Save the Date: 2016 Southern Little League Annual Lead-off Party

Please add the date to your calendar:
Saturday, February 27, 2016

This is our annual winter (almost spring) 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.

Schedule Correction in Juniors Fall Ball

On October 11, the 3:00pm game has been corrected to feature Lee vs Kolk on the Henwood Field.

Fall Ball Schedule

Sunday, August 30

Coach Pitch:
   Rohen vs. Sanders – 1:00pm JC West
Minors:
   Moore vs. Green – 1:00pm West
   Pearl vs. Ledesma – 3:00pm West
Majors:
   Leedy vs. Meinert – 1:00pm East
   Stadel vs. Dwortz – 3:00pm East
Juniors:
   Kolk vs. Lee – 1:00pm Henwood
   Kolk vs. Moore – 3:00pm Henwood

Sunday, September 6

   no games - Labor Day weekend

Sunday, September 13

Coach Pitch:
   Rohen vs. Sanders – 1:00pm JC West
Minors:
   Green vs. Pearl – 1:00pm West
   Ledesma vs. Moore – 3:00pm West
Majors:
   Meinert vs. Stadel – 1:00pm East
   Dwortz vs. Leedy – 3:00pm East
Juniors:
   Moore vs. Kolk – 1:00pm Henwood
   Moore vs. Lee – 3:00pm Henwood

Sunday, September 20

Coach Pitch:
   Rohen vs. Sanders – 1:00pm JC West
Minors:
   Ledesma vs. Green – 1:00pm West
   Moore vs. Pearl – 3:00pm West
Majors:
   Meinert vs. Dwortz – 3:00pm East
   Leedy vs. Stadel – 1:00pm East
Juniors:
   Lee vs. Moore – 1:00pm Henwood
   Lee vs. Kolk – 3:00pm Henwood

Sunday, September 27

Coach Pitch:
   Rohen vs. Sanders – 1:00pm JC West
Minors:
   Green vs. Moore – 1:00pm West
   Ledesma vs. Pearl – 3:00pm West
Majors:
   Meinert vs. Leedy – 1:00pm East
   Dwortz vs. Stadel – 3:00pm East
Juniors:
   Kolk vs. Lee – 1:00pm Henwood
   Kolk vs. Moore – 3:00pm Henwood

Sunday, October 4

Coach Pitch:
   Rohen vs. Sanders – 1:00pm JC West
Minors:
   Pearl vs. Green – 1:00pm West
   Moore vs. Ledesma – 3:00pm West
Majors:
   Stadel vs. Meinert – 1:00pm East
   Leedy vs. Dwortz – 3:00pm East
Juniors:
   Moore vs. Kolk – 1:00pm Henwood
   Moore vs. Lee – 3:00pm Henwood

Sunday, October 11

Coach Pitch:
   Rohen vs. Sanders – 1:00pm JC West
Minors:
   Green vs. Ledesma – 1:00pm West
   Pearl vs. Moore – 3:00pm West
Majors:
   Dwortz vs. Meinert – 3:00pm East
   Stadel vs. Leedy – 1:00pm East
Juniors:
   Lee vs. Moore – 1:00pm Henwood
   Lee vs. Kolk – 3:00pm Henwood

Sunday, October 18

   reserved for makeup games

Fall Ball Schedule for Sunday, August 30

Coach Pitch – Rohen vs. Sanders – 1:00pm JC West
Minors – Moore vs. Green – 1:00pm – West
Minors – Pearl vs. Ledesma – 3:00pm – West
Majors – Leedy vs. Meinert – 1:00pm – East
Majors – Stadel vs. Dwortz – 3:00pm – East
Juniors – Kolk vs. Lee – 1:00pm – Henwood Field
Juniors – Kolk vs. Moore – 3:00pm – Henwood Field

Rosters for Fall Ball

We have finalized the teams for Fall Ball. We're still finalizing the last few team assignments, so if you don't see your child's name on the lists, don't panic. Just email us and we'll sort it out ASAP.

Click here to visit the roster page or find it any time by looking for the Rosters link on the right sidebar of the website.

Last Call to Register for Fall Ball

The deadline to register for Fall Ball is Sunday night, August 23. Please click here to register.

Please Register NOW for Fall Ball

Help our volunteers out by not putting this off to the last minute. Please click here to read the details and to sign up for Fall Ball at Southern.

In Memory of Iris Henwood

Dear Southern Little League Members Past and Present:

Iris Henwood, the wife of Jim Henwood, passed away suddenly last week. Iris was a special education teacher for many years at Lincoln School. Jim and Iris were married for nearly 57 years. For over 35 years Iris has supported Southern Little League by graciously allowing Jim to volunteer in many capacities including President of Southern Little League. Iris was a regular participant at Family Day as well as for all of the Lead Off parties and many year-end board parties. Iris was a kind and wonderful person and a friend to everyone at Southern Little League.

There will be a Memorial Service Friday, August 14, at 11:00am at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1100 Lake Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506.

               

Jim, we know how much you miss Iris and we do as well. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family as you grieve the passing of your best friend and wife of nearly 57 years, Iris Henwood.

In Loving Memory,

Your Friends at Southern Little League

2015 Fall Ball Majors Rosters

Coach Dwortz:

Ethan Rapoport
Solomon Baron
Charles Rosmarin
Ethan Leech
Landon Batka
Ethan Brandt
Caiden Sain
Tevon Vanderkodde
Zachary Reinsma
Alec Koval
Robbie Dwortz
Scott Ehrlich

Coach Leedy:

Benjamin Altruda
Liam O'Malley
Kerry Mccarthy
John Kantor
Charlie Dann
Carl Shadowens
Carson Driscoll
Luke Conway
Regan Cleves
Maxwell Raymond
Elijah Romijn
Nate VanDyke
Coleman Cristians
Corbin Devilbiss

Coach Meinert:

Owen Tully
Marcos Barrera
Kaeler Brown
Anneke Spoelma
Zeke Post
Charlie Walters
Carter Meinert
Harrison Hall
Daniel Dettwiler
Jack Peterson
Henry Peterson
Michael Talaga

Coach Stadel:

Jameson Beale
Gabriel Butler
Blake Bouwman
Arjun Taylor
Jack Lado
Lucas Jennings
Oliver Beale
Kadin Cornell
Charley Bayer
Jose Molero
Henry Norcutt
Aiden Stadel
Mark Hughes
Matthew Butler
patrick Hart

2015 Fall Ball Juniors Rosters

Coach Moore:

Michael Lomonoco
Kelly McCarthy
Luke Braselton
Maximo Barrera
Myles Beale
Maximus Tucker
Lucas Johnson
Matthew Moore
Andrew Periard
Micah Baermann
Ben Vandrager
Aaron Embrey
Ethan Vanerboegh

Coach Lee:

Shea Cavanagh
Luke Aardema
Gabriel Laughlin
Declan Lee
Luke Fynewever-Muyskens
Keegan Batka
Alex Rosmarin
Mason Gabridge
John Mundell IV
Elzie Honicutt
Aaron Houze III
Maddox Lee
Ian Walschots-Dana

Coach Kolk:

Matthew Butler
Samuel Cooper
Ben Whiteside
Luke Caswell
Alex Kolk
Marcellus Vanderkodde
Sean Murphy
Thomas Edwards
Jerry Crampton
Eli Kuiper
Jake Myers
Kyle Kirk

2015 Fall Ball Coach Pitch Rosters

Coach Rohen:

Cooper Rohen
Joe Cuncannan
Matt Deboer
Hudson Meinert
Nolan Williamson
Isaac Phelps
Ethan Holzgen
Alexander Barnes
Taylor Wisinski
William Egolf

Coach Sanders:

Cole Balon
Thomas Schuring
Collin White
Hudson Moore
Andrew Owings
Max Gaiser
Ethan Burks
Jonas Burks

2015 Fall Ball Minors Rosters

Coach Pearl:

William Pearl
Callan Royce
Jeremiah Burks
Isaiah Post
James Dantuma
Patrick O'Malley
Garrett Dill
Lincoln Fox
Carter Barnes
Connor Young
Gabriel Butler

Coach Ledesma:

Jack Ratchford
Levi Robertson
Zach Caswell
James Bremmer
Nathan Altruda
Cjarlie Laughlin
Brendan Tyrer
Bryce Balon
Harrison Hilts
Levi Bodziak
Kia Chenlo
Chase Stanley-Eldred

Coach Green:

Tobiah Worrell
Nigel Doyel
Naveen Taylor
Harris Kehr
Alexander Sager
Ben Phelps
Sawyer Bouwkamp
Joe Green
Andrew Sherman
Mark Vogel
James Ehrlich

Coach Moore:

Casey Shelton
Jonah Spoelma
Carson Stadel
Tommy Rosmarin
Jacob Rodenhouse
Charlie Seufert
George Koukios
Beckett Lee
Samuel Moore
Ethan VanderBoegh
Corbin DeVilbiss

District 9 Big League Wins Central Region Championship for Third Straight Year

In the Big League Regional Championship game at Pinery Park featuring Illinois District 20 vs. Michigan District 9 in a rematch of the winners bracket final, Michigan District 9 defeated Illinois 4-3 in what turned out to be a wild finish. Casey Horjus got the win as he tossed a perfect game thru 3 innings and allowed 3 hits in 6-2/3 innings with 11 strikeouts. District 9 went ahead 4-0 after two innings on some clutch hitting by Joel Dayton and Ben Sweedyk. Dayton continued his hot hitting with a double to right center to knock in the first two runs. Sweedyk knocked in the third run on a single to center and then Joel Dayton had his third RBI on a double to left center.

After pitching a gem the District 9 defense struggled in the 7th allowing for 3 runs to score. Jacob Sposaro came in relief with two outs and got a ground ball to short stop. The ball was bobbled and the runner was safe at first and then the runner from second advanced to third but rounded the bag too far and Christian Falicki alertly thru behind the runner. After a short run down the runner was tagged out for the final out and the dog pile began. Congratulations to the District 9 Big League All Stars and good luck in the World Series.

You can check here for updates and you can also visit the World Series link below. The games will be broadcast on Game Change and you will be able to start that from the World Series website under schedules. The District 9 All Stars will now be called Central Region and play the first game of the series at 12:30pm Tuesday, July 28.


http://bigleagueworldseries.org/

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 30, skip Sunday, September 6, for the Labor Day weekend, with the final games on Sunday, October 11. 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 will remain $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 or go to school 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 or Ethan.
• 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 JC West. 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-23-Aug.
• Bob Hams, league director (bhams@roofmelt.com) or Ethan Rohen, league director (erohen@rivercitymech.com)
• We need coaches! Please contact Ethan if you are interested in coaching. (No full teams will be allowed this year so we can achieve an even competitive balance.)

D9 Big Leaguers Advance to Regional Championship Tonight

D9 Big League defeated Illinois District 20 by a score of 3-2 last night in a classic pitchers dual. D9 Michigan will play for the championship tonight at 8:00pm at Pinery Park vs. either Michigan District 16 or Illinois District 20. Come out to Pinery Park and support D9 while watching some great baseball!!

District 9 Big Leaguers Win Again!

Monday night the District 9 Big League All-Stars defeated Ohio 9-0. They now advance to the regional winners bracket finals on Tuesday night against Illinois. The game starts at 8:00pm at Pinery Park. Keep winning D9 All-Stars!

District 9 Big Leaguers Advance

The District 9 Big League All-Stars defeated Indiana today 6-3 and now advance to face Ohio tonight at 8:00pm at Pinery Park. Come out to Pinery Oark tonight and cheer them on!

District 9 in Big League Regionals Starts Monday

The Central States Big League Regional Tournament starts Monday, July 20, with our District 9 team playing at 1:00pm at Pinery Park. All games are at Pinery Park. If District 9 wins, we play at 8:00pm Monday night. You can see the bracket below. We will continue to update you as the tournament progresses. Come out and support the District 9 All Stars including players from Southern:

Joel Dayton - EGR/Kalamazoo College
Ryan Dayton - EGR/Kalamazoo College
AJ Zawacki - EGR
Noah Salasky - EGR
Jordan Stickler - Catholic Central
Casey Horjus - EGR

9/10 East All-Stars Play Again Tonight at Southern

After a tough loss in the winners bracket to Hudsonville last night, Southern's East 9/10 All-Stars will try to keep their district championship hopes alive as they take on Georgetown-1 tonight at 6:00pm on Southern's west field. Come on out and cheer them on!

They'll keep playing every night as long as they're winning. We'll keep you posted.

Come Cheer On Your All-Stars

Southern's 9/10 East All-Stars take on Hudsonville in the District 9 winners bracket tonight at 7:30 at Southern's east field. Come on out!

9/10 Year Old All Star Finals bracket at Southern Tonight

Southern is hosting the 9/10 All-Stars finals bracket this week.

Monday features two games on the east field and two games on west field at 5:30pm and 7:30pm.

Our Southern East 9/10 All-Stars will face Western 1 tonight at 7:30pm on the east field.

The grills will be fired up and ice cream ready for desert. Bring the whole family to cheer on our Southern East 9/10 All Stars!

More All-Star Games Tonight!

Tonight at Southern:

5:30pm

     East Field: Southern East Majors All-Stars vs. Byron Center (Pool Championship)

     Henwood Field: Big League Wooden Bat – Rockford vs. Caledonia

7:30pm

     East Field: Southern East 9/10 All-Stars vs. Zeeland (Pool Championship)

     Henwood Field: Big League Wooden Bat – Southern vs. Rockford

Tonight at Pinery Park:

5:30pm

     Field #3: Southern Seniors All-Stars vs. Western (District Championship)

     (if Southern wins play again at 8:00pm)

6:30pm

     Field #2: Southern East Majors All-Stars vs. West Ottawa (Pool Championship)

Tonight at Georgetown:

6:00pm

     Field #11: Southern Juniors East All-Stars vs. Georgetown (District Winners Bracket)

Another Big Night at Southern Tonight

Can't you just about smell those burgers cooking? Come join us for an evening of great baseball.

5:30pm

     West Field: Southern 10/11 Baseball All-Stars vs. Hudsonville
     East Field: Southern East Majors All-Stars vs. Byron Center
     Henwood Field: Southern East Juniors All-Stars vs. Zeeland

7:30pm

     East Field: Southern West Majors All-Stars vs. West Ottawa
     Henwood Field: Southern Seniors All-Stars vs. Hamilton

Wooden Bat Tournament Schedule

Southerns team in the Wooden Bat Tournament will be playing this Friday and Saturday at Southern:

Friday, July 10, at Southern:

7:30pm Rockford V vs Southern

Saturday, July 11, at Southern:

10:00am Holland vs Southern

3:00pm Caledonia vs Southern

Sunday, July 12, at Southern:

2:00pm & 4:30pm Semifinals

7:00pm Championship

More Tournament Action Tonight at Southern

We'll fire up the grill. You know the drill!

5:30pm

     West Field: Southern East 9/10 All-Stars vs. Byron Center #2

     East Field: Southern East Majors All-Stars vs. Algoma

6:00pm

     Henwood Field: Southern Seniors All-Stars vs. Sparta

7:30pm

     West Field: Southern West 9/10 All-Stars vs. Rockford #1

     East Field: Southern 10/11 All-Stars vs. Caledonia

Southern's East Juniors All-Stars are in the final four of their district tournament starting Thursday, July 9.

Southern's West Majors All-Stars have a bye in their district tournament tonight.

More All-Star Action Tonight at Southern

We'll have the grills going again, so bring the family and cheer on Southern's all-stars!

Tonight at Southern

5:30pm

     Henwood Field: Southern's Seniors Baseball All-Stars vs. Grandville

     East Field: Southern's Majors East Baseball All-Stars vs. Algoma/Allendale

7:30pm

     East Field: Southern's 9/10 West Baseball All-Stars vs. Hudsonville

On the Road

5:30pm: Southern's 10/11 Baseball All-Stars at Hudsonville

6:00pm: Southern's 9/10 East Baseball All-Stars at Zeeland

6:00pm: Southern's Majors West Baseball All-Stars at West Ottawa

Congratulations Juniors Baseball Class D District Champs!

Congrats to the Bradley Company team in Juniors Baseball coached by John Mundell for winning the class D district team tournament!

Coach: John Mundell

Max Berrera

Luke Braselton

Alex DeBoer

Aaron Embrey

Clay Fee

Matt Moore

Jack Mundell

Oskar Olsson

Jack Schultze

Max Tucker

Henry Vanderzyden

Nate Vermeulen

Jake Vruggink

All-Star Action Tonight at Southern

Lots of All-Star action at Southern tonight, Monday, July 6.

We'll have the grills fired up, so bring the whole family and enjoy a summer night of great baseball. Help cheer our Southern teams on to victory!

Tonight at Southern

5:30pm
     East Field: Southern East Majors All-Stars
     West Field: Southern East 9/10 All-Stars
     Henwood Field: Southern Seniors All-Stars

7:30pm
     East Field: Southern West Majors All-Stars
     West Field: Southern 11-year-olds All-Stars
     Henwood Field: Southern Big League All-Stars

Tonight's Away Games

5:30pm at Georgetown: Southern West Juniors All-Stars

6:00pm at Pinery Park:  Southern East Juniors All-Stars

6:00pm at Sparta: Southern 9/10 West All-Stars

Congratulations Juniors Baseball Class A District Champs!

Congrats to the Mill Steel team in Juniors Baseball coached by Jamie Billo for winning the class A district team tournament!

Billy Bernecker
Jack Billo
Nicholas Fabrizio
Robert Janzen
Cam Knuble
Nicholas Lambert
Daniel Southerington
Jordan Stewart
Carson VanderLugt
Jack Vogel
Henry Wassink
Jack Zwiers

Congratulations Juniors Baseball Class F District Champs!

Congrats to the Hungry Howie's team in Juniors Baseball coached by Jim Passinault for winning the class F district team tournament!

Back (l-r): Manager Jim Passinault, Elijah Ooms, Max Klein, Daniel Johnson, Joe Collins, Ryan Smith, Tim Lambert, Coach Phil de Haan
Front (l-r): Myles Beale, Luke Passinault, Nick Hollern, Jake Fouch, Cyrie Cross, Isaiah Ramirez, Lee de Haan

Congratulations Juniors Baseball Class D District Champs!

Congrats to the Shoe Carnival team in Juniors Baseball coached by Jim Weiss for winning the class D district team tournament!

Banks Boender
Kole Butterer
Luke Elzinga
Elijah Heerema
David Jennings
Benton Kuzee-Essex
Aidan McCahill
Keegan McCalmont
Andrew McCulloch
Robbie Stuursma
Joshua Verstraete
Joshua Weiss
Hunter West

Congratulations Seniors Baseball Class D District Champs!

Congrats to coach Hoppman's team in Seniors Baseball for winning the class D district team tournament!

Alex Adams
Jacob Elzinga
Ben Forstner
Douglas Gale
Noah Groen
Micah Hoekstra
Jake Hoppman
Elliot Jung
Sam Kolk
Max Luke
Max Lundeen
Mike Malewitz
Mark Primus

Congratulations 2015 Baseball 11-Year-Old All-Stars

Manager: Jack Conway
Coach: Scott Hall
Coach: Scott Bernecker

Luke Bentley
David Bernecker
Luke Conway
Keegan Cox
Ben English
Adam Hall
Alex Koval
Luke Kuzner
Ian Masek
John Passinault
Hans Pruis
Nate VanDyke
Tanner Warners

Congratulations 2015 Baseball Seniors All-Stars

Manager: Ethan Rohen
Coach: Dave Kortz
Coach: Matthew Sullivan

Dane Addington
Brendan Baranoski
Andrew Bojas
Henry Breems
Ben Burrows
Parker Caul
Nolan Heerema
Joe Huffman
Will Kortz
Jack Liszewski
Charlie Murphy
Mark Primus
Harrison Rohen
Johnny Southwell
EJ Sullivan
Max Vicari

Congratulations 2015 Baseball Juniors West All-Stars

Manager: Jamie Billo
Coach: Pat Batka
Coach: Tim Sullivan

Tommy Pohlman
Peter Kratt
Nick Lambert
Jack Billo
Cam Knuble
Keegan Batka
Griffin Caul
Ryan Sullivan
John Shelton
Josh Jacobsen
Ryan Smith
Daniel Southerington
Tim Lambert

Congratulations 2015 Baseball Juniors East All-Stars

Manager: Jim Passinault

Coach: Rob Murray

Coach: Scott Bernecker

Zach Kirk

Riley O'Connor

Brendan Leonard

John Holmes

Billy Bernecker

Andy McCulloch

Luke Elzinga

Robbie Stuursma

Luke Passinault

Mark Boeve

Nate Trudeau

Josh Verstraete

Joe Collins

Congratulations 2015 Baseball Majors East All-Stars

Manager: Joel Passinault
Coach: Tim Kolk

Patrick Burns
Sean Murphy
Ben Whiteside
Daniel Masek
Jake Passinault
Alex Kolk
Trinidad Chambliss
Jake Myers
Jake Noordewier
Slater White
Trent Elzinga

Kyle Kirk

Nate Milanowski

Congratulations 2015 Baseball Majors West All-Stars

Manager: Nick Stadel
Coach: Chris Lee
Coach: Jason Gardner

Jerry Crampton
Dominic Vicari
Jordan Bergsma
Trevor Seth
Isiah Hicks
Declan Lee
Eli Kuiper
Ian Walschots-Dana
Brady Plachecki
Aidan Gardner
Gabe Laughlin
Aiden Stadel
Marcellus Vanderkodde

Congratulations 2015 Baseball Minors East All-Stars

Manager: Mark White
Coach: Matt Bertke
Coach: Peter Stuursma

Ryan Bishop
Cole Miller
Mitchell White
Mitchell Stuursma
Issac Hubka
Ben Passinault
Mason Keyes
Jack Bertke
Cade Boender
Nick Collins
Liam O’Malley
Preston Bergstrom
Zach Vriesenga

Congratulations 2015 Baseball Minors West All-Stars

Manager: Dan Gelderloos
Coach: Chris LaMange
Coach: Steve Seth

J.T. LaMange
Peter Heintz
Jameson Beale
Kerry McCathy
Christian Burgess
Christopher Tepper
Luke Gelderloos
Camden Seth
Roman Kortman
Cole Knuble
Danny McIntyre
Noah Bilyeu
Lucas Jennings

Congratulations, Juniors Division Champs!

Congrats to Coach Billo's team for winning the Basbeball Juniors Division! Coach Billo's team, sponsored by Mill Steel, had a record of 13 wins and 1 loss.

Congratulations, Minors Division Champs!

Congrats to Coach Gelderloos' team for winning the Basbeball Minors Division! Coach Gelderloos' team, sponsored by United Bank of Michigan, had a record of 12 wins and 1 loss.

Congratulations, Majors Division Champs!

Congrats to Coach Conway's team for winning the Basbeball Majors Division! Coach Conways team, sponsored by MC Sports, had a record of 15 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie.

Make-up Game in Softball Majors: Huey

We have made a change to the majors softball schedule:

• Team Huey: Your rained out game from June 15 has been rescheduled. You will now play that game at 7:00pm on Thursday, June 18, at Southern's JC West field. Please note the later start time.

All Games Canceled for Monday, June 15

Rain again! All games at Southern are canceled.

Weather Delay in Seniors: Hopman, Rohen

The 2pm game in Seniors Baseball has been delayed one hour due to the weather. The new start time is 3pm.

ALL OTHER GAMES ARE STILL ON AS SCHEDULED.

Make-up Game in Softball Majors: Huey

We have made a change to the majors softball schedule:

• Team Huey: Your rained out game from April 21 has been rescheduled. You will now play that game at 9:30am on Saturday, June 13, at Southern's JC West field.

Big League Roster and Schedule

The roster and schedule for Big League Baseball are now live on the website. Look for the links on the right sidebar of the website.

Make-up Game in Majors Baseball: Hall, Conway

We have rescheduled a rained out game in majors baseball to be played on Sunday, June 14, on the east field:

• Teams Hall & Conway: You will make up your previously rained out game at 3:00pm.

Make-up Games in Minors Baseball: Turner, Moore, Zimdar, Sova

We have rescheduled three rained out games in the minors baseball to be played on Sunday, June 14, on the west field:

• Teams Turner & Moore: You will make up your previously rained out game at 3:00pm.
• Teams Zimdar & Sova: You will make up your previously rained out game at 1:00pm.

Raffle Tickets For Sale Until 7pm

There's still time to buy raffle tickets right up until the final drawing at 7PM. 

Southern's 19th Annual Family Day is TODAY!

Saturday, June 6, is Family Day. 27 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:

• Two tacos and a drink
• Marinated steak-on-a-stick
• Chicken sandwich with all the fixin's
• Hamburgers, jumbo hot dogs and fresh brats from Ken's Market
• Corn-on-the-cob
• Famous sauteed onions and all your favorite condiments
• Grills stay open until 7:30pm

Activities for the kids:  free!

• Double water slide
• Bounce land

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.

Make-up Game in Softball Majors: Huey

We have made a change to the majors softball schedule:

• Team Huey: Your rained out game from April 23 has been rescheduled. You will now play that game at 6:00pm on Wednesday, June 10, at Southern's JC West field.

Schedule Change in Seniors Baseball: Henkey, Hoppman, Rohen, Bojas

We have made a change to the seniors baseball schedule:

• Teams Bojas & Henkey: Instead of playing Sunday, June 14, at 3:00pm, you will now play on Friday, June 12, at 7:30pm.
• Teams Rohen & Hopman: Instead of playing Sunday, June 14, at 5:30pm, you will now play on Sunday, June 14, at 2:00pm.

Last Day for Big League Signup

Today is the last day you can sign up for Big League baseball. Tomorrow, the late fee and wait list go into effect. Click here to sign up now.

Family Day Volunteers Still Needed!

Family Day is this coming Saturday, June 6. We need volunteers to help out at the concession stand that day. Please click here to sign up for a 90-minute slot. It's a lot of fun and a great way to meet other Southern Little League parents and friends!

If you're interested in helping out at the grill on Family Day, there's a separate sign-up for that. Click here to sign up to grill.

Congratulations Minors Baseball Family Day All-Stars!

American League: Manager Patrick O'Connor From O'Connor Team JT Lamange Peter Heintz Aidan O'Connor From Sova Team Kerry McCarthy Christian Burgess Sam Tietema From Dwortz Team Ethan Rappoport Robbie Dwortz Champ Rosemarin From Bertke Team Jack Bertke Thomas Cavanaugh Cade Boender From Moore Team Danny McIntyre Noah Bilyeu Trey Urben From Leistra Team Lucas Jennings Isaac Herford Brady Leistra

National League: Manager Brett Turner From Turner Team Nick Collins Liam O'Malley Jameson Beale From Gelderloos Team Luke Gelderloos Camden Seth Ben Passinault From Billo Team Cole Knuble Ben Billo Preston Bergstrom From Green Team Mason Keyes Phillip Blackport II Charlie Dann From Ledesma Team Zach Vriesenga Kaeler Brown Peter Cannon From Zimdar Team Ryan Padgett Christopher Tepper Walter Zimdar

Congratulations Majors Baseball Family Day All-Stars

American League: Manager Jack Conway asst. Scott Webb asst. Steve Seth From Bernecker Team Ean Banbury Jerry Crampton Dominic Vicari From Seth Team Jordan Bergsma Luke Caswell Trevor Seth From Webb Team Patrick Burns Sean Murphy Ben Whiteside From Force Team Jake Noordewier Daniel Masek Ian Masek From Conway Team Isaiah Hicks Kyle Kirk Slater White

National League: Manager Scott Hall asst. Tim Kolk   asst. Nick Stadel From Lee Team Declan Lee Eli Kuiper Ian Walschots-Dana From Passinault Team Nate Milanowski Jake Passinault Brady Plachecki From Kolk Team Trent Elzinga Aidan Gardner Alex Kolk From Stadel Team Luke Aardema Gabe Laughlin Aiden Stadel From Hall Team Trinidad Chambliss Grady Gooch Jake Myers

Please Sign Up for Family Day!

Family Day is this coming Saturday, June 6. We need volunteers to help out at the concession stand that day. Please click here to sign up for a 90-minute slot. It's a lot of fun and a great way to meet other Southern Little League parents and friends!

Umpires: June 6 Sign-up Session Canceled

There will NOT be an umpire sign up session this Saturday, June 6th. Because of rain outs and making up those games to umpires into June we will not have enough open games to warrant a full sign up session. Rather, Mr. Conway will be reaching out to Minor League umpires individually via text for single game bookings. Majors umpires can expect the same but will have more opportunities because of team tournament play coming up after the regular season.

All Games 5pm and Later Canceled

All Saturday games from 5pm onward are canceled. 

Family Day Raffle Ticket Turn-In

Team Parents and Coaches,

It's a good time to start collecting your team's raffle tickets and money! Don't wait in line on Family Day! Turn the tickets (with the money) in at the concession stand any time, or email Renee' Crampton at ne.crampton@hotmail.com to arrange a drop off. MAKE SURE THE PLAYER'S NAME is written on the back of the ticket stub so they will be eligible to win the $500 Best Buy gift card! (It is also very helpful to have the coach's name on the back too, OR team parents can put all the team raffle stubs in one envelope with the coach's name on it. This is for determining which team wins the pizza party!)

Thanks for your help, and thanks for supporting Southern Little League!

Family Day Game Schedules

The game schedules for Baseball Minors, Majors, and Juniors have been updated to indicate which teams are playing when on Family Day, Saturday, June 6. Look for the Schedules link on the right sidebar of the website.

Family Day Volunteers Needed - Sign Up Here

We need a whole lot of volunteers on Family Day, Saturday, June 6. Please click here to sign up for a 90-minute slot. It's a whole lot of fun!

all games cancelled

for friday, May 29.

Saturday Grill Volunteers Needed

We need grill volunteers this Saturday, May 30. Please click here to sign up.

Make-up Games in Minors Baseball: Gelderloos, Zimdar, Sova, Ledesma

We have rescheduled three rained out games in the minors baseball to be played on Sunday May 31:

• Teams Gelderloos & Zimdar: You will make up your previously rained out game at 3:00pm.
• Teams Sova & Ledesma: You will make up your previously rained out game at 5:00pm.

Schedule Change in Majors Baseball: Conway, Force, Webb, Stadel

We have made a change to the majors baseball schedule:

• Teams Conway & Force: Instead of playing Friday, June 5, at 7:30pm, you will now play on Tuesday, June 2, at 5:30pm.
• Teams Webb & Stadel: Instead of playing Tuesday, June 2, at 5:30pm, you will now play on Friday, June 5, at 7:30pm.

Softball Juniors Partial Schedule Available

We have published the first several games for the softball juniors schedule. Click the Schedules link on the right sidebar of the website.

Southern's 19th Annual Family Day is Saturday, June 6

Saturday, June 6, is Family Day. Dozens of 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
• Chicken sandwich
• Homemade tacos
• 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
  

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.

Make-up Games in Majors Baseball: Passinault, Kolk, Hall, Conway, Lee, Webb

We have rescheduled three rained out games in the majors baseball to be played on Sunday May 31:

• Teams Passinault & Kolk: You will make up your previously rained out game at 1:00pm.
• Teams Hall & Conway: You will make up your previously rained out game at 3:00pm.
• Teams Lee & Webb: You will make up your previously rained out game at 5:00pm.

Schedule Change in Minors Baseball: Dwortz, Leistra, Turner, Green

We have made a change to the minors baseball schedule on Saturday, June 13:

• Teams Dwortz & Leistra: Instead of playing at 1:45pm you will now play at 5:15pm.
• Teams Turner & Green: Instead of playing at 5:15pm you will now play at 1:45pm.

All Games Canceled for Tuesday, May 26

Because of the rain, all games at Southern are canceled for Tuesday, May 26.

Seniors Baseball Rosters and Schedule

The team rosters and schedules are available on the website for Seniors Baseball. Look for the Rosters and Schedules links on the right sidebar of the website.

