Congratulations 2013 Majors Softball All-Stars

Manager: Jim Ward

• Maggie Benham
• Micah Britton
• Grace Gooch
• Katie Huizenga
• Sadie Kornoelje
• Josie Law
• Brielle Oosse
• Lydia Reahm
• Hannah Rusticus
• Andrea Salasky
• Katie Ward
• Leah Wynbeek

Congratulations 2013 Juniors Baseball All-Stars

East Team

Manager: Bernie Malewitz

Coach: TBD

• Noah Groen
• Henry Breems
• Mike Malewitz
• Jack Tietema
• Jacob Elzinga
• Peter Burns
• Jack Foy
• Matt Henkey
• Jake Hoppman
• Will Kortz
• Jack Liszweski
• Joe Huffman
• Matthew Winkle
• EJ Sullivan

West Team

Manager: Ethan Rohen

Coach: TBD

• Nolan Heerema
• Will Berglund
• Brennan Burke
• Charlie Bogo
• Jonathan Oostinie
• Emmett Warners
• Mark Primus
• Harrison Rohen
• Andrew Bojas
• Marty Ward
• Ben Burrows
• Alec Malaszenko
• Max Vicari
• Caleb Corell

Congratulations 2013 9-10-Year-Old Baseball All-Stars

East Team
Head Coach: Joel Passinault
Assistant Coach: Tom Kuzner
Assistant Coach: Tim Kolk

• Jake Passinault
• Kyle Kirk
• Jake Myers
• Trent Elzinga
• Sean Murphy
• Nate Vandyke
• Alex Kolk
• Aiden Callahan
• Luke Aardema
• Luke Kuzner
• David Bernecker
• Nathan Milannowski
• Henry Norcutt

West Team
Head Coach: Nick Stadel
Assistant Coach: Jason Gradner
Assistant Coach: TBD

• Ben Whiteside
• Isaiah Hicks
• Luke Fynewever-Muyskens
• Jordan Bergsma
• Declan Lee
• Aiden Stadel
• Tanner Warners
• Marcellus Vanderkodde
• Gabe Laughlin
• Will Zimdar
• Thomas Edwards
• Aidan Gardner
• Elijah Kuiper

Congratulations 2013 11-Year-Old Baseball All-Stars

Manager: John Mundell
Coach: Eric O'Connor

• Myles Beale
• Aidan O’Connor
• Jack Mundell
• Daniel Southerington
• Foster Lyman
• Oskar Olsson
• Jack Fouch
• Keegan Batka
• Micah Baermann
• Josh Weiss
• Henry VanderZyden
• John Holmes 
• Alex De Boer

Congratulations 2013 Majors Baseball All-Stars

East Team
Manager: Scott Bernecker
Coach: Tom Pohlman

• Luke Passinault
• Mark Boeve
• Reily O’Connor
• Nate Fournier
• Josh Verstraete
• Will Marsh
• Billy Bernecker
• Luke Elzinga
• Banks Boender
• Tommy Pohlman
• Robbie Stuursma
• Joe Collins
• Cam Myers

West Team
Manager: Jamie Billo
Coach: Tim Sullivan

• Nick Lambert
• Cam Knuble
• John Shelton
• Nolan Gardner
• Lee De Haan
• Ben Biermacher
• Ryan Smith
• Ryan Sullivan
• Peter Kratt
• Griffin Caul
• Jack Ward
• Jack Billo
• Aidan Jennings

Schedule Changes in Seniors Baseball

We have made a change to the seniors baseball schedule on Wednesday, June 26:

• Teams Campbell & VandenBerge: Instead of playing each other at 4:30pm on Wednesday, June 26, your game will now take place at 2:00pm on Saturday, June 22.
• Teams Campbell & Vaughn: Instead of playing each other at 6:15pm on Wednesday, June 26, your game will now take place at 4:00pm on Saturday, June 22.
• Teams Horjus & Henkey: Instead of playing each other at 8:00pm on Wednesday, June 26, your game will now take place at 6:00pm on Saturday, June 22.

Big League Schedule Now Available

The Big League Baseball schedule is now up on the website. You can find it here. You can also get to it from the Schedules link on the right sidebar of the website. Keep in mind that we generally do not announce changes and weather cancellations for Big League.

Schedule Change in Majors Baseball: Warners/O'Connor,E/Billo/Sullivan

We have made a change to the majors baseball schedule on Saturday, June 8:

• Teams O'Connor,E & Warners: Instead of playing each other at 11:00am, your game will now take place at 3:00pm.
• Teams Billo & Sullivan: Instead of playing each other at 3:00pm, your game will now take place at 11:00am.

Tournament Dates

Below are the team tournament and all-star tournament dates for the summer:

Team Tournaments

The team tournaments are for major, junior, and senior level in both baseball and softball. Every team in those divisions will play in a team tournament against teams from other nearby leagues that finished with similar regular season records. It's a fun time for every player on every team at those levels. Parents, please block these dates below for team tournaments. The detailed schedules vary by team and by level and as the tournaments progress. Each team tournament can last as long as two weeks.

• Majors Baseball: June 15
• Juniors Baseball: June 22
• Seniors Baseball: June 28
• Majors Softball: June 15
• Juniors Softball: June 22

All-Star Tournaments

The all-star tournaments are for every level of baseball and softball except 78ers. Southern typically sends one or two all-star teams from each division into the all-star tournaments. Please block these dates below if you think your child might be selected for an all-star team. All-star tournaments can last two weeks or more, depending on how far our teams advance.

• 9-10 Baseball: July 8
• 10-11 Baseball: July 1
• Majors Baseball: June 27
• Juniors Baseball: July 8
• Seniors Baseball: July 8
• 9-10 Softball: July 8
• 10-11 Softball: July 8
• Majors Softball: June 24
• Juniors Softball: July 8

Last Call for Big League Sign-up

This is your final opportunity to sign up for Southern's Big League League Baseball. The season starts June 10. Please sign up as soon as possible. The deadline for signing up is midnight on Wednesday, June 5. After that, there is a wait list and a $20 late fee. Big League is for 16, 17 and 18 year olds who played high school baseball at the varsity level. The cost is $130. Click here to sign up.

17th Annual Family Day is TODAY!

Saturday, June 1, is Family Day. 34 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 noon on Saturday. Look for the raffle table near the concession stand.
• The big raffle drawing will take place at 7:00pm.
  

All-Star Games:

• Plan on staying for the Minors, Majors, and Juniors 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.

Correction: Rescheduled 78ers Rainouts

We made a mistake in our recent announcement about rescheduled 78ers rainouts:

• Seth vs Stuursma: Your game on Sunday June 2, will be played at 3:00pm on the West field, not at 1:00pm as previously announced.

The online schedule was correct. Only the announcement was wrong.

Congratulations 2013 Juniors Baseball Family Day All-Stars

Congratulations to the following juniors 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 1, at 7:30pm on the Henwood field.

American League:
Fulton Group - Coach Murray:
     Elliot Bergsma, Will Kortz, James Murray, Micah Hoekstra, Max Vicari
Skyzone - Coach Winkle:
     Emmett Warners, Nolan Heerema, Matthew Winkle, Noah Groen, Henry Breems
River City Mechanical - Coach Malewitz:
     Mike Malewitz, Peter Burns, Doug Gale, Jack Liszewski, Elliot Jung

National League:
Buffalo Wild Wings - Coach Hoppman:
     Mark Primus, Ben Burrows, Justin Varineau, Andrew Vernum, Easton Schultz
Alger Ace Hardware - Coach Sajdak:
     Alex Bergsma, Andrew Bojas, Jacob Elzinga, James Klein, Jon Oostindie
Law Weathers - Coach Lundeen:
     Joe Huffman, Max Lundeen, Jack Teitema, Jack Foy, Ryan Jacobsen

Congratulations 2013 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 1, at 7:30pm on the West field.

American League:
Coach Stadel: Aiden Stadel, Luke Aardema
Coach Gelderloos: Trent Elzinga, Jake Noordewier
Coach Tucker: Isaiah Hicks, Elijah Heerema
Coach Murphy: Ike Keller, Sean Murphy
Coach Mcintyre: William Butler, Dominic Vicari
Coach Westerbeke: Nate VanDyke, Jack Peterson
Coach Hollern: Trevor Seth, Nick Hollern

National League:
Coach Kolk: Mitchell White, Alex Kolk
Coach Kirchgessner: Thomas Edwards, Nathan Milanowski
Coach Walters: Ben Walters, Gabe Shultz
Coach Kuzner: Slater White, Luke Fynewever-Muyskens
Coach Gardner: Jordan Bergsma, Aiden Callahan
Coach Force: Elijah Ooms, Grady Gooch
Coach Lee: Donovan Shearer, Declan Lee

Rescheduled Rain-Outs in 78ers Baseball

We have rescheduled the following games in 78ers baseball:

• Fox vs O'Connor: Sunday, June 2, 1:00pm, West field
• Seth vs Stuursma: Sunday June 2, 3:00pm West field
• Potter vs Fox: Sunday, June 9, 1:00pm West field
• Seth vs O'Connor: Sunday, June 9, 3:00pm West field

The online schedule has been updated to reflect these changes.

Rescheduled Rain-Outs in Majors Baseball

We have rescheduled the following games in majors baseball:

• Pohlman vs Warners: Sunday, June 2, 3:00pm, East field
• Hebert vs Billo: Sunday June 2, 1:00pm East field
• O'Connor,P vs Warners: Sunday, June 9, 3:00pm East field

The online schedule has been updated to reflect these changes.

Congratulations 2013 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 1, at 7:30pm on the East field.

American League:
Coach Mundell: Nolan Gardner, John Shelton, Lee DeHaan
Coach Patrick O'Connor: Hayden Taylor, Reily O'Connor, Clayton Fee
Coach Sullivan: Ben Biermacher, Ryan Smith, Ryan Sullivan
Coach Eric O'Connor: Myles Beale, Aidan O'Connor, Jonah Witte
Coach Hebert: Nate Fournier, Nick Lambert, Josh Verstraete

National League:
Coach Jacobsen: Peter Kratt, Griffen Caul, Alex King
Coach Pohlman: Tommy Pohlman, Jack Ward, Luke Elzinga
Coach Billo: Jack Billo, Cam Knuble, Billy Bernecker
Coach Warners: Banks Boender, Aidan Jennings, Carson Warners
Coach Passinault: Luke Passinault, Jake Passinault, Mark Boeve

Raffle Ticket Turn-In

Raffle tickets may be turned in at the raffle table by the concession stand all day on Saturday. More tickets may be purchased all day long as well. Cash or checks to “Southern Little League” are acceptable forms of payment. The player who sells the most tickets, writes their name on the back when turning them in, AND turns them in by 1:00 Saturday, will win a Wilson A2000 baseball glove. The raffle drawing for the cash prizes is at 7:00pm on Saturday. Tickets may turned in and more purchased up until the drawing. You need NOT be present to win.

Thank You Firefighters!

With a little help from our friendly neighbors at the fire station, we were able to hang our new flag at Southern the easy way! See you all on Saturday for Family Day!

Final Umpire Sign-up

The fourth and final umpire sign-up will take place this Saturday, June 1, at 7:00am. Please have your own baseball schedule handy to avoid any conflicts.

All Games Canceled

All games for Tuesday, May 28, are canceled for the remainder of the night.

Family Day Volunteers Needed

Southern is asking that each team supply two volunteers each for a two-hour time slot on Saturday, June 1. The time slots start at 8:00am and go every two hours until 8:00pm. Besides volunteering, it is a ton of fun. You can sign up at the concession stand. We will also be coming around each game this week with the signup sheets. You can also email Bob Hams at director@southernll.org

Thank you for helping to make Family Day and Southern’s 60th Anniversary such a special event!

Sign Up Now for Big League Baseball

It is now time to sign up for Southern's Big League Baseball. Big League is for 16, 17 and 18 year olds who played high school baseball at the varsity level. The cost is $130. Play starts June 10. Click here to sign up.

2013 Baseball Seniors Schedule Available

You can view those by clicking on the Schedules link on the right sidebar of the website. Or you can just click here. Coaches will be contacting players in the next 48 hours.

60th Anniversary Celebration and Family Day at Southern Little League

For the first time ever, every Southern baseball and softball team plays on Family Day! And we have a special souvenir for every player!

