Family Day is Saturday, June 7

Southern needs your help!

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

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

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

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

Scoreboards

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

Please Sign Up Now for Big League

Hello Everyone,

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

Sincerely,
Mike Schwenneker
Bob Hams

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

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

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

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

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

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

Final Umpire Sign-up

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

All Fields are Closed

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

Baseball Seniors Roster and Schedule

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

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

We have made a change to the majors baseball schedule:

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

Time to Sign Up for Big League Baseball

Hello Everyone,

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

Sincerely,
Mike Schwenneker
Bob Hams

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

We have made a change to the juniors baseball schedule:

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Change in Majors Softball: Huey

We have made a change to the majors softball schedule:

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

Family Day Volunteer Signup

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

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

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

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

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

From: All the kids that play at Southern

Schedule Change TOMORROW in 78ers Softball: Bolduc, Hildebrand

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

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

We apologize for the short notice.

CORRECTION: Softball Minors

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

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

Seniors Baseball Signup Deadline is Sunday, May 18

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

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

Click here to sign up.

2014 Softball Juniors Schedule Now Available

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

Schedule Change in Minors Softball: Koetje, Sprague

We have made a change to the minors softball schedule:

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

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

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

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

Schedule Changein 78ers Baseball: Stotts, VanGessel

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

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

All Games on JC Fields Canceled

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

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

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

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

Saturday, May 10, is Picture Day

Sat-10-May is picture day.

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

Please Sign Up NOW for Seniors Baseball

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

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

Click here to sign up.

Next Umpire Sign-up

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

Gene Missad Field

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

Schedule Change in Majors Baseball: Passinault, Sullivan

We have made a change to the majors baseball schedule:

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

Schedule Change in Majors Baseball: Bernecker, Lee

We have made a change to the majors baseball schedule:

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

Important Announcement

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

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

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

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

Thanks,
The Board of Southern Little League

All Games Canceled Tonight

due to the weather. 

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

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

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

Schedule Change in 78ers Baseball: Ferguson, Doezema

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

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

All Games Canceled

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

CORRECTION: Schedule Correction in 78ers Softball: Hildebrand

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reminder: Grill at Southern

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

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

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

Click here to sign up

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

Please Sign Up NOW for Seniors Baseball

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

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

Click here to sign up.

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

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

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

Schedule Correction in 78ers Softball: Hildebrand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Erroneous Email

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

Coaches: Lakeside Practice Fields Available for Signup

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

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

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

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

Umpire Sign-Up Dates

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

Saturday is Cleanup Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All Practices Canceled Today

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

Picture Day is Saturday, May 10

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

2014 Baseball Schedules Now Available

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

2014 Softball Rosters Now Available

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

Southern Little League Night at MC Sports

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

New Umpire Training Session Dates and Times

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

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

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

2014 Baseball Rosters Now Available

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

Coaches: Practice Field Signup is Live!

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

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

This Week at Southern

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

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

All Southern Fields are Closed

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

Tryouts are Saturday, March 29

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

Still a Few Open Spots!

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

Softball

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

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

Baseball

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

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

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

Calling All New Umpires!

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

Concussion Awareness Certification Reminder

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

2014 Tournament Dates

This note is for coaches:

Here are the important tournament dates for 2014.


You can download this spreadsheet as a PDF here.

Concussion Awareness Training

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

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

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

Click here to see the details and start your training.

Sign Up for the 2014 Season

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

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

• Deadline: The deadline for all levels of softball and baseball is now past EXCEPT for baseball big league. Those divisions are now closed. Signup is still open for baseball big league only.
• Cost: $150 ($100 for softball) per player before the deadline. $175 after the deadline based on availability. (No late fee for softball. No player will be denied based on inability to pay. Please see our sign-up staff for details.)
  
• How to sign up: Online (click here) or at one of our in-person sign-up sessions at Breton Village Mall (click here). The cost is the same either way. You cannot sign up by mail.
• Age eligibility and divisions: Signup is for all divisions of baseball and softball. Read more here.
  
• Geographical boundary eligibility: See our official league boundaries here. Your child must reside or attend school within these boundaries or have played in Southern last year to be eligible.
  
• Tryouts: After signing up, players in certain situations MUST attend their player evaluation (aka "tryout") session. Click here for details.
  
• Umpiring: Anyone 13 years old or older who is reliable and passionate about baseball can earn some extra cash umpiring at Southern. Sign-ups for umpiring will be held after tryouts at 2:30 on Saturday, March 29, in the East Grand Rapids High School gym. Training will take place at a later date.
  
• Volunteering: Southern depends on volunteers for a wide variety of roles. You'll have a chance to fill out volunteer information when you sign-up. Learn more here.
  
• Important dates:
• In-person sign-up sessions: March 3, 10, and 15
  
• Sign-up deadline: Friday, March 21
• Player evaluation/tryout day: Saturday, March 29
• Clean-up day: Saturday, April 19
• Practices begin: April 14 or later (depends on coach)
• Games begin: April 25
• Family day: Saturday, June 7 (volunteers needed)
• Our website: We make all our weather and schedule announcements and we keep all our schedules, results, standings and other information here on our website. Make sure to stay on top of all the latest news by signing up for automatic email updates here. It really is the simplest way to make sure you don't miss an important announcement. You can also follow all our announcements by liking us on Facebook here.
  
• Questions? Call Mark Norton at 954-0504. Make your message only your name and clearly state your phone number twice.
  

2014 Baseball Majors Schedule

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

2014 Baseball Juniors Schedule

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

2014 Baseball Minors Schedule

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

2015 Standings

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

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

No standings are kept for the following leagues:

• Baseball 78ers
• Baseball Big League

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

2014 Baseball Seniors Standings

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

2014 Baseball Juniors Standings

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

2014 Baseball Majors Standings

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

2014 Baseball Minors Standings

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

2014 Baseball 78ers Schedule

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

2014 Baseball Seniors Roster

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

2014 Baseball Juniors Roster

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

2014 Baseball Majors Roster

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

2014 Baseball Minors Roster

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

2014 Baseball 78ers Roster

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

2014 Softball Juniors Roster

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

2014 Softball Majors Roster

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

2014 Softball Minors Roster

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

2014 Softball 78ers Roster

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

2014 Softball Juniors Schedule

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

2014 Softball Majors Schedule

• League Director: Wendi Moore
  email: weemoore "at" comcast.net (replace "at" with @)
  
• Please remember to sign up for email updates. That way you won't miss any schedule changes or weather updates.
• We generally do NOT make weather announcements about away games. Please contact your coach for cancellation updates on away fields.
• Changes made after April 21 to the original schedule will be announced via email and marked on the schedule with a C in the C column. Rescheduled rain-outs are denoted by an R in that column.
• Family Day is Sat-7-Jun.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

2014 Softball Minors Schedule

• League Director: Wendi Moore
  email: weemoore "at" comcast.net (replace "at" with @)
  
• Please remember to sign up for email updates. That way you won't miss any schedule changes or weather updates.
• We generally do NOT make weather announcements about away games. Please contact your coach for cancellation updates on away fields.
• Changes made after April 21 to the original schedule will be announced via email and marked on the schedule with a C in the C column. Rescheduled rain-outs are denoted by an R in that column.
• Family Day is Sat-7-Jun.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

2014 Softball 78ers Schedule

• League Director: Wendi Moore
  email: weemoore "at" comcast.net (replace "at" with @)
  
• Please remember to sign up for email updates. That way you won't miss any schedule changes or weather updates.
• We generally do NOT make weather announcements about away games. Please contact your coach for cancellation updates on away fields.
• Changes made after April 21 to the original schedule will be announced via email and marked on the schedule with a C in the C column. Rescheduled rain-outs are denoted by an R in that column.
• Family Day is Sat-7-Jun.
• Click here to view this schedule on its own page.
• Click here to download this schedule as a PDF you can print.

2014 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-7-Jun.
• Team tournament begins July 7.
• 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.

A Letter from the President of Southern

Hello to All Southern Little League Members Past and Present,

I am writing to give you an update on many topics for the upcoming season. Before I get in to this season I would like to share with you that the East, West and Junior/Senior fields all underwent renovation of their infields last Fall. We will post photos here after this weekend’s Leadoff Party. We are working toward three additional improvements for the spring. Improved scoring decks with covered roofs and fenced in area on both East and West fields. Thanks to the Gene Missad Foundation the money for the West/Gene A. Missad field has already been raised. The Junior/Senior Henwood field is in desperate need of a new scoreboard. The East field project and Henwood scoreboard projects will cost between $15,000 and $20,000 to complete. You have all received many blasts about The Southern Little League Leadoff Party and perhaps you are even annoyed at the blasts however this is a fundraiser that hopefully will allow the League to do these much needed improvements. Please scroll down to the next article and sign up to join in the Leadoff Party tomorrow night. Don’t let a little snow deter you. It’s not only a fundraiser it’s also a great place to meet past and present members of SLL.

You can sign up now for the 2014 Baseball and Softball season at Southern. The link is on our website up along the right side. You will see our first email blast about signups next week. A new Little League rule for this year changes the boundary rule of the past “You must live within the printed boundary of the league or attend school in that league’s boundaries.” The highlighted area is the change and is a much needed improvement so we don’t have to struggle to get waivers any longer.

Southern Little League needs a volunteer director for our softball program. It is a must that we have families volunteer or we simply can’t operate. Contact me at director@southernll.org to discuss the responsibilities.

Southern Little League was awarded the honor of hosting the 9/10 year old State Baseball Championships and the Senior League State Championships for 2014. These tournaments only come around once every 16 years for each age group and we were also selected from all of the leagues in District 9. We will give you much more information on both of these tournaments to be run the end of July. Please consider volunteering to help us run the best State Tournaments ever.

We look forward to seeing all of you soon. Below are some of the many important dates for the 2014 season. Hope you all come to the Leadoff Party Saturday.

• Signups – Now thru March 15
• Tryouts – March 29th at EGR High School Gymnasium
• Cleanup Day – April 19th at Southern
• Kickoff Meeting – April 23rd at EGR Middle Cafeteria (mandatory for all coaches and team parents)
• Opening Day – April 24
• Family Day – June 7th

Best Regards,

Bob Hams

President, Southern Little League

Come On Out Saturday Night!

Live music, Hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, and a great list of silent auction items. Come out and support Southern Little League! The fun starts at 7pm.
You can read all the details here.
Please buy your tickets now!!
You can pay by credit card or PayPal. (No PayPal account is required.)
Or pay at the door on Saturday night.

1 Couple $60.00 USD 1 Person $35.00 USD

Please Buy Your Tickets Now

We are only days away from the third annual event!

Just in case you need another reason to attend, here are a few of the auction items:
Special Items:

• Hockey Winter Classic Cap with signatures. Yes, all the big names.
• Signed memorabilia from baseball and hockey greats!

Sporting Events:

• SEC Football- SC vs. Texas A&M including airfare, two nights lodging, and a back scenes tour
• Huntington Club Suite tickets for MSU Football with stadium side parking Detroit Tiger infield box seats and one night lodging at a downtown Detroit hotel
• Tickets to U of M Football, Detroit Lions, Detroit Pistons and GR Griffins

We are just over a week away now! You can read all the details here.
Please reserve your tickets now!!
You can pay by credit card or PayPal. No PayPal account is required.

1 Couple $60.00 USD 1 Person $35.00 USD

Or pay at the door on Saturday night.

2014 Leadoff Party

Annual Fundraiser for Southern Little League



An Evening of Food and Fun!

Saturday, February 1st, 2014
Applause Event Center | 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM
2728 Birchcrest Dr SE (behind Pietro’s)

Auctions Supporting our Scholarship Fund and Facility Renovations
Cash Bar and Hors d’oeuvres
$60 per couple / $35 per person
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!

2014 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 only. 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 29th
• 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 2014 Season

You can sign up in person for the 2014 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. The sign-up table will be located near the fireplace inside the mall.

• Where: Breton Village Mall
• When:
• Monday, March 3, 6-7:30pm
• Monday, March 10th, 6-7:30pm
• Saturday, March 15th, 10am-noon
• A parent or legal guardian must be present at sign-up.
• The child need not be present.
• We do not need to see birth certificates.
• Cost is $150, payable by check, cash, or credit card. ($100 for softball.)
• You cannot sign up by mail.

Sign Up Online for the 2014 Season

• DEADLINE IS MARCH 21! (Deadline for Seniors is May 16.) Online sign-up will close after the deadline.
• The cost is $150. ($100 for softball.) After the deadline, the cost increases to $175.
• 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.
  
• We have heard from several folks that they are having difficulty receiving confirmation emails from the sign-up provider. Please check your spam folder for these confirmations. We apologize for any inconvenience.
• 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.
  

Board of Directors

Concussion Awareness Certification List

These are the coaches who have completed the concussion awareness training and have emailed their certificate to webmaster@southernll.org:

(alphabetized by last name)
Adams, Doug: 3/11/2014
Apol, James: 4/12/2014
Bayer, Tim: 3/10/2014
Beale, Tim: 3/25/2014
Bertke, Matt: 1/7/2014
Bernecker, Scott: 7/8/2018
Billo, Jamie: 4/15/2014
Bishop, Mike: 3/10/2014
Blakley, Michael: 5/7/2014
Brandstadt, Todd: 4/9/2014
Burns, Kevin: 3/10/2014
Burrows, Brian: 5/26/2014
Butler, Dev: 4/16/2014
Caswell, Chris: 3/24/2014
Cavanaugh, Matt: 4/1/2015
Clark, Matthew: 4/20/2018
Collins, JD: 4/25/2014
Conway, Jack: 9/5/2013
Dann, Tom: 4/12/2015
Deblecourt, Ed: 4/15/2014
Doezema: Kip: 5/5/2016
Dugan, Larry: 4/25/2014
Dwortz, Rob: 4/24/2015
Ekkens, Dave: 3/31/2016
Elble, Jeff: 3/11/2014
Ferguson, Robert: 4/26/2014
Force, Mick: 4/13/2014
Fouch, Matt: 4/18/2014
Fox, Christopher: 4/17/2014
Fredrickson, Todd: 5/3/2016 
Gelderloos, Dan: 4/15/2014
Gifford, Jeremy: 4/25/2014
Green, Stuart: 5/3/2016
Groen, Dan: 3/28/2014
Haan, Phillip: 4/22/2018
Hall, Scott: 3/10/2014
Henkey, Rob: 3/12/2014
Hildebrand, Kim: 4/28/2014
Hoppman, Jeff: 4/25/2014
Hoogerwerff, Michael: 3/20/2014
Jacobsen, Roger: 3/20/2014
Jazwinski, Jeff: 3/25/2014
Kakaty, Jay: 4/19/2018
Kehr, Jason: 5/3/2016
Kirk, Brad: 3/19/2014
Klop, Aaron: 4/27/2016
Koetje, Nathan: 3/31/2014
Kolk, Tim: 3/4/2014
Koster, Chad: 4/26/2014
Knuble, Mike: 4/21/2014
Kreisman, Brian: 3/9/2014
Kuzner, Tom: 4/14/2014
Lachman, Blair: 3/21/2017
Lamange, Chris: 4/22/2014
Lauria, Mike: 4/17/2014
Ledesma, Chris: 4/1/2015
Lee, Chris: 3/25/2014
Leistra, Phil: 4/26/2014
Luciani, Kevin: 4/15/2014
Lundeen, Erik: 4/21/2014
Maher, Matt: 4/16/2014
Malewitz, Bernie: 3/28/2014
McIntosh, Matt: 4/1/2014
McIntyre, Todd: 4/23/2014
Meinert, Jeff: 4/18/2018
Millman, Steve: 4/14/2014
Moore, Jerry: 2/18/2014
Murray, Rob: 3/7/2014
O'Connor, Eric: 3/24/2014
O'Connor, Patrick: 4/22/2014
Passinault, Joel: 4/1/2014
Pohlman, Tom: 4/26/2014
Raymond, Michael: 4/15/2014
Rohen, Ethan: 3/18/2014
Rosmarin, Chris: 4/24/2015
Sage, Travis: 4/19/2018
Scholten, Michael: 3/29/2016
Scofield, Thomas: 4/13/2014
Seth, Steve: 4/22/2014
Shelton, John: 3/10/2014
Southerington, Steve: 3/6/2014
Sprague, Rick: 5/1/2014
Sova, Greg: 3/25/2014
Stadel, Nick: 4/17/2017
Starck, Eric: 4/21/2014
Stotts, Kevin: 4/17/2017
Stuursma, Peter: 4/21/2014
Sullivan, Tim; 4/28/2014
Tocco, Mike: 4/13/2017
Tucker, Toby: 4/14/2014
Turner, Brett: 4/15/2014
Vance, Simon: 4/19/2018
VandenBerge, Jim: 5/22/2014
VanderLei, Andrew: 4/25/2014
VanderMolen, David: 4/1/2014
VanGessel, John: 4/3/2014
Vriesenga, Matt: 4/21/2014
Walters, Mark: 4/21/2014
Weiss, Jim: 7/6/2018
Westerbeke, Bill: 2/24/2014
White, Mark: 4/2/2014
Winkle, Mark: 3/10/2014
Zezima, Craig: 3/8/2014
Zimdar, Kyle: 3/5/2014

Concussion Awareness Training Certification

This training is mandated by the state of Michigan. All coaches and assistant coaches must take the concussion training video. It is a review of what signs to look for if an incident occurs.

Please understand that you may not coach until you are certified.

You do not need to complete this certification every year.

If you have already been certified via the State of Michigan thru a different organization, you can skip step 1 below and simply email your certificate to us.

Not sure if you're certified? Check our list of certified coaches here.

Here are the steps you must follow to become certified. You must complete ALL steps.

1. Watch the video. Click here to be taken to their website to watch the 25-minute video.
2. Once you finish watching the video, you must email your certificate to webmaster@southernll.org. If your name does not show on the certificate, send it anyway. If you are unable to download and email the certificate, take a photo of it with your phone and email the photo. Those of you hopelessly stuck in the 1980's may print and fax your certificate to 616-794-0925.
3. Within 72 hours, we will email you and let you know that we received your certificate. If you don't receive an email back within 72 hours, please contact us again.

All Games Canceled

Due to rain and poor field conditions, all games for Sunday, October 6, are cancelled.