Posts by Michael DeSanto

OYO Baseball Fans:

Greetings! While debriefing on-field experiences with our umpires this past weekend –including my own experience in a Super Major game – there is some ongoing confusion surrounding OYO’s bat eligibility policy. My hope with this message is to clear it up for all players, coaches, parents and umpires.

As an instructional and developmental league, OYO strives to promote a safe environment for all our rec league ballplayers regardless of their experience level. Over the years, the types of bats available have multiplied significantly in a way that some bats are simply far more dangerous in a rec league environment.

For the past seven years, our bat eligibility policy has remained the same and our players have remained safer. Now’s not the time to abandon what’s worked, but ensure everyone understand what’s acceptable. We have not communicated this in detail to all our divisions before now, so we own any confusion we have caused in recent weeks on game day.

The policy can be found online and is summarized below:

JUNIOR ROOKIE | ROOKIE | MINOR | SUPER MAJOR DIVISIONS:

• Baseball bats may not have a barrel that exceeds 2-5/8 inches
• Baseball bats that have a barrel larger than 2-1/4 inches must contain the official USA Baseball logo (see attachment)
• A baseball bat with logo different than USA Baseball (ex. USSSA or BBCOR) still cannot exceed 2 1/4″
• All bat lengths cannot exceed 33 inches
• Softball bats not eligible in baseball games

JUNIOR BASEBALL DIVISION:

• Baseball bats may not have a barrel that exceeds 2-5/8 inches
• All bat lengths cannot exceed 34 inches
• USA Baseball, USSSA and BBCOR bats are permitted
• Softball bats not eligible in baseball games

IS YOUR BAT ELIGBLE?

Now, with these simple rules in place, we have one simple question. Is your ballplayer’s bat eligible? If so, then use it! If not, then save it for travel games or other locations … anywhere except our rec league.

And if you are unsure, then send an email with your team name, player’s name and photo of the bat (including certification stamps), to oyopresident1@gmail.com, and I personally will review the bat and confirm eligibility status to you and your team’s coach to ensure everyone is on the same page. (In the event of an overflow of email requests, please allow 24 hours for a reply.)

WHAT’S THE PENALTY FOR USING AN ILLEGAL BAT?

Now, what happens if your player uses an illegal bat? A lot! Allow me to summarize:

On first usage of an illegal bat:

• Batter shall be declared out
• If the ball was put in play, anyone put out is out and all runners not put out are returned to the base occupied before the ball was put into play
• Both the team and head coach are each issued a warning

Every time an illegal bat is found for the remainder of the game:

• The batter and acting head coach are ejected and the aforementioned penalty to the batter and baserunners are applied.
• When the ejected player’s turn appears in the lineup, the offensive team is charged an out for that at bat
• Each ejected player and coach will be suspended for a second game per OYO Code of Conduct for an ejection

Once again, this policy is in place to keep all OYO’s ballplayers – including your ballplayer – save and out of harms way. We truly appreciate you choosing OYO as your place for baseball, and we want to ensure every player has a memorable experience and comes back to play the national pastime for seasons to come!

With much appreciation and gratitude!
Michael DeSanto
OYO President | OYO Vice President, Game Day Operations

Once again on game day this past weekend, we had a scary close-call involving two cars moving in opposite directions in our parking lot and a young ballplayer darting from his family’s car toward the fields. Fortunately, this was a near miss but one we never want to see it ever happen again.

Whether you are entering the West Parking Lot by Turner Scapes or the South Parking Lot, one-way driving patterns exist in both parking lots. Immediately upon entering the South lot (near Fields 3 and 4) or the West lot (near Field 13 and picnic area), cars must turn right and make a circular pattern around the parking lot and continue to follow the circular pattern until you exit the parking lot.

Following this path and taking a few extra moments can go a long way in saving a ballplayer’s life at OYO. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding! Drive safe!

Looking for a fun summer activity? OYO is excited to partner with the Indianapolis Indians ballclub to offer family passes for any Indianapolis Indians game where seats are available. That’s right, no blackout dates for the use of these tickets. This can result in more than $50 savings when you head to the next Indians game and purchase a reserved seat (which sell for $18.25 at the Indians’ box office).

For just $20, you and your family or friends can purchase four tickets and create lasting memories at Victory Field with securing seats in the yellow areas of the picture. This special promotion not only supports our local sports community but also promotes family bonding and community engagement. Join us in making this summer unforgettable!

These tickets are available for purchase at either concession stand on games days this spring while supplies last!

One of the great things about OYO is we design our divisions to accommodate a handful of players who may decide to register a little later than most. This process is based on years of data and registration patterns. However, every once history doesn’t repeat itself and those anticipated registrations do not flow in as fast as anticipated. Then, teams are left with rosters that are less than full capacity and could pose a challenge on game days if there’s a player or two absent.

Currently in 14U/16U, four teams have two openings and two teams have just one opening each. With two more weeks of practices before games begin, there’s still plenty of time to get new players registered, assigned and acclimated before games commence.

Can you help recruit a friend to join your ballplayer’s 14U/16U team? All new ballplayers can REGISTER HERE! As of May 4, the 14U/16U teams with roster openings are:

• Buckeyes (2)
• Hoosiers (2)
• Irish (2)
• Jaguars (1)
• Lions (1)
• Yellow Jackets (2)

If you have any questions or need something more, less or different, please contact a member of the OYO Board of Directors for assistance. As always, thank you for choosing OYO this spring!

This is a player favorite, of course! Reward your ballplayer’s team with post-game treats and make the entire experience more memorable for your team and support OYO, too.

For $1 per treat ticket, a player can visit the concession stand following the game and select an item of choice from the Treat Ticket menu. All your team’s ballplayers need to do is redeem their treat ticket at the Concession Stand for an item of their choice on game days!

Sometimes teams buy these tickets as they go, and other times they buy a year’s worth of treat tickets all at once (number of regular season games + two tournament games … but remember Tee Ball does not play a tournament!). Ask a parent — or your Team Parent — to collect funds from the team and purchase/distribute these tickets after each game during the season!

Purchase your treat tickets at the concession stand this weekend! And remember, treat tickets are always a hit with the kids!

At OYO, for all official weather-related announcements on game days, we utilize the OYO Weatherline 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 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.

For our 12 and Under teams, our annual Photo Day is set for Saturday, May 10 at OYO — download the latest Photo Day Schedule. Upon arriving, all teams should gather near the evergreen trees behind centerfield of Field 4 then check-in at the information table in the vicinity.

As previously shared, we are extending our exclusive Fall Ball now to all our Spring Season families — all players (who are present on Photo Day) will receive a complimentary package of one 5×7 individual photo and four wallets of their ballplayer. However, as we discovered last fall, many families want to supplement that package with buttons, magnets, key chains, team photos, mugs or even more featuring their favorite ballplayer(s). See below for how to order these items in advance — along with two special offers presented by H&R Photo!

If you have any questions about Photo Day, please contact one of the following amazing OYO Administration Committee team members who are truly dedicated to making this an incredible experience for you and your ballplayer:

Lexis McGee | Vice President, Administration
Abby Fleischman | Player Experience Co-Chair
Gloria Fritsch | Player Experience Co-Chair

—- MESSAGE TO ALL OYO FAMILIES FROM H&R PHOTOGRAPHY —-

H&R Photography is excited to return to OYO for spring photos on May 10, 2025. We love the partnership with OYO. This year, we believe we have worked exceptionally well with the league’s Administration Committee to put together a schedule that works well with your game schedules so you don’t have to show up exceptionally early but will get you out in plenty of time to PLAY BALL! We typically run ahead of schedule so if your team is there and ready before your assigned time there is a great chance we will have you in and out early.

OYO is 100% online ordering. To place your photo order, go to www.handrphoto.com, and the site will run you through the ordering process.

Two exciting changes we have made to our offerings for 2025!

Order Package 4 or Package 5 and we will throw in a free digital download package ($30 value)
We have a great product called the “hinged memory mate,” which is a perfect piece for your desk at work featuring your ballplayer’s team and individual photo on a mounted memory mate for easy display.

Again, to order photos go to www.handrphoto.com.

If you have any questions about products and ordering, please message us through our website or email heather@handrphoto.com.

Thank you again for your wonderful partnership, and we look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday, May 10!

With much appreciation!
Rob and Heather Leavitt
H&R Photography

At OYO, we offer travel programs to help ballplayers experience more competitive softball games. For softball players age 13 or 14 (as of January 1, 2025), check out our rec all-star program. Our all-star program provides additional development and more competitive game opportunities against teams from across Central Indiana. From experience, we know when families hear “all star” the misconceptions quickly follow. We’d like to set the record straight on our travel program before you and your ballplayer miss out on a tremendous opportunity this spring and summer.

Our softball travel program is named the Oaklandon Red Storm. Our 14U All-Srar Red Storm squad is the same as “all-star” teams selected in other leagues. The minor difference is these teams are formed during the practice season. Then, they practice or play games on Sundays during the recreational league season before coming together to play in local tournaments against similar clubs from other regional youth baseball and softball programs in late June and July. Only those players who play in our recreational program can tryout for and be selected to play for the All-Star Red Storm. These teams do require families to pay an additional fee to participate, and those fees vary from team to team.

The coach for the 2025 14U RT Oaklandon Red Storm team is James Enochs. The tryouts for the 2025 14U RT Oaklandon Red Storm team are set for:

• Sunday, April 27 | 2-4 p.m. | Field 6
• Sunday, May 4 | 2-4 p.m. | Field 6

Attendance is mandatory, unless other arrangements have been made with the team’s coach prior to the tryout to schedule an alternate time. There is no fee to participate in tryouts. Players should arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled tryout time and should not wear any hats or uniform apparel affiliating them with any past travel team involvement (at OYO or elsewhere). However, a team-branded batting helmet is acceptable.

Due to rescheduling of Opening Day events, the OYO Spirit Store has been extended and will continue to accept orders through Sunday, April 27 at 11:59 p.m. All orders will be ready for pick-up at OYO on Saturday, May 10.

LAST CHANCE TO ORDER THIS SPRING:

• Order in time for OYO Rec League Tournament
• Order for your All-Star Travel Experience
• Order for wonderful Mother’s Day gifts
• Customize the back of many designs, e.g. Best Baseball Grandma or Best Softball Dad

WHAT’S MORE!

This weekend — during Opening Day festivities on Saturday, April 26 — visit the Spirit Wear table to:

1. pick up orders from our first store all orders placed by April 6
2. see samples of spirit wear to purchase online for pick up in May
3. learn how you can be entered into a drawing to win a spirt wear giveaway

PLACE YOUR ORDER FOR OYO, BOMBERS AND RED STORM SPIRIT WEAR BY SUNDAY!