• Saturday, June 1st, all day
• Great food
• Water slide and bounce land with slide
• Baseball and softball games all day
• Minor, Major and Junior Baseball All-Star Games at 7:30pm
• Bring the whole family – grandma, grandpa, aunts and uncles, too
• Look for 60th Anniversary T-Shirts for sale

Juniors Baseball Schedule Changes

Team tournaments for juniors baseball starts on Saturday, June 22. Because of this earlier than expected start date, we are canceling the following games:

• Thursday, June 20
  7:30pm - Lundeen vs Sajdak
• Friday, June 21
  5:30pm - Winkle vs Hoppman
  7:30pm - Malewitz vs Murray
• Saturday, June 22
  9:00am - Winkle vs Lundeen
  11:30am - Hoppman vs Malewitz
  2:00pm - Murray vs Sajdak

We have also rescheduled the following games. These are only time changes on the same date:

• Saturday, June 1 (Family Day)
  8:30am - Hoppman vs Sajdak
  10:15am - Lundeen vs Murray
  12:00pm - Malewitz vs Winkle
• Saturday, June 8
  2:30pm Hoppman vs Winkle

Finally, we've added a Juniors Baseball All-Star Game on Family Day:

• Saturday, June 1
  7:30pm - Juniors Baseball All-Star Game

Schedule Change in Majors Baseball: Pohlman/Hebert/O'Connor,E/Mundell

We have made a change to the majors baseball schedule on Saturday, June 1:

• Teams O'Connor,E & Mundell: Instead of playing each other at noon, your game will now take place at 3:30pm.
• Teams Pohlman & Hebert: Instead of playing each other at 3:30pm, your game will now take place at noon.

All Games Canceled

Due to the weather, all games at Southern and Manhattan for Wed-22-May are canceled.

Police Report Update

Southern Little League Parents,

After further investigation by the Grand Rapids Police Department, new information has been reported. The car involved in the incident was not a dark colored sedan, it was a white sedan, nice, possibly a Kia. There was a woman in the passenger seat and what the player said appeared to be 2 to 3 children in the back seat. He assumes it was a family.

We hope you will all continue to be vigilant with the safety of all of the players at Southern and continue to keep Southern a safe and fun environment as it has been for 60 years.

Bob Hams
President, Southern Little League

Next Umpire Signup

The third of four umpire sign-ups is this Saturday morning, May 18, at 7:00am. Please have your baseball schedule handy to avoid any conflicts.

Schedule Changes in Juniors Softball: Crampton

We have made a change to the juniors softball schedule:

• Team Crampton:
• You have an additional game on Monday, June 3, at 6:00pm at Manhattan against Algoma. It will be a double-header.
• Your game on Saturday, June 8, will now be played at 3:00pm at JC East. It will be a double-header.

Schedule Change in 78ers & Majors Baseball: O'Connor,E/Billo/Potter/Sova

We have made a change to the 78ers baseball schedule and to the majors baseball schedule on Tuesday, May 21:

• Teams Sova & Potter: Instead of a 7:30pm game on the West field, you will now play at 5:30pm on the East field.
• Teams O'Connor,E & Billo: Instead of a 5:30pm game on the East field, you will now play at 7:30pm on the West field.

Last Call for Seniors Sign-up

It is now time to sign up for Southern's Senior League Baseball. 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. The deadline for signing up is midnight on Thursday, May 16. After that, there is a wait list and a $20 late fee. Click here to sign up.

Alert to Parents

Good Morning All Southern Little League Parents,

An incident was reported to us that happened on Saturday, May 11, at Southern and the JC Park. A Caucasian male driving a newer model dark colored sedan stopped his vehicle and tried to persuade one of our 11 year old baseball players to get in his car so he could help the player find his parents. The player immediately ran to the concession stand and found his mother. A police report has been filed, and the GR Police will patrol more often during games. No other incidents similar to this have been reported in the last 30 days.

Southern is a great place for the community and is safe as long as we all keep an eye out for suspicious activity. Let’s all keep Southern a great place for the area youth to enjoy!

Bob Hams
President, Southern Little League

Details from Police Report

• Description: white male with brown hair, possibly in his 40's, wearing a gray shirt.
• Car: white 4-door possibly a Kia model
• Police report: #13-038108

Partial Cancellations - Please Read

• 2:30pm minors baseball games are canceled.
• 3:00pm minors and majors baseball games are cancelled.
• 4:00pm 78ers baseball games are canceled.
• All games 5:00pm and later are still on for now.

Stay tuned for more weather updates!

