Posts by Michael DeSanto

The Oaklandon Youth Organization (OYO) Board of Directors is dedicated to supporting athlete safety at all times during all activity at Veterans Memorial Park, the home of OYO. Our goal and commitment is to ensure all board members, coaches, umpires and families are aware of the symptoms of concussions and implementing a process to promote proper management of a player, umpire or coach who may be experiencing concussion symptoms based on either observation or direct feedback.

After experiencing an injury to the head, a concussion may be a possible diagnosis if a coach, parent, umpire or AOD observe the following symptoms:

• Appears dazed or stunned
• Is confused about events
• Answers questions slowly
• Repeats questions
• Can’t recall events prior to the hit, bump, or fall
• Can’t recall events after the hit, bump, or fall
• Loses consciousness (even briefly)
• Shows behavior or personality changes
• Forgets an instruction or assignment

After experiencing an injury to the head, a concussion may be a possible diagnosis if the athlete or individual (e.g. coach/umpire) verbally indicates any of the following symptoms:

• Headache or “pressure” in head
• Nausea or vomiting
• Balance problems or dizziness
• Blurry or double vision
• Sensitivity to light or noise
• Feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy
• Difficulty concentrating or remembering
• Just not “feeling right” or “feeling down”

The official OYO Concussion Policy effective immediately for all activity during all seasons and activity facilitated by OYO:

If any of concussion symptoms are observed or indicated by a player, then the player must be removed from the game/practice immediately. Removal from game situations will be the responsibility of the Umpire if older than 21 years of age. If the Umpire does not meet this criteria, the Umpire will engage the AOD to make the decision. The athlete will be ineligible to return the rest of the day. If more serious symptoms present, the athlete must be seen by a healthcare provider prior to returning to the field. 

For players who do not experience initial or additional symptoms, they will be allowed to return to practices or games after 24 hours with no documentation required. In order to return prior to 24 hours, documentation from a healthcare professional will be required.

At OYO, we’re excited to have fans witness fun and exciting games up close.  The standing-room only cheering sections have provided true encouragement for our ballplayers.

We also realize the hot, sunny, weather conditions leave us all seeking some shade and cover. We encourage and welcome families to bring their tents, chairs and more to stay cool and safe.

That said, we simply ask for some consideration on where you set up your chairs and tents, especially when watching games on Fields 6-9. These four fields offer a very narrow path for our courtesy golf carts to operate. Our golf carts will be transporting guests needing assistance or deliveries to concession stands and fields only. If the areas are too congested, our Advisors on Duty reserve the right to ask fans to relocate to create less congestion.

Please follow our simple rule, no chair or tent should extend onto the paved asphalt paths at any time. This will ensure greater safety for all our fans and parents and less inconvenience for those watching our games and operating the carts, too.

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

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 break-ins and theft while enjoying a ball game.

Please keep all valuables (such as phones, purses, electronics, equipment and other personal belongings) out of view and also keep your cars locked and secure at all times. If possible, take valuables with you or even 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.

• Visit KROGER.COM
• Login and search for OAKLANDON YOUTH ORGANIZATION either by name or VY542 and then click Enroll
• New users will need to create an account which requires some basic information, a valid email address and a rewards card

For all our Fall Ball teams, our annual Photo Day is set for Sunday, August 30 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, all ballplayers who are present on Photo Day will receive a complimentary package of one 5×7 individual photo and four wallets of their ballplayer. That said, we know 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!

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:

Michael Schultheiss | Vice President, Administration
Gloria Fritsch | Player Experience Co-Chair
Krissy Schultheiss | Player Experience Co-Chair

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

H&R Photography is excited to return to OYO for Fall Ball photos on August 30, 2026. 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! 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.

If you have any questions about products and ordering, please message us through our website. Thank you again for your wonderful partnership, and we look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday, August 30!

With much appreciation!
The H&R Photography Team

OYO is excited to announce the release of our 2026 Fall Ball Season game schedule for all divisions. Before providing instructions on how to access game schedules, here are several important reminders involving your ballplayer’s game schedule:

• The regular season begins Sunday, August 23 and concludes Sunday, September 27
• Tee Ball and Junior Rookie will play one game each Sunday | All other divisions are scheduled to play two games each Sunday
• Tee Ball will be scheduled for one additional game on Sunday, October 4 (times to be announced in mid-September)
• All other divisions (except Tee Ball) will participate in a single-elimination tournament on Sunday, October 4 (brackets to be released in mid-September)
• In Rookie, Minor, Super Major Junior Baseball and 12U Softball, on select Sundays, some teams are scheduled for a “split doubleheader”, where a team plays one game, sits out one game, then plays again
• There is an altered game time format on Photo Day (Sunday, August 30), where games are reduced to 90 minutes each in all divisions in all time slots since photos will precede the games
• We will play games on Labor Day weekend (Sunday, September 6)
• Weeknight practices continue throughout the season through Friday, October 2
• For Junior Baseball 15-17, we have only provided a game schedule through September 6, as we are still exploring and finalizing an intra-league format for the second-half of the season involving more teams from nearby organizations (more details to come
• Please check the OYO website for details about the OYO Rainout Policy.

To view your ballplayer’s regular season game schedule (and ongoing practice schedule) for the regular season, follow three simple steps:
(1) Log in to LeagueApps via oyoball.org.
(2) Access your account dashboard.
(3) Click on My Schedule at the bottom of the sidebar along the right side of the screen.

And once again, don’t forget, all teams are scheduled for games on Sunday, October 4. Tee Ball will play its final regular season games on Field 14 that day. All other teams will participate in our annual single-elimination tournament, and the brackets (plus final Tee Ball game assignments) will be released in mid-September.

If you have any questions about your game schedule, please contact your team’s coach or division commissioner for more information.

As always, we truly appreciate you choosing OYO as your place for baseball and softball. We look forward to a memorable season for your ballplayer and welcoming you and your family to the park for more quality practices and many exciting games.

Don’t Delay! Register Today!

Come take the field at OYO this fall — and encourage your friends to do the same! We have room for more ballplayers! So, be sure you are registered and then tell your friends there’s still space for them for the 2026 Fall Ball season.

All future registrations will be handled on a first come, first serve basis. That said, we are prioritizing all recruit-a-teammate efforts for teams with either two openings per team. This will help ensure all players registered are evenly dispersed in the division.

Once we reach maximum capacity — as we have for 14U/16U Softball — we will initiate a waiting list process (where players can register and be added to the wait list at no charge). That said, based on experience, we know we will receive a flurry of registrations as we inch closