Save the Date: 2017 Southern Little League Annual Lead-off Party

Please add this date to your calendar:
Saturday, February 25, 2017

This is our annual winter (almost spring) fundraiser for Southern Little League.

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

This year we will again host the event at the Applause Event Center. Our event will be one of the first in the newly renovated facility!

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

Sign Up Online for the 2017 Season

• DEADLINE IS MARCH 15! (Deadline for Seniors is not until May.) 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 read all the details here.
• 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.

2017 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 the 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 25th
• 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). If you have an 8 year old who wants to move up to Minors, they must attend tryouts with the 9 year olds. No exceptions. There is no guarantee any 8 year old will be placed in the Minors until all of the 9 thru 11 year olds are placed.
• 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-2:00pm: umpire sign-up and meeting. Details here.

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

• You must be at your assigned time on Saturday, March 25, to be evaluated.
• If you have a conflict at that time, you must contact the league director and make arrangements to be at the evaluations at a different time on Saturday March 25.
• In case of emergency or other unforeseen conflict, a parent or guardian of the player must call the league director and give a detailed evaluation over the phone to the director.

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

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

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 2017 Season

You can sign up in person for the 2017 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 Blimpie next to Breton Village Mall.

• Where: Blimpie next to Breton Village Mall
• When:
• Saturday, March 4th, 11am-1pm
• Saturday, March 11th, 11am-1pm
• Signup is ONLY available at those times.
• 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.

Schedule Change in Juniors Fall Ball: Kolk & Warners

We have switched the two juniors games for this coming Sunday, October 23. The new schedule is:

Juniors:
   Conway vs. Kolk – 1:00pm Henwood
   Conway vs. Warners – 3:00pm Henwood

Make-Up Week: Sunday, October 23

On Sunday, October 23, we will be making up all the canceled games from October 2. Here is the schedule:

Sunday, October 23

Coach Pitch:
   Stotts vs. Bishop – 1:00pm JC West
   Potter vs. Wisinski – 3:00pm West
Minors:
   Kuzner vs. Rohen – 1:00pm West
Majors:
   Green vs. Lamange – 1:00pm East
   Green vs. Dwortz – 3:00pm East
Juniors:
   Conway vs. Kolk – 1:00pm Henwood
   Conway vs. Warners – 3:00pm Henwood

Cancellation

All games are cancelled today. 

2016 Fall Ball Schedule

Sunday, September 11

Coach Pitch:
   Stotts vs. Bishop – 1:00pm West
   Potter vs. Wisinski – 3:00pm West
Minors:
   Rohen vs. Kuzner – 1:00pm JC West
Majors:
   Green vs. Lamange – 1:00pm East
   Green vs. Dwortz – 3:00pm East
Juniors:
   Kolk vs. Conway – 1:00pm Henwood
   Conway vs. Walters – 3:00pm Henwood

Sunday, September 18

Coach Pitch:
   Bishop vs. Wisinski – 1:00pm West
   Stotts vs. Potter – 1:00pm JC West
Minors:
   Kuzner vs. Rohen – 3:00pm West
Majors:
   Dwortz vs. Lamange – 1:00pm East
   Dwortz vs. Green – 3:00pm East
Juniors:
   Kolk vs. Conway – 1:00pm Henwood
   Kolk vs. Walters – 3:00pm Henwood

Sunday, September 25

Coach Pitch:
   Wisinski vs. Stotts – 1:00pm JC West
   Potter vs. Bishop – 3:00pm West
Minors:
   Kuzner vs. Rohen – 1:00pm West
Majors:
   Lamange vs. Green – 1:00pm East
   Lamange vs. Dwortz – 3:00pm East
Juniors:
   Walters vs. Kolk – 1:00pm Henwood
   Walters vs. Conway – 3:00pm Henwood

Sunday, October 2

Coach Pitch:
   Stotts vs. Bishop – 1:00pm JC West
   Potter vs. Wisinski – 3:00pm West
Minors:
   Kuzner vs. Rohen – 1:00pm West
Majors:
   Green vs. Lamange – 1:00pm East
   Green vs. Dwortz – 3:00pm East
Juniors:
   Conway vs. Walters – 1:00pm Henwood
   Conway vs. Kolk – 3:00pm Henwood

Sunday, October 9

Coach Pitch:
   Bishop vs. Wisinski – 1:00pm JC West
   Stotts vs. Potter – 3:00pm West
Minors:
   Kuzner vs. Rohen – 1:00pm West
Majors:
   Dwortz vs. Lamange – 1:00pm East
   Dwortz vs. Green – 3:00pm East
Juniors:
   Kolk vs. Walters – 1:00pm Henwood
   Kolk vs. Conway – 3:00pm Henwood

Sunday, October 16

Coach Pitch:
   Wisinski vs. Stotts – 1:00pm JC West
   Potter vs. Bishop – 3:00pm West
Minors:
   Kuzner vs. Rohen – 1:00pm West
Majors:
   Lamange vs. Green – 1:00pm East
   Lamange vs. Dwortz – 3:00pm East
Juniors:
   Walters vs. Kolk – 1:00pm Henwood
   Walters vs. Conway – 3:00pm Henwood

Fall Ball Rosters Published

We have finished assigning the players to teams for Fall Ball. You can view the rosters by clicking the Rosters link on the right sidebar of the website. Games start this coming Sunday.