Saturday is Picture Day

Sat-11-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.

Coaches: Soft Toss Into Fences

There is absolutely NO soft toss allowed with hard softballs or baseballs in to the fences at the city JC fields or the Southern fields. The city called yesterday and observed one of our teams doing that Monday night at JC fields. Joe Malewitz has had to ask 3 teams/coaches not to do it at Southern. It ruins the fences.

2013 Softball Juniors Schedule Available

You can view those by clicking on the Schedules link on the right sidebar of the website. Or you can just click here. Schedules for other leagues will be published and announced as soon as they are available. Stay tuned.

Sign Up NOW for Seniors Baseball

It is now time to sign up for Southern's Senior League Baseball. 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.

Next Umpire Sign-up

The second of four umpire sign-ups is this Saturday morning, May 4, at 7:00am. Please have your baseball schedule handy to avoid any conflicts.

Softball Minors and Majors Schedules Revamped

Due to a change in the set of teams in the league, the schedules for Softball Minors and for Softball Majors have been revamped. Rather than iterate all the changes, we ask that you just revisit the updated schedules. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Schedule Change in Minors Softball: Sprague

We have made a change to the minors softball schedule:

• Team Sprague: The game originally scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 4, at 1:30pm on Southern JC East.

Schedule Change in Minors Baseball: Murphy/Force

We have made a change to the minors baseball schedule on Wednesday, May 1:

• Teams Murphy & Force: Instead of playing at 5:30pm, you will now play at 7:30pm.

Schedule Change in 78ers Softball: May 10/11, Couvreur/Ward

We have made a change to the 78ers softball schedule on May 10 & 11:

• Team Couvreur: Instead of playing on Friday, May 10, at 6:30pm, you will now play on Saturday, May 11, at 2:30pm on JC East.
• Team Ward: Instead of playing on Saturday, May 11, at 10:am, you will now play on Saturday, May 11, at 2:30pm on JC East.

Schedule Change in Juniors Baseball: Murray/Lundeen/Winkle/Malewitz

We have made a change to the juniors baseball schedule on Monday, May 6, and Tuesday, May 7:

• Teams Murray & Lundeen: Instead of playing on May 6 at 7:30pm, you will now play on May 7 at 7:30pm.
• Teams Winkle & Malewitz: Instead of playing on May 7 at 7:30pm, you will now play on May 6 at 7:30pm.

Schedule Change in Majors Softball: Prince

We have made a change to the majors softball schedule on Monday, May 6:

• Team Prince: Instead of playing on May 6, you will now play on Saturday, May 18, at 3:15pm.

All Games Canceled Tonight Tue-23-Apr

Because of the weather, all games for Tuesday, April 23, are canceled.

Clarification About Raffle Tickets

We have received some questions asking whether raffle ticket holders need to be present to win. The tickets are printed correctly. You need NOT be present to win the raffle.

2013 Softball 78ers Schedule Available

You can view those by clicking on the Schedules link on the right sidebar of the website. Or you can just click here. Schedules for other leagues will be published and announced as soon as they are available. Stay tuned.

2013 Softball Majors Schedule Available

You can view those by clicking on the Schedules link on the right sidebar of the website. Or you can just click here. Schedules for other leagues will be published and announced as soon as they are available. Stay tuned.

Schedule Change in Minors Softball: Sprague

We have made a change to the minors softball schedule on Saturday, April 27:

• Team Sprague: Instead of playing at 4:00pm, you will now play at 11:00am.

2013 Softball Minors Schedule Available

You can view those by clicking on the Schedules link on the right sidebar of the website. Or you can just click here. Schedules for other leagues will be published and announced as soon as they are available. Stay tuned.

Schedule Change in Minors Baseball: Stadel/Force/Tucker/Kolk

We have made a change to the minors baseball schedule on Saturday, April 27:

• Teams Stadel & Force: Instead of playing at 6:30pm, you will now play at 12:30pm.
• Teams Tucker & Kolk: Instead of playing at 12:30pm, you will now play at 6:30pm.

8:30am and 9:00am Games Postponed Until Tonight

Due to the extreme cold this morning, we have postponed the 8:30am Maher vs O'Connor game in 78ers baseball. It will now take place at 6:30pm tonight on Southern's West field.

