Posts by Michael DeSanto

OYO’s ballplayers and families are counting on you to help make OYO a special place in 2025. We’re down to only three open board positions for 2025.

With 30 newly elected and newly nominated board members nominated for the 2025 OYO Board of Directors along with 33 OYO board members renewing for a new term, we’re very close to fulfilling all the duties needed to ensure an amazing year for every OYO ballplayer and family.

Are you ready to step up and join the 2025 OYO Board?

Come make a difference and improve the overall experience for all our ballplayers and families. The positions currently available for the 2024-25 OYO Board of Directors include:

• Game Day Operations | All Star Tournaments Chairperson
• Grounds Management | Grounds Co-Chairperson
• Travel Baseball | All Star Travel Baseball Commissioner

* list last updated on 9.16.24 at 10 a.m.

Give back to the community, demonstrate amazing grace and share new ideas to make 2025 a special experience for all! Email the OYO President directly to express your interest! Rest assured, nearly 2000 ballplayers from 1500 families will value the difference you make.

Thank you for your continued consideration and support! We appreciate your family choosing OYO as your place for baseball and softball!

As we enter the final two weeks of the regular season, we are most impressed by the development of all our ballplayers, teams and coaches. Everyone has worked so hard this year to make this season fun and memorable, through more in-depth coaching and player development initiatives, too.

All these efforts are designed to help teams progress and put themselves in position to be competitive during an exciting and enjoyable Rec League Tournament.

The Tournament | OYO operates a single-elimination tournament for all our divisions, except Tee Ball. The tournament is set for Sunday, October 6. Depending on cancellations and delays due to weather, the tournament’s rain date is first Saturday, October 12 and, if needed, Sunday, October 13.

Tee Ball Games Previously Scheduled | All Tee Ball teams also have one final game scheduled on Sunday, October 6 throughout the day on Field 14! Check LeagueApps for your game time and be sure to come and play … and capture your ballplayer receiving his/her participation trophy following the game!

The Brackets | At OYO, we are a developmental league first during the regular season. We do not keep standings. So, all first round games/tournament brackets were completed through a random draw in LeagueApps. Please access your division’s tournament bracket below (see links below for your division’s bracket). Please note, umpires will oversee a coin flip or ball roll to determine the “home” team for all games in the tournament. If you have any questions about your bracket, please contact your coach, division commissioner or respective vice president. The brackets can be accessed below and the first round games are noted on your team’s schedule in LeagueApps.

Reminder for Coaches … Mandatory Meeting on Sunday, September 29 at 7:15 p.m. | The mandatory Pre-Tournament Coaches’ Meeting is set for Sunday, September 29 at 7:15 p.m. on Field 2 at OYO. Each team must be represented by the team’s head coach or another designated representative. (Tee Ball teams do not need to attend.)

We wish all teams a memorable ending to their regular season between now and September 19 and a great tournament experience on October 6.

As always, thank you for choosing OYO as your place for baseball and softball.

Play Ball!
The OYO Board of Directors
www.oyoball.org

Baseball Tournament Brackets

• Junior Rookie
• Rookie
• Minor
• Super Major
• Junior Baseball

Softball Tournament Brackets

• 08U Softball
• 10U Softball
• 12U Softball
• 14U/16U Softball

Download the instructions here!

All our actions can define how our children in our league approach and handle adversity. OYO is a recreational league focused on instruction and development. Help create an environment that lifts up these resilient ballplayers each and every time they take the field. You can make a difference in ensuring our ballplayers have fun always.

In the spirit of full transparency, if a player, coach or fan is ejected, he/she will be asked to leave the park immediately and be suspended for a minimum of one additional game. What’s more, if a coach, player or fan is found in violation ofthe principles established in the OYO Code of Conduct or The OYO Way, then a suspension could be issued even without an in-game ejection.

If we continue to work together to prioritize making OYO an amazing place to play for all players, teams and fans, then this should never be an issue for any of our wonderful players or fans.

Congratulations to all 2024-25 OYO Board Members! On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, the current OYO Board elected a new slate of board members to help continue serve the OYO families in 2025 and beyond. This unprecedented group of 60+ board volunteers will work tirelessly to uphold The OYO Way and continue to grow our program to serve more than 1900 ballplayers from 1550 families each year. These board members will assume their official roles on November 1, 2024.

Don’t forget to thank an OYO Board Member today for their tireless and selfless efforts on behalf of all our OYO ballplayers and families.

All Fall Ball divisions (except Tee Ball) will participate in a fun, memorable rec league tournament on Sunday, October 6. The tournament is a single-elimination tournament and pairings are based on a random draw. Save the date on your calendar now. Then check the OYO website on Monday, September 16, for the tournament pairings and game times! Stay tuned!

OYO knows volunteerism!

After an amazing response involving 28 new board members nominated for the 2025 OYO Board of Directors as well as 35 of our 43 current OYO board members renewing for a new term, we’re down to our final four board positions in 2025.

And, OYO’s ballplayers and families are counting on you to help make OYO a special place in 2025. We are only two days away from the annual OYO Election — on Tuesday, September 10 we will present and elect our nominated slate for the 2025 OYO Board of Directors.