Team Parents: Pictures are Ready

Team parents, please pick up pictures for your team from the concession stand. 

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 Bob Hams at 616-633-5495 with any questions. Good luck in the playoffs, and we will see you soon.

Sincerely,
Bob Hams

Schedule Change in Minors Softball

We have made a change to the minors softball schedule on Friday, May 29:

• Team Bolduc: Instead of playing on Monday, May 18, at 6:00pm at Kelloggsville vs. Kelloggsville, you will now play on Wednesday, May 20, at 6:00pm at Kelloggsville.

Technical Difficulties

Some folks have reported trouble reaching Southern's website recently. We have confirmed some trouble via AT&T DSL, but other ISPs are working just fine. In the meantime, you should always be able to reach our website here:

southernll.blogspot.com

Seniors Baseball Signup Deadline is May 18

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 and subject to space availability limitations.

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.

Schedule Change in Juniors Baseball: Batka, Billo, Turner, Mundell

We have made a change to the juniors baseball schedule:

• Teams Batka & Billo: Instead of playing at 7:30pm on Wednesday, May 20, you will now play at 5:30pm on Thursday, May 21.
• Teams Turner & Mundell: Instead of playing at 5:30pm on Thursday, May 21, you will now play at 7:30pm on Wednesday, May 20.

All Games at Southern are Canceled

Because of the rain, all games at Southern on Monday, May 11, have been canceled.

Next Umpire Signup

The second of three umpire sign-ups will be at the usual location this Saturday, May 16th, at 7:00am. Please have your baseball schedule handy to avoid any conflicts.

8:30a and 9:00am Games Canceled

The 8:30am and 9:00am games on the East, West, JC West, and Henwood fields have been canceled due to the rain. Picture Day is still ON as scheduled. Please come for team pictures at your scheduled time.

Picture Day is Saturday, May 9

Sat-9-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 unless otherwise announced.

Schedule Change in Majors Baseball: Hall, Conway, Kolk, Seth

We have made a change to the majors baseball schedule on Friday, May 29:

• Teams Hall & Conway: Instead of playing at 7:30pm, you will now play at 5:30pm.
• Teams Kolk & Seth: Instead of playing at 5:30pm, you will now play at 7:30pm.

Schedule Change in 78ers Baseball: Deboer, Buck, Shelton, Sanders, Rohen, Doezema

We have made the following changes to the 78ers baseball schedule on Saturday, May 9:

• Teams DeBoer & Buck: On Saturday, May 9, instead of playing at 4:00pm, you will now play this game at 9:00am.
• Teams Shelton & Sanders: On Saturday, May 9, instead of playing at 5:30pm, you will now play this game at 12:00 noon.
• Teams Rohen & Doezema: On Saturday, May 9, instead of playing at 7:00pm on the East field, you will now play this game at 10:30am on the JC West field.

Baseball at Southern is ON

The 78ers softball game at Pinery is canceled, but all games at Southern tonight are still on as scheduled. If anything changes, we will announce it ASAP. 

Grill Volunteers Needed

This is a reminder to coaches and team parents as well as to any other parents of players. We really need each team to sign up at least one person on each Saturday you have a game. We have not had a very thorough response as yet, so we're hoping with warmer weather ahead, folks will start signing up.

Click here to sign up

You can read more details here.

Schedule Change in Softball Majors: Huey

We have made a change to the majors softball schedule:

• Team Huey: Instead of playing at 6:00pm on Tuesday, May 5, you will now play at 6:00pm on Wednesday, May 6, at the Kelloggsville/44th field.

Coaches: More Practice Slots Available

COACHES ONLY:

We have added practice slots for Lakeside Elementary thru May 16. See the Coaches link on the right sidebar to sign up. Practice slots for the fields at Souther are done for the season. As for the batting cages at Southern, we no longer require signups. Instead, we assume that coaches will want to use the batting cages in the time before their scheduled games. Just work it out with other coaches.

Schedules Available for Baseball Juniors

The schedules for 2015 Baseball Juniors are now available on the website. Look for the Schedules link on the right sidebar. Schedules for other divisions will be announced as soon as they become available.

Coaches: More Practice Slots Available

COACHES ONLY:

We have added practice slots for Lakeside Elementary, the batting cages at Southern, and the Henwood Field (juniors only) at Southern. More slots will be added and announced for coming weeks. Please honor the limits! See the Coaches link on the right sidebar to sign up.

All Softball Games Canceled

All softball games scheduled for Thursday, April 23, have been canceled. 

Schedule Change in 78ers Baseball: VanGessel & Starck

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

• Teams VanGessel & Starck: Instead of playing at 7:00pm on Saturday, May 9, you will now play this game at 1:00pm on Sunday, May 31.

Schedule Change in Softball: Sarnicola & Koetje

We have made a change to the 78ers and majors softball schedules:

• Team Koetje (Majors): Instead of playing at 6:00pm on Tuesday, May 5, you will now play at 6:00pm on Monday, May 4.
• Teams Sarnicola (78ers): Instead of playing at 6:00pm on Monday, May 4, you will now play at 6:00pm on Tuesday, May 5.

Schedule Change in Minors Baseball: Lee, Bernecker, Sova, Dwortz

We have made a change to the minors baseball schedule:

• Teams Lee & Bernecker: Instead of playing at 7:30pm on Monday, May 18, you will now play at 5:30pm on Wednesday, May 20.
• Teams Sova & Dwortz: Instead of playing at 5:30pm on Wednesday, May 20, you will now play at 7:30pm on Monday, May 18.

All Softball Games Canceled Again Tonight

All softball games scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, have been canceled. 

All Softball Games Canceled

Due to the nasty weather, all softball games for Tuesday, April 21, have been canceled. 

Schedule Change in Minors Baseball: Dwortz, Moore, Leistra, Green

We have made a change to the minors baseball schedule:

• Teams Dworts & Moore: Instead of playing at 5:30pm on Friday, May 15, you will now play at 7:30pm on Wednesday, May 13.
• Teams Leistra & Green: Instead of playing at 7:30pm on Wednesday, May 13, you will now play at 5:30pm on Friday, May 15.

Schedule Change in Minors Baseball: Turner, Zimdar, Billo, Moore

We have made a change to the minors baseball schedule on Saturday, May 2:

• Teams Zimdar & Turner: Instead of playing at 7:00pm, you will now play at 9:00am.
• Teams Billo & Moore: Instead of playing at 9:00am, you will now play at 7:00pm.

