Posts by Michael DeSanto

The Oaklandon Youth Organization is committed to providing you a quality baseball and softball experience for your ballplayer and family. To better deliver the value and service you expect, we want to understand your overall experience and identify areas you recognize needing improvement.

We have had a record-setting turnout this season for our Fall Ball program. Starting Tuesday, October 5, we welcome your feedback from all OYO families. This survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Check your email for an invitation from OYO via SurveyMonkey. As with any mass email strategies of this kind, please check your spam filter for an email invitation if you do not see it by EOD on Tuesday, October 5.

The survey will remain open through Friday, October 22. Later this fall, we will recap our learnings and possible improvements for the 2021 season.

We appreciate your consideration for sharing your input and recommendations. Thank you for choosing OYO as your place for baseball and softball!

 
One final open tryout will be held on Saturday, October 23 from 10-11:30 a.m. at OYO on Fields 10-11.
 

LEARN MORE HERE!

As we pass the midway point 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 17. Depending on cancellations and delays due to weather, the tournament’s rain date is Sunday, October 24.

Tee Ball Games Added | All Tee Ball teams also have one final game scheduled on Sunday, October 17 at 5 p.m. These games have been added to your team’s schedule in LeagueApps. Following the game, teams will be able to distribute the trophies to each of their players!

The Brackets | At OYO, we are a developmental league first during the regular season. We do not keep standings, and all first round games/tournament brackets were completed through a computerized random draw in LeagueApps. Please access your division’s tournament bracket below (see links for your division’s bracket). 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 roound games are noted on your team’s schedule in LeagueApps.

Reminder for Coaches … Mandatory Meeting on October 10 | The mandatory Pre-Tournament Coaches’ Meeting is set for Sunday, October 10 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 October 10 and a great start to their tournament experience on October 17.

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

Play Ball!

BRACKETS

• Junior Rookie
• Rookie
• Minor
• Super Major
• Junior Baseball
• 08U Softball
• 10U Softball
• 12U Softball
• 14U/16U Softball

OYO and Champion’s Edge have teamed up to bring an exclusive softball clinic to OYO for all 8U, 10U and 12U-age ballplayers. Led by Champion’s Edge veteran hitting and pitching instructors, we encourage all OYO softball players to participate in this special session to sharpen their hitting fundamentals and discover new pitching mechanics.

SCHEDULE | On Saturday, September 25, this customized event will offer three options for age-eligible players:

• 08U Softball | Hitting Only | $20 | 11 a.m.-Noon
• 10U/12U Softball | Hitting Only | $20 | Noon-1 p.m.
• 10U/12U Softball | Hitting & Pitching | $30 | Noon-2 p.m.

LOCATION | All clinic sessions will be held at OYO | Veterans’s Memorial Park on Fields 6-9.

DETAILS | Please reference the softball clinic flyer for details.

REGISTRATION | All registrations must be completed online at least one day before this scheduled clinic. Please register your ballplayer(s) via OYO’s website before September 24. 

As always, thank you for choosing OYO as your place for softball!

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

Ready, Set, Smile! Team and individual pictures for our 2021 Fall Ball Season will take on a new format and a new look and feel that mirrors the format used in the Spring 2021 Season. The first-ever OYO Fall Ball Photo Day is set for Saturday, September 18, 2021, so mark your calendars! Please reference the attached schedule below for your team’s scheduled photo shoot time on Saturday, September 18.

OYO is revamping how we manage our team and individual photos to better accommodate COVID-19 safety guidelines and spacing as well as create a better overall experience for all our ballplayers and families. We have worked with H&R Photography to have one dedicated Team Photo Dayfor all our teams this fall.

This Photo Day will involve both team photos and player individual photos. We’ve designed the Photo Day experience so teams will be scheduled on ballfields this year, using Fields 1 and 4 and Fields 7 and 8. The schedule can be accessed using the link below. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your time slot to keep us on schedule. With the help of OYO players and parents, coaches, and board, we continue to make picture day a smooth adventure for all.

And, if needed, the rain date is set for Friday, September 25.

