Sign Up Soon!

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

Last In-Person Sign-Up Session

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

Online Sign-up is Easy!

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

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

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

In-Person Sign-Up Session Tomorrow

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

Sign Up for the 2011 Season

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

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

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

More on Composite Bats

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

2011 Sign-ups Coming Soon

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

Field Location: Belding Little League

View Belding Little League in a larger map

2011 Tryout Schedule

PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE NOTE

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

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

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

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

Here is the schedule for tryouts:

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

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

Sign Up In Person for the 2011 Season

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

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

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

Sign Up Online for the 2011 Season

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

Final Decision on Composite Bats

Little League International Issues Update Regarding Composite Bats: Moratorium Imposed Immediately

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Dec. 30, 2010) - Little League International has placed a moratorium on the use of composite bats in the Little League (Majors) Division and all other baseball divisions of Little League, effective immediately.

"Today's decision of the Little League International Board of Directors Executive Committee is based on scientific research data from the University of Massachusetts (Lowell), which was contracted by Little League Baseball," Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball and Softball, said. "The maximum performance standard for non-wood bats in the divisions for 12-year-olds and below is a Bat Performance Factor (BPF) of 1.15. The research found that composite bats, while they may meet the standard when new, can exceed that standard after a break-in process."

Local Little Leagues were first informed of the research last September.

"From the beginning, and throughout this process, we wanted to keep everyone informed," Patrick W. Wilson, Vice President of Operations at Little League International, said. "Our intent was to provide local league constituents clear direction regarding composite bats. There is a process through which manufacturers can submit individual models for a possible waiver if they wish to seek it. Going forward, we will let our leagues know which ones meet the standards for the Little League Baseball (Majors) 12-and-under divisions, if any."

On Sept. 1, Little League International placed a moratorium on composite bats in the Junior, Senior, and Big League Baseball Divisions of Little League. Subsequent to that moratorium, some composite bat models have received a waiver and may be used in those divisions. Information on the composite bats that have received waivers for the Junior, Senior, and Big League Baseball Divisions of Little League may be found here:

http://www.littleleague.org/learn/equipment/approvedcompbats.htm

At present, no composite bats for the Little League (Majors) Division and below have received a waiver. If and when any models do receive a waiver, Little League International will inform its leagues of that decision.

The moratorium on composite bats, which now applies to all baseball divisions of Little League, does not apply to any softball divisions of Little League.

Sincerely,
Little League International

Update on Composite Bats

Little League International has asked us to forward this letter to our families:

November 29, 2010

Dear Little League Parents and Volunteers,

With the holiday shopping season upon us, we want to remind all that we are in the midst of a research effort with the University of Massachusetts (Lowell) to determine whether or not a moratorium will be placed on the use of composite 2¼-inch barreled baseball bats in the Little League Majors Division and below. We have already placed a moratorium on composite bats in the Junior League Baseball, Senior League Baseball, and Big League Baseball Divisions.

We anticipate making a decision on the use of composite 2¼-inch barreled baseball bats by Jan. 1, 2011, as promised in earlier communications on this subject.

Information on the moratorium on composite bats in the Junior League Baseball, Senior League Baseball, and Big League Baseball Divisions, as well as information on specific models of composite bats that have received a waiver of that moratorium, can be found here: http://www.littleleague.org/media/newsarchive/2010/Sep-Dec/StatementFromLLCompositeBats.htm

We encourage local league officials to provide this message to parents and volunteers in the local league.

Sincerely,
Little League International

Good Luck in the State Football Finals

Southern Little League would like to wish Grand Rapids Catholic Central, East Grand Rapids and our cross town rivals West Catholic good luck in this weekend’s state football finals. Bring home that trophy! From all of us at Southern, congratulations to all of the fall athletes on a great season.

A Note to Santa Claus: No Composite Bats

Dear Santa:

Please be aware that Little League International has made a significant rule change that may affect your Christmas list this year. Specifically, starting in the 2011 season, composite bats will no longer be allowed in the Junior, Senior, or Big League divisions. So if someone on your "nice list" was asking for a composite bat for Christmas, please be aware that it cannot be used in Little League games.

If you're curious, you can peruse the other rule changes on their website.

Umpires: New Electronic Sign-Up Policy

Umpires: effective immediately, 80 to 100 percent of our game sign-ups will be handled electronically. So you don't miss any umpiring opportunities, we're asking you to do two things right away:

• Sign up to receive insider emails. By doing this, you'll get email notices that are targeted to umpires and other volunteers at Southern. Click here to sign up for insider emails.
• Sign up to receive text messages from Jim. Any time Jim needs an umpire, he sends a text message to all those who have signed up to get them. It's super easy to sign up. Click here.

Please take a moment today to sign up for both these if you can.

Parents: Pick Up Your Summer Baseball Photos

We still have some photos that were not picked up during the summer baseball season. You can pick these up at the concession stand on Sun-19-Sep or Sun-26-Sep from 12:30pm to 4:00pm. Here are the photos we still have:

David Wynbeck
Zach Lundell
David DeVries
Kevin Brown
Benjamin Cole
Nick Hollern
Brevin Gansevoort
Deshawn Dykhouse
EJ Sullivan
Teddy Russo

Coaches: Equipment Pick-up

Coaches: Please pick up your Fall Ball equipment Sun-12-Sep from noon to 2pm.

Also, any coaches who have yet to turn in your equipment and are not coaching Fall Ball: This is your last chance to turn in your equipment. If you cannot make it during that time slot, please make arrangements for someone else on your team to be there during this final time slot.

Questions? contact Steve Bender: launchllc@gmail.com

Umpire Reminder

Hey umps, don't forget to sign up on Twitter to follow Jamie Kuhlman (our umpire in charge) to make sure you get the latest info on umpire schedules, uniforms and training. It's super easy to do. Just click here and follow the instructions.

Fall Ball Juniors Schedule

• The home team and will occupy the 3rd base dugout.
• All teams will play a double header on either 12-Sep or 19-Sep.
• Fall Ball Directors - Bob Hams: 633-5495 or Ethan Rohen: 318-4647
• No standings will be kept for Fall Ball.
• No inning shall start later than 15 minutes prior to the start of the next game.
• The last game of the day, no inning shall start after one hour 45 minutes.
• To view this document on its own or to print or download it, click here.