Schedule Change in Majors Baseball: Lee, Stadel, Kolk, Hall

We have made a change to the majors baseball schedule:

• Teams Lee & Stadel: Instead of playing Tue-5-May at 7:30pm, you will now play Mon-4-May at 7:30pm.
• Teams Hall & Kolk: Instead of playing Mon-4-May at 7:30pm, you will now play Tue-5-May at 7:30pm.

Coaches: More Practice Slots Available

COACHES ONLY:

We have added practice slots for the east and west fields at Lakeside Elementary for Tuesday through Saturday of this week. More slots will be added and announced for coming weeks. Please don't be a hog! See the Coaches link on the right sidebar to sign up.

Coaches Meeting Location Change

The meeting for coaches and team parents scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, at 7:30pm has been moved from EGR Middle School to EGR High School cafeteria. Enter through the main entrance and go down the hall to your right to the cafeteria.

Please note: This meeting is for coaches and team parents only. By "team parent" we mean the one parent  on each team who has been designated to assist the coach with various activities. It is NOT for parents of all players.

The Grille at Southern Little League

As you probably know, Southern Little League is largely run by volunteers, so that we can keep as much of the money on the field as possible. One area that we need volunteers this year is at the "Grille At Southern". We ask that each team sign up for a 1 hour block of time at the Grille at Southern. We would like two volunteers per team each Saturday. Team parents and coaches, please ask your team to sign up for an hour block on at least one Saturday. If anyone has any questions or concerns, please contact Nick Stadel (stadel3@yahoo.com or 350-7629).

This is only for Saturdays. 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 (updated for 2017)

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

Tonight's Softball Game is Canceled

Because of the weather, tonight's softball game on the JC West field is canceled.

Schedule Change in Majors Baseball: Lee, Webb, Hall, Conway, Kolk, Seth

We have made a change to the majors baseball schedule:

• Teams Lee & Webb: Instead of playing Tue-26-May at 7:30pm, you will now play Tue-26-May at 5:30pm.
• Teams Hall & Conway: Instead of playing Wed-27-May at 5:30pm, you will now play Tue-26-May at 7:30pm.
• Teams Kolk & Seth: Instead of playing Tue-26-May at 5:30pm, you will now play Wed-27-May at 5:30pm.

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 25, 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 16 and June 6 and take place at the same time and location.

No Clean-up Day

Thanks for all your inquiries, but there will be no official clean-up day this year. 

Schedule Change in Minors Baseball: Moore, Sova, Ledesma, Leistra

We have made a change to the minors baseball schedule on Saturday, April 25:

• Teams Moore & Sova: Instead of playing at 3:00pm on the west field, you will now play at 5:00pm on the east field.
• Teams Leistra & Ledesma: Instead of playing at 5:00pm on the east field, you will now play at 3:00pm on the west field.

Schedules Available for Softball 78ers, Minors, and Majors

The schedules for 2015 Softball 78ers, Minors, and Majors are now available on the website. Look for the Schedules link on the right sidebar. Schedules for other divisions are coming soon and will be announced as soon as they become available.

Schedules Available for Baseball 78ers, Minors, and Majors

The schedules for 2015 Baseball 78ers, Minors, and Majors are now available on the website. Look for the Schedules link on the right sidebar. Schedules for other divisions are coming soon and will be announced as soon as they become available.

New Umpire Training Session Dates and Times

All new 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 18, at 8:30 am. The second session is scheduled for this Sunday, April 19, at 4:30 pm. Each of these sessions will go on rain or shine, last 90 minutes or less, and be conducted by Southern's umpire director, Jack Conway. Plan on meeting Jack at the equipment shed/maintenance building which is located in the rear of Southern's complex and behind the minors and majors fields.

Call Jack Conway at 889-9115 for any additional questions or information regarding these sessions.

Coaches ONLY: Practice Field Signup is Live

Coaches ONLY: You can now sign up to reserve practice fields at Southern. Please take the time to read the instructions thoroughly, and please honor the limits. Look for the link from the Coaches link on the right sidebar.

Softball Juniors Rosters Now Available

Softball players in the Juniors division 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 be calling players in the next day or two. If you have not heard from your coach by Friday, feel free to call your coach with the contact information listed on the roster.

Baseball and Softball Seniors will be a few weeks yet.

All other rosters have already been posted.

2015 Rosters Now Available

Baseball players from 78ers (coach pitch), Minors, Majors, and Juniors as well as softball players from 78ers (coach pitch), Minors, and Majors 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 be calling players in the next day or two. If you have not heard from your coach by Friday, feel free to call your coach with the contact information listed on the roster.

Softball Juniors rosters is coming soon.

Baseball and Softball Seniors will be a few weeks yet.

Did You Lose Items at Tryouts?

A number of items were left behind at the tryout day today at East Grand Rapids High School gym. If you are missing any items, please contact Jack Conway at jack.conway@mos-xerox.com or 616-889-9115 to see if your items were among those he found and to arrange pickup.

20% Off at MC Sports!

This Monday night, March 30, from 7-9pm, MC Sports on 28th Street is having a Southern Little League appreciation night. 20% off everything in the store for Southern players. No coupon required. Just tell them you are with Southern Little League. Family members can take advantage of the discount as well.

Tryouts are TOMORROW - Saturday, March 28

Saturday is tryout day at East GR High School Gym. Not every child needs to attend, but attendance is MANDATORY for some kids. 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.

Signup Update

Our signup deadline has passed, but we still have openings in 78er (coach pitch) baseball. Any player turning 7 at any time during 2015 is eligible to sign up for coach pitch as well as all those who will turn 8 any time during 2015. Click here to sign up. All other baseball divisions are on a waiting list so please contact the director.

Softball is open for signup for a limited time.

For Senior and Big League Divisions please wait for two weeks. We will let you know via our website when we're ready for those signups to resume.

And don't forget tryout day is this Saturday. Read more here.

Important Note about Tryouts

After lengthy and detailed discussions about how to be most fair in the entirety of the evaluation and drafting process, the following rules will apply for the tryouts and draft for Minor, Major and Junior Baseball:

It is mandatory that all players that will be entering a division or the draft be evaluated. We have three options for you.

• You must be at your assigned time on Saturday, March 28, to be evaluated.
• If you have a conflict at that time, you must contact the league director and make arrangements to be at the evaluations at a different time on Saturday March 28.
• In case of emergency or other unforeseen conflict, a parent or guardian of the player must call the league director and give a detailed evaluation over the phone to the director.

If none of these three options is completed, then the following will apply:

• If the player is 11 or under and trying out for Majors, the player will be placed in Minors automatically.
• If the player is 12 in Majors or any age in Juniors, the player will not be drafted but will be randomly placed on a team after the draft is completed.