Will you help ensure the OYO Board is complete for 2025?

As a result of our new board expansion, OYO needs more volunteers. If you enjoy giving back to the community, demonstrate amazing grace and patience with ballplayers and families, and desire to team up with fellow volunteers to have a lasting impact on all those who call OYO home for their baseball and softball experience, then the 2025 OYO Board of Directors is the place to be.

Come make a difference and improve the overall experience for all our ballplayers and families. The positions currently available for the 2024-25 OYO Board of Directors include:

Game Day Operations

• All Star Tournaments Chairperson

Financial Management

• Deputy Treasurer, Travel Softball

Revenue Management

• Ways and Means Co-Chairperson

Grounds Management

• Grounds Co-Chairperson

* list last updated on 9.9.24 at 5 a.m.

Get involved! Simply email the OYO President directly as soon as possible to express your interest!We hope you will answer this call and make OYO the beneficiary of your volunteer service in 2025. Rest assured, nearly 2000 ballplayers from more than 1500 families will value the difference you make.

Thank you for your continued consideration and support! We appreciate your family choosing OYO as your place for baseball and softball!

OYO Fans,

Nearly two years ago, the OYO Board of Directors began a new term prepared to tackle some new challenges in hope of creating greater opportunities by tweaking for relevance and adopting a six-decade-old premise, “Do not ask what OYO can do for you, but what you can do for OYO?”

On countless occasions over the past 20 months, my fellow board members have received positive feedback about the league’s organization, preparedness, program variety, park maintnenance, alignment, balance, inclusivity, communication and so much more. Perhaps, you have been one of those thoughtful individuals, and we thank you for your kind words and input.

Now, I acknowledge we have sent multiple emails throughout August about the OYO Board of Directors. Yet, please read this message to understand why your volunteerism is so important now.

THE DIFFERENCE! Do you know what makes this possible year-in, year-out for the past 50 years? It’s simple. Behind the scenes, an amazing team of volunteers work tirelessly, collaborate remarkably, rally around challenges and celebrate the joys and thrills of youth baseball and softball. This team works together to manage a youth program like a business as we define our values, listen to our customers, monitor our finances, maintain our investments, think strategically, communicate broadly and respect all our internal and external stakeholders — including you!

OYO is your youth baseball and softball program. And you may have experienced the league grow exponentially — or even been part of the 26% growth during the past five years. In that time, naturally, our league’s needs also have grown.

To better modernize and align the OYO Board of Directors with the programs, services and resources necessary to meet your expectations and keep the league affordable for all, we’ve revamped and expanded the OYO Board of Directors. We want you on our team, too!

EXPANSION MATTERS. Conceptually, this is a sound and practical expansion. However, it will not succeed without the volunteer support to carry out the vision and duties to serve every ballplayer of every level.

The 2025 elections are Tuesday, September 10 — just one week away — and we need your help!

CURRENT STATE. So often we hear about the 80/20 rule. At OYO, we would be thrilled to have 20 percent of our families volunteering in some capacity on the OYO Board. In one way, we have achieved that — overall board member retention. In another way, we’re coming up short — meeting the board expansion’s needs.

This year, the OYO Board is represented by only 2.8% of our families. While that equates to 43 board members — the largest total in more than a decade — it’s simply not enough.

So, to fully staff the expanded Board of Directors for 2025 (and beyond), we enjoy 3.3% of all families stepping up to fulfill the duties of 56 roles through an 81% retention rate of current board members and 19 new board members graciously volunteering for the first time. Yet, that’s also not enough.

FUTURE STATE. So, what do we need? We need a minimum of 4.0% of all participating families — or 60+ unique volunteers — to ensure OYO thrives and succeeds to not only meet, but exceed, your expectations. That’s just an additional 0.7% of all households to volunteer and make a difference!

More board members equate to less overall demands on each board member/position, more visibility, more ideas and more direct interaction with families. Just as our schools believe greater success can be achieved through lower child-adult ratios for our resilient youth, then so should our sports program we come to value each winter, spring, summer and fall.

YES, YOU CAN BE PART OF THE SOLUTION! It should not a big lift to go from 52 to 60 volunteers — but we’re at a standstill. We’ve made calls, talked to families at the park, sent personal texts and circulated individual and leaguewide emails. With nearly 1,550 families, can we find just eight volunteers to join the 2025 OYO Board of Directors? Say “yes” and be part of the 0.7% solution!

WHAT’S ARE OYO’S NEEDS? As of September 5, the four remaining positions on the 2025 OYO Board of Directors include:

• All-Star Tournament Chairperson
• Deputy Treasurer, Travel Softball 
• Alliances and Grants Chairperson
• Ways and Means Co-Chairperson (one more needed)

ACTION! Reply to this message or email me directly to join the board.

OUR GRATITUDE! Thank you for your continued consideration and support! We appreciate your family choosing OYO as your place for baseball and softball!

With much appreciation and gratitude,
Michael DeSanto
OYO President
oyopresident1@gmail.com