Lastly, up until the Wednedsay, September 15, 2021, orders may be placed online. On behalf of H&R Photography, thank you for making our newly-styled OYO Photo Day another successful experience. See you at the ballpark!

Ready, Set, Smile!
The OYO Board of Directors

2021 OYO PHOTO DAY SCHEDULE 

At OYO, for all official weather-related announcements on game days, we utilize the OYO Weatherline by Champion’s Edge to communicate important cancellation information. The Weatherline is used exclusively for game days during the rec league season. It is not used for rec league practice decisions.

All practice decisions are left to the coaches. Please check with your coach to determine if you are or are not having practice when the weather is questionable (and fields are not closed by the league).

The OYO Weatherline by Champion’s Edge can be checked by calling 317.767.5170. We do our best to update the Weatherline approximately one hour before the first scheduled games.

Here is one very important clarification: If we cancel a full slate of activities scheduled for the park, then no activity should take place on the fields, including ad hoc practices, travel games, etc.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

• Friday, September 17 | 8:00-9:30 p.m.
• Saturday, September 18 | 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• If a player cannot attend one of these scheduled tryouts, then they should email the coach by noon on Friday, September 17 to schedule an alternate time

ACTION REQUIRED | Parents for each interested ballplayer must register for a tryout by completing a pre-tryout survey and seelcting the tryout time of their choice. A player only needs to attend one tryout.

• Arrive at least 15 minutes early
• Dressed for tryouts wearing appropriate softball attire
• Do not wear any clothing or hats affiliating you with any past travel team (exception: helmets with team logos are permitted)

2022 12U Full-Time Travel Flyer

We are  so unbelievably sad for the kids scheduled to play on field 5 on Opening Day. We struggle to make that field playable after a heavy rain because it holds so much water. Looking back to the past week, Veterans Memorial Park received a lot of rain Thursday and then again on Friday evening during our uniform distribution process before another round of torrential rain on Saturday afternoon. Yet, we understand many other parts of our nearby community were dry and sunny. Nonetheless three consecutive days of short, but strong downpours, put us in a bind to make Field 5 playable for Sunday’s games.

We sent a text before 8 a.m. on Sunday morning and updated the OYO Weatherline sponsored by Champion’s Edge twice before 10 a.m. as those would be the most consistent and fastest ways to communicate with everyone, reminding them to check the OYO Weatherline by Champion’s Edge (317.767.5170) for field and game updates. Knowing now not everyone has opted to receive texts, we will expand these efforts to also include sending email updates to check the OYO Weatherline for the latest updates, too.

These decisions are never easy, and we know so many people are affected by them. Sometimes they are last-minute decisions. Please know the care of 13 fields is very time consuming and is done by volunteers. We do our very best to ready them all, but sometimes the field conditions are not able to recover in time.

In the future, if there has been rain recently at the park, we will update the weather line with field closures, even if it is a bright sunny day. Please accept our apologies about yesterday’s cancellations, and know we are actively working to make sure as many games can be played as possible on quality ball fields. We are also hoping for no more rain to wash out our fun!

Tip of the day: Keep your cars locked and secure while keeping your valuables and personal belongings out of sight!

Please, please do not leave valuables, purses, electronics, etc. in your car when you come to Veterans Memorial Park. We wish our wonderful park was exempt from theft and vandalism, but it is not. On a very busy, sunny, beautiful Sunday, even with surveillance, we are still not exempt.

As you prepare to come to the ballpark today, next week and for future seasons, we want to remind all our ballplayers and their families to utilize basic safety practices to minimize vehicle theft and vandalism while enjoying a ball game. Please keep all valuables (such as phones, purses, electronics, equipment and other personal belongings) out of view in your trunk and also keep your cars locked and secure at all times. If possible, take valuables with you or preferrably we recommend you leave them at home.

We have had a long track record of safety in our ballpark through the cooperation of our families, and we hope this timely reminder will help reduce future incidents at Veterans Memorial Park.

And, most importantly, please share this information with all your visitors who come to the park to cheer on your favorite ballplayer(s) and team(s)!