Clarification: Southern is trying to be fair in the selection process while also giving all players every opportunity to be evaluated.

Tryouts are Saturday, March 28

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.

Signup Update

In case you missed the dozens of announcements, the March 17 signup deadline has now passed. We still have spots open in the certain divisions. You can register for these divisions at the increased signup fee of $175. But hurry. Space is limited and may close without further notice.

• All Softball Divisions: OPEN
• Baseball 78ers: OPEN
• Baseball Minors: OPEN
• Baseball Majors: OPEN
• Baseball Juniors: CLOSED (waiting list only)
• Baseball Seniors: Your deadline is not until May. If you have not registered yet, that's no problem. But we ask that you please NOT register at the $175 rate. Please wait to register until we announce the call for Seniors baseball registration in a few weeks. At that point, after all other divisions close, we will reduce the rate back to $150 and ask you to register at that time.

Signup Deadline is TODAY

The deadline for signing up is TODAY - Tuesday, March 17. Please sign up as soon as possible. Click here to read more and to sign up.

Calling All New Umpires

If you are passionate about the game of baseball and turn the age of 13 by April 30, 2015, then you are invited to a meeting at East Grand Rapids High School's gym on Saturday, March 28, at approximately 2:30pm -- 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. Jack Conway, 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.

Signup Deadline is TOMORROW

The deadline for signing up is TOMORROW - Tuesday, March 17. Please sign up as soon as possible. Click here to read more and to sign up.

Signup Deadline is TUESDAY

The deadline for signing up is Tuesday, March 17. Please sign up as soon as possible. Click here to read more and to sign up.

Please Sign Up Soon!

The deadline for signing up is March 17. Please sign up as soon as possible. Click here to read more and to sign up.

CORRECTION: Sign-up Deadline is TUESDAY, MARCH 17

Please sign up as soon as possible here.

Sign Up Deadline is TUESDAY, MARCH 17!

The signup for the 2015 season is TUESDAY, MARCH 17. Please don't wait until the last minute, as that creates headaches for our volunteers. Please click here to read all the details and to sign up online.

2015 Baseball Big League Schedule

• League Director: Bob Hams
  email: beams "at" roomful.com (replace "at" with @)
  phone: 633-5495
  
• Please remember to sign up for email updates. That way you won't miss any schedule changes or weather updates.
• 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 June 9 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.

A Message from the League President

Hello Southern Little League,

As I compose this letter the thermometer says 8 degrees. Really! Hard to believe we will have evaluations the end of March. Sign ups are now open on our website. Be on the look out for emails as we get closer to opening day.

The main purpose of this letter is to inform you of a change that Little League International has implemented effective this year.

LITTLE LEAGUE PLAYER AGE REQUIREMENTS
CHANGE:

1. Players age on your 2015 birthday only for those born on or after January 1, 2006.
2. Due to new little league age requirements we will no longer allow 6 yr olds to participate in coach pitch baseball or softball, no exceptions!
3. Softball age determination will remain the same as previous years.

SOLUTION:

1. As a result of this recent adjustment to the implementation strategy, effective immediately, any player born on or after January 1, 2006 who will tuen the ages of 4-9 during the 2015 calendar year will be eligible to participate in a local Little League program and will use the new age determination date of December 31 for the remainder of their Little League career. Players Will still be assigned to a division based on local league divisional structure.
2. Consequently, players born prior to January 1, 2006 will continue to utilize the current age determination date of April 30 for the 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons.
3. In 2018 all players born prior to January 1, 2006, will begin utilizing December 31 as their age determination date.
4. The majority of concerns will surround the fact that a 2015 league age nine (9) year old will be 10 in 2016, 11 in 2017, but in 2018 will effectively be league age 13 and will advance out of the Major league division. All players represented within the baseball age chart will all use the December 31 date beginning in the 2018 season.

Thank you for patience and understanding.

If you have any questions or need confirmation for your players age please refer to the baseball and softball age charts on the Southern Website. Thank you again and we will see you at the fields!

Joe Mead
President, Southern Little League

Sign Up for the 2015 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.

• Age Eligibility: ***** IMPORTANT ***** The age determination rules for baseball have changed for 2015. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you read and understand this change before you sign up! Your child's age is determined as follows:
• If your child was born on or after January 1, 2006:
• Your child's official league age is his age on his 2015 birthday.
• If you child was born on or before December 31, 2005:
• Your child's official league age is his age on April 30, 2015.
• The age determination rules for girls' softball have NOT changed.
• Confused? Click here for a simple chart you can use to determine your child's official league age for baseball or softball.
• Due to Little League International's new age rules, we can no longer allow 6-year-olds to play coach-pitch baseball or softball. No exceptions.
• 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.
• 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 28, 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 2, 9, and 14
  
• Sign-up deadline: Tuesday, March 17
• Player evaluation/tryout day: Saturday, March 28
• Clean-up day: Saturday, April 18
• Practices begin: Monday, April 13 or later (depends on coach)
• Games begin: Friday, April 24
• Family day: Saturday, June 6 (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.
  

2015 Leadoff Party!

Annual Fundraiser for Southern Little League



An Evening of Food and Fun!

Saturday, February 7, 2015
Applause Event Center | 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM
2728 Birchcrest Dr SE (behind Pietro’s)

Auctions Supporting Southern Little League and Scholarship Fund
Cash Bar and Hors d’oeuvres

RSVP and buy your tickets in advance.
$60 per couple / $35 per person with online reservation by January 31.
$70 per couple / $35 per person at the door

Age 21 and over please

Please buy your tickets in advance here. You can pay by credit card or PayPal.
No PayPal account is required.

1 Couple $60.00 USD 1 Person $35.00 USD 2 Couples $120.00 USD

Or send checks payable to:
Southern Little League
1530 Groton Road SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506

Please extend this invitation to all alumni, parents and grandparents of past, present and future Southern Little League players.

We hope to see you there!

Announcing the 2015 Raffle

2015 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-6-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 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-6-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 Baseball 78ers Schedule

• League Director: Mark White
  email: mcwhite "at" bcpwq.com (replace "at" with @)
  
• 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 15 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-6-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.

2015 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.

2015 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.

2015 Baseball Seniors Schedule

• League Director: Jim Henwood
  email: henwoodjaandij "at" comcast.net (replace "at" with @)
  phone: 901-9896
  
• 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 May 20 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-6-Jun.
• Team tournament begins June 20.
• Due to lack of field space, we will only try to make up rained out games is first place in0involved.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.