Also, the 9:00am Billo vs Passinault game in majors baseball has been postponed until 6:30pm tonight on Southern's East field.

We apologize for the inconvenience and late notice.

Schedule Correction in Minors Baseball: Gardner/Westerbeke

We have made a correction to the minors baseball schedule on Friday, May 3:

• Teams Gardner & Westerbeke: Your 8pm game will be played on the West field, not on the East field as originally scheduled.

Schedule Change in 78ers Baseball: Scofield/O'Connor

We have made a change to the 78ers baseball schedule on Family Day, Saturday, June 1:

• Team Scofield: Instead of a 4:00pm game vs Potter, you will now play Fox at 1:00pm.
• Team O'Connor: Instead of a 1:00pm game vs Fox, you will now play Potter at 4:00pm.

All Games for Fri-19-Apr Rescheduled for Sun-21-Apr

Due to the massive rainfall, we have rescheduled all of Friday's games for Sunday. If you had a game scheduled for Friday, it is now rescheduled for Sunday. Rather than list every rescheduled game here, please visit the Schedules page to find out your game's rescheduled time and field.

2013 Baseball Juniors Schedule Available

You can view those by clicking on the Schedules link on the right sidebar of the website. Or you can just click here. Schedules for other leagues will be published and announced as soon as they are available. Stay tuned.

Boman Family Benefit

Boman Family Benefit

In Loving Memory of Annie

Saturday, April 27^th   

The Orbit Room  * 2525 Lake Eastbrook Blvd. SE

Silent Auction  7:30pm

Music by InDenial  9:00pm – 1am

Cash Bar    *    Snacks    *    50/50 Raffle

Admission:  Free will donations

Must be 21 to enter

Questions or Silent Auction Donations:

Please contact Kim Malewitz (446-3800), Sue Knappen (617-9753) or Missie Polakovich (460-1148).

Donations can also be made directly to the “Annie Boman Charitable Fund”  (Chase Bank, 2263 Wealthy SE)

Schedule Change in 78ers Baseball: Scofield/Henry

We have made a change to the 78ers baseball schedule on Thursday, April 25:

• Team Henry: Instead of a 4:30pm game vs Sova, you will now play Potter at 7:30pm.
• Team Scofield: Instead of a 7:30pm game vs Potter, you will now play Sova at 4:30pm.

Schedule Change in Majors Baseball: Passinault/O'Connor,E/Jacobsen/Warners

We have made a change to the majors baseball schedule on Saturday, May 11:

• Teams O'Connor,E & Passinault: Instead of playing each other at 5pm, your game will now take place at 3pm.
• Teams Warners & Jacobsen: Instead of playing each other at 3pm, your game will now take place at 5pm.

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 20, 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 4, May 18, and June 1 and take place at the same time and location.

Coaches: URGENT! EGR Parks Practice Policy

Coaches, the East Grand Rapids Parks Department has contacted us and asked that we IMMEDIATELY stop using any and all EGR parks for Southern practices EXCEPT those they have allotted to us. That means that unless you reserve your practice fields on the Southern website, you are NOT permitted to use any EGR parks or fields for practices.

Coaches are asked to immediately cancel any scheduled practices for these fields. If we do not comply, EGR has said they will cancel our allotment of practice slots at Breton Downs and Lakeside.

Please comply immediately. Questions? Contact Bob Hams.

Coaches and Team Parent Meeting Thu-18-Apr

The Southern Little League Coaches and Team Parents meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 18, at 7:00pm at the East Grand Rapids Middle School cafeteria. This is a mandatory meeting for at least one coach from every team and a Team Parent from every team. (Just to clarify, the term "Team Parent" here does not mean every parent of every player. The "Team Parent" is the one parent on each team who has volunteered to help the coach organize the team's picture day, raffle sales, snack schedule, etc.) Topics will include picture day, raffle, sponsors, concession stand volunteers and general operating information for the 2013 season. We appreciate your attendance as this is the most important meeting of the year for organizational purposes.

Games Start This Week!

The season begins this Friday, April 19, with a full slate of baseball games in Majors, Minors, and 78ers. Just a reminder that you can always see a combine schedule of all games at Southern coming up in the next week by clicking on the This Week at Southern link on the right sidebar.

Schedule Change in 78ers Baseball: Scofield/Seth

We have made a change to the 78ers baseball schedule on Saturday, May 4:

• Team Seth: Instead of a 10am game vs Henry, you will now play O'Connor at 5pm.
• Team Scofield: Instead of a 5pm vs O'Connor, you will now play Henry at 10am.

2013 Softball Juniors Roster Available

Softball players from 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 be calling players any time now. If you have not heard from your coach by April 15, feel free to call your coach.

New Umpire Training Session Dates and Time

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 13, at 8:30 am. The second session is scheduled for this Sunday, April 14, at 8:30 am. Each of these sessions will go on rain or shine, last an hour and a half 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 bits of information regarding these sessions.

2013 Baseball 78ers Schedule Available

You can view those by clicking on the Schedules link on the right sidebar of the website. Or you can just click here. Schedules for other leagues will be published and announced as soon as they are available. Stay tuned.

2013 Softball 78ers, Minors, and Majors Rosters Available

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 any time now. If you have not heard from your coach by April 8, feel free to call your coach. Contact information for coaches is coming soon. We'll make a separate announcement once the Softball Juniors roster is available.

2013 Baseball Minors and Majors Schedules Available

You can view those by clicking on the Schedules link on the right sidebar of the website. Or you can just click here. Schedules for other leagues will be published and announced as soon as they are available. Stay tuned.

2013 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 be calling players any time now. If you have not heard from your coach by April 8, feel free to call your coach with the contact information listed on the roster.

Softball Coaches Needed ASAP!

If we are unable to secure coaches for 78er softball and junior softball, we will have to split the teams up differently. This is a great experience. Call Courtney now at 446-2587. Please don’t wait for someone else to step up, just call now. Thank You!

No Softball Tryouts

We've gotten some calls asking whether or not the tryout session on Saturday, March 23, includes softball players. It does not. And to be clear, only certain baseball players need to be at the tryout. Please read the details here to see if your child needs to be present at this Saturday's tryout session.

Minors Baseball Coaches Needed

We are still in need of 4 coaches for minors baseball. If anyone is interested, please contact Ethan Rohen at ethanrohen@att.net or call 318-4647.

Limited Space Available - Sign Up ASAP

Southern Little League has the following openings for late signups for each age level:

• 7 and 8 softball – Room for 7 players only!
• 7 and 8 baseball – Room for 11 players only!
• 9 thru 12 softball – Room for 6 players only!
• 9 thru 12 baseball – Room for 23 players only!
• 13 and 14 softball – Room for 8 players only!
• 13 and 14 baseball – Room for 2 players only! (We may add a team and will start a waiting list.)

After these spots are filled on first come first serve basis we will start a waiting list.
Please click here to read the details and to sign up now!

Sign Up for the 2013 Season

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

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

• Deadline: You must sign up online or in person no later than March 15. (Seniors baseball: the sign-up deadline is not until May, and your price is still $130.)
• Cost: $130 per player before the deadline. $150 after the deadline based on availability. (No player will be denied based on inability to pay. Please see our sign-up staff for details.)
  
• How to sign up: Online (click here) or at one of our in-person sign-up sessions at Breton Village Mall (click here). The cost is the same either way. You cannot sign up by mail.
• Age eligibility and divisions: Signup is for all divisions of baseball and softball. Read more here.
  
• Geographical boundary eligibility: See our official league boundaries here. You must reside within these boundaries or have played in Southern last year to be eligible.
  
• Tryouts: After signing up, players in certain situations MUST attend their player evaluation (aka "tryout") session. Click here for details.
  
• Umpiring: Anyone 13 years old or older who is reliable and passionate about baseball can earn some extra cash umpiring at Southern. Sign-ups for umpiring will be held after tryouts at 2:30 on Saturday, March 23, in the East Grand Rapids High School gym. Training will take place at a later date.
  
• Volunteering: Southern depends on volunteers for a wide variety of roles. You'll have a chance to fill out volunteer information when you sign-up. Learn more here.
  
• Important dates:
• In-person sign-up sessions: February 11, 18, and 23
  
• Sign-up deadline: Friday, March 15
• Player evaluation/tryout day: Saturday, March 23
• Clean-up day: Saturday, April 13
• Practices begin: April 8 or later (depends on coach)
• Games begin: Week of April 20
• Family day: Saturday, June 1 (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.
  

Calling All NEW Umpires!

If you are passionate about the game of baseball and turn the age of 13 by May 1, 2013, then you are invited to a meeting at East Grand Rapids High School's gym on Saturday, March 23, at approximately 2:30 pm -- and immediately following the juniors' tryout. 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.

Preseason Warm-up for Juniors Baseball

We will be forming a preseason warm-up session for juniors baseball this season for the players not playing on their school teams.

• You must be signed up at Southern for the regular season to be eligible.
• There will not be any added cost. The fee will be included with the cost of signing up for juniors baseball.
• There will be two games or practices per week. However, we will have to work around field availability.
• Games will be at Southern.
• Season will begin on or about April 15 and end around May 4th or at the beginning of the juniors baseball regular season.
• Bernie Malewitz and Rob Murray will coach a team each and will play each other each game.
• There will be an umpire for games.
• Instruction and getting ready to play baseball on the big field is the emphasis.
• Again, this is for players who will not be playing on their perspective school teams.
• Please email Rob Henkey (rob@metaltechbuildings.com) if your player would like to play.

Opportunity to Help the Kutsche, LaPonsie, and Cwengros Families

2013 Leadoff Party

2013 Lead Off Party
Annual Fundraiser for Southern Little League

An Evening of Food and Fun!

Saturday, February 9th, 2013
Cascade Hills Country Club
7:00 PM - Midnight

• Live and Silent Auctions Supporting our Scholarship Fund and Annual Operating Budget
• Cash Bar and Hors d’oeuvres
• Music by Tony Reynolds
• $75 per couple / $40 per person
• Casual attire, denim allowed
• Age 21 and over, please

Please extend this invitation to all alumni, parents and grandparents of present and future Southern Little League players. Click here to spread the word on Facebook.

Please buy your tickets in advance here. You can pay by credit card or PayPal.

Or you can pay at the door on Saturday night.

No PayPal account is required.

1 Couple $75.00 USD 1 Person $40.00 USD

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

2013 Baseball Big League Schedule

• League Director: Bob Hams
  email: bhams "at" roofmelt.com (replace "at" with @)
  phone: 633-5495
  
• Home team will occupy the 3rd base dugout.
• Changes to this schedule will typically NOT be announced ont he website.
• We will use high school rules for Big League.
• Each team is to provide 3 high school approved baseballs for each home game.
• Double headers are denoted by DH in the schedule. Home team flip flops after game 1.
• Please DO NOT FORFEIT. Get league age players to fill in if you are going to be short players.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

2013 Softball Minors Schedule

• League Director: Courtney Moskal
  email: courtmosk "at" sbcglobal.net (replace "at" with @)
  
• Please remember to sign up for email updates. That way you won't miss any schedule changes or weather updates.
• We generally do NOT make weather announcements about away games. Please contact your coach for cancellation updates on away fields.
• Changes made after April 10 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.
• Picture Day is May 11.
• Family Day is Sat-1-Jun.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

2013 Baseball Seniors Rosters

These are the team rosters for the Baseball Seniors 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).

2013 Softball Juniors Roster

These are the team rosters for the Softball Juniors 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).

2013 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.

2013 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.

2013 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.

2013 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.

2013 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

2013 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 10 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.
• Picture Day is May 11.
• Family Day is Sat-1-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.

2013 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).

2013 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).

2013 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).

2013 Softball 78ers Schedule

• League Director: Courtney Moskal
  email: courtmosk "at" sbcglobal.net (replace "at" with @)
  
• Please remember to sign up for email updates. That way you won't miss any schedule changes or weather updates.
• We generally do NOT make weather announcements about away games. Please contact your coach for cancellation updates on away fields.
• Changes made after April 10 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.
• Picture Day is May 11.
• Family Day is Sat-1-Jun.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

2013 Baseball Majors Schedule

• League Director: Joe Mead
  email: joe.mead "at" welchallyn.com (replace "at" with @)
  phone: 304-8794
  
• 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 10 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.
• Picture Day is May 11.
• Family Day is Sat-1-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.

2013 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 April 10 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-1-Jun.
• Team tournament begins Fri-28-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.

2013 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 10 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.
• Picture Day is May 11.
• Family Day is Sat-1-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.

2013 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 10 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.
• Picture Day is May 11.
• Family Day is Sat-1-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.