number twice.
  

2014 Baseball Majors Schedule

• League Director: Jamie Billo
  email: jamiebillo "at" hotmail.com (replace "at" with @)
  phone: 617-0616
  
• Please remember to sign up for email updates. That way you won't miss any schedule changes or weather updates.
• Home team will occupy the 3rd base dugout.
• If you see a discrepancy in the scores or missing scores, please contact your coach, NOT the webmaster. Games without a score in this schedule will not be included in the standings.
• Changes made after April 14 to the original schedule will be announced via email and marked on the schedule with a C in the C column. Rescheduled rain-outs are denoted by an R in that column.
• Family Day is Sat-7-Jun. A coin flip will determine home field that day. Family Day games will not count in the standings.
• Due to lack of field space, no rained out games will be made up unless one team has an unusual number of rainouts.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

2014 Baseball Juniors Schedule

• League Director: Rob Henkey
  email: rob "at" metaltechbuildings.com (replace "at" with @)
  phone: 293-1607
  
• Please remember to sign up for email updates. That way you won't miss any schedule changes or weather updates.
• Home team will occupy the 3rd base dugout.
• If you see a discrepancy in the scores or missing scores, please contact your coach, NOT the webmaster. Games without a score in this schedule will not be included in the standings.
• Changes made after April 14 to the original schedule will be announced via email and marked on the schedule with a C in the C column. Rescheduled rain-outs are denoted by an R in that column.
• Family Day is Sat-7-Jun. A coin flip will determine home field that day. Family Day games will not count in the standings.
• Team tournament begins Sat-29-Jun.
• Due to lack of field space, no rained out games will be made up unless one team has an unusual number of rainouts.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

2014 Baseball Minors Schedule

• League Director: Ethan Rohen
  email: ethanrohen "at" att.net (replace "at" with @)
  phone: 318-4647
  
• Please remember to sign up for email updates. That way you won't miss any schedule changes or weather updates.
• Home team will occupy the 3rd base dugout.
• If you see a discrepancy in the scores or missing scores, please contact your coach, NOT the webmaster. Games without a score in this schedule will not be included in the standings.
• Changes made after April 14 to the original schedule will be announced via email and marked on the schedule with a C in the C column. Rescheduled rain-outs are denoted by an R in that column.
• Family Day is Sat-7-Jun. A coin flip will determine home field that day. Family Day games will not count in the standings.
• Due to lack of field space, no rained out games will be made up unless one team has an unusual number of rainouts.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

2015 Standings

If you know of any errors, please email the webmaster. Links without highlighting are not available yet. Stay tuned.

• Baseball Minors
• Baseball Majors
• Baseball Juniors
• Baseball Seniors

No standings are kept for the following leagues:

• Baseball 78ers
• Baseball Big League

• Softball 78ers
• Softball Minors
• Softball Majors
• Softball Juniors
• Softball Seniors

2014 Baseball Seniors Standings

• These standings are up to date to include all the scores that have been phoned in and appear on the schedule page. If you see a discrepancy in the standings, first check the schedule page to see if scores are missing. If scores are missing on the schedule page, contact your coach, NOT the webmaster.
• Click here to view the standings on their own page.
• Click here to download these standings as a PDF you can print.

2014 Baseball Juniors Standings

• These standings are up to date to include all the scores that have been phoned in and appear on the schedule page. If you see a discrepancy in the standings, first check the schedule page to see if scores are missing. If scores are missing on the schedule page, contact your coach, NOT the webmaster.
• Click here to view the standings on their own page.
• Click here to download these standings as a PDF you can print.

2014 Baseball Majors Standings

• These standings are up to date to include all the scores that have been phoned in and appear on the schedule page. If you see a discrepancy in the standings, first check the schedule page to see if scores are missing. If scores are missing on the schedule page, contact your coach, NOT the webmaster.
• Click here to view the standings on their own page.
• Click here to download these standings as a PDF you can print.

2014 Baseball Minors Standings

• These standings are up to date to include all the scores that have been phoned in and appear on the schedule page. If you see a discrepancy in the standings, first check the schedule page to see if scores are missing. If scores are missing on the schedule page, contact your coach, NOT the webmaster.
• Click here to view the standings on their own page.
• Click here to download these standings as a PDF you can print.

2014 Baseball 78ers Schedule

• League Director: Eric O'Connor
  email: eoconnor64 "at" gmail.com (replace "at" with @)
  phone: 292-2388
  
• Please remember to sign up for email updates. That way you won't miss any schedule changes or weather updates.
• Home team will occupy the 3rd base dugout.
• We do not record final scores or keep standings in this league.
• Changes made after April 14 to the original schedule will be announced via email and marked on the schedule with a C in the C column. Rescheduled rain-outs are denoted by an R in that column.
• Family Day is Sat-7-Jun.
• Due to lack of field space, no rained out games will be made up unless one team has an unusual number of rainouts.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

2014 Baseball Seniors Roster

These are the team rosters for the Baseball Senior League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. You can also download this document as a PDF or CSV (to open with Excel).

2014 Baseball Juniors Roster

These are the team rosters for the Baseball Junior League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. You can also download this document as a PDF or CSV (to open with Excel).

2014 Baseball Majors Roster

These are the team rosters for the Baseball Major League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. You can also download this document as a PDF or CSV (to open with Excel).

2014 Baseball Minors Roster

These are the team rosters for the Baseball Minors League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. You can also download this document as a PDF or CSV (to open with Excel).

2014 Baseball 78ers Roster

These are the team rosters for the Baseball 78ers League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. You can also download this document as a PDF or CSV (to open with Excel).

2014 Softball Juniors Roster

These are the team rosters for the Softball Majors League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. You can also download this document as a PDF or CSV (to open with Excel).

2014 Softball Majors Roster

These are the team rosters for the Softball Majors League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. You can also download this document as a PDF or CSV (to open with Excel).

2014 Softball Minors Roster

These are the team rosters for the Softball Minors League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. You can also download this document as a PDF or CSV (to open with Excel).

2014 Softball 78ers Roster

These are the team rosters for the Softball 78ers League. If you see any misspellings or other discrepancies, please email the webmaster. You can also download this document as a PDF or CSV (to open with Excel).

2014 Softball Juniors Schedule

• League Director: Wendi Moore
  email: weemoore "at" comcast.net (replace "at" with @)
  
• Please remember to sign up for email updates. That way you won't miss any schedule changes or weather updates.
• Directions to away fields: Download this PDF.
• We generally do NOT make weather announcements about away games. Please contact your coach for cancellation updates on away fields.
• Changes made after May 13 to the original schedule will be announced via email and marked on the schedule with a C in the C column. Rescheduled rain-outs are denoted by an R in that column.
• Family Day is Sat-7-Jun.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.