We assign players to teams based on age for Fall Ball. Fall Ball is a league for the players to get extra games in so they get more experience for next season. It is much less competitive than the regular season. Even though it is called Minors, Majors, Juniors, etc. we divide the players up by age. Over the past few years we have found this system works much better with the limited amount of teams in Fall Ball.

Fall Ball Update

• As of today, Fall Ball signup is closed. If anyone still wants to sign up, you will need to contact Bob Hams (bhams@roofmelt.com) or Ethan Rohen (erohen@rivercitymech.com).
• We will be dividing up the teams on Wednesday, so expect to hear from your coaches no later than Thursday.
• Games start on Sunday, September 11.

Fall Ball Signup Deadline is TONIGHT

Please sign up for Fall Ball as soon as possible. The deadline is Monday at midnight.

Click here to read all the details and to sign up.

Fall Ball Signup Deadline is Monday at Midnight

Please sign up for Fall Ball as soon as possible. The deadline is this Monday at midnight.

Click here to read all the details and to sign up.

Fall Ball Signup Extended

The Fall Ball signup deadline has been extended until Sunday, August 28.

The Fall Ball season will now begin AFTER Labor Day, on Sunday, September 10. The season will continue for six weeks, ending on Sunday, October 16.

Please click here to read all the details and to sign up.

Last Call for Fall Ball Sign Up

Please sign up for Fall Ball as soon as possible. The deadline is this Sunday at midnight.

Click here to read all the details and to sign up.

Sign Up ASAP for Fall Ball!

Please sign up for Fall Ball as soon as possible. The deadline is this Sunday at midnight.

Click here to read all the details and to sign up.

Register Now for Fall Ball

It's time to think about Fall Ball again!

• Fall baseball will be for ages 6-14.
• This is a fun and instructional season. There are no practices, and we don't keep standings.
• The 6-8 age group will play coach pitch. The 9-10 age group and the 11-12 age group will play on the East and West small fields. Ages 13-14 will play on the Henwood big field.
• Please note that if you played as an 8-year old in coach pitch this past Summer, you now move up and play in the 9-10 age group for the Fall. If you played as a 10-year-old in the minors this past Summer, you will move up and play as an 11-year-old for the Fall. If you played as a 12-year-old in the majors this Summer, you will play as a 13-year old on the Henwood big field for the Fall. If you played as a 14-year old in the Juniors this past Summer, you continue to play as a 14-year old on the big field for the Fall.
• The season will start on Sunday, September 10, with the final games on Sunday, October 16. That's a total of six Sundays of play.
• All games will be played on Sunday afternoons at 1:00pm and 3:00pm, with some games at 5:00pm only if required by the number of teams.
• The cost will remain $60 this year and includes a jersey you can keep. This fee helps us cover the costs of umpires, baseballs, etc.
• Please note: You must live within or go to school within Southern's official boundaries to be eligible to participate in Fall ball. The only exception is if you used to live within the boundaries while playing baseball at Southern, you continue to qualify. If this is too confusing or if you're hoping for an exception, please contact Bob or Ethan.
• Interested in Fall Softball? If enough people email Wendi Moore (weemoore@comcast.net), then we will organize a fall softball season with Sunday afternoon games at JC West. Please do not sign up yet for softball, but do email her ASAP.
• You can sign up online here. To help us organize teams, recruit coaches and order shirts, we ask that you please sign up online as soon as possible.
• The deadline for signing up is Sun-28-Aug.
• Bob Hams, league director (bhams@roofmelt.com) or Ethan Rohen, league director (erohen@rivercitymech.com)
• We need coaches! Please contact Ethan if you are interested in coaching. (No full teams will be allowed this year so we can achieve an even competitive balance.)

A Big Thank You from Birmingham

From one of the Birmingham coaches:

"I told some of you but not all - you guys and your crew (umps/grounds/concessions/announcers/t-shirt sales, etc.) did an amazing job. First class in every way.  We do not take it lightly, and we have some idea of how much work and time you all give to this.  You made this a great experience for our kids and families and we cannot thank you enough."

This is what makes Southern so great! Thank you, Southern volunteers, for all your hard work on the 10/11-year-old state tournament!

Congratulations to the 2016 9-11 Year Old State Tournament Final Four

Southern Families and Friends,

Please come out and support the final four, enjoy a great time, and have a great meal tonight.

D14 Bay City Southwest vs. D9 Hudsonville at 5:00pm on Southern East

D6 Grosse Pointe Farms City vs. D4 Birmingham at 7:30pm on Southern East

2016 Fall Ball Juniors Roster

These are the team rosters for the Fall Ball 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).

2016 Fall Ball Majors Roster

These are the team rosters for the Fall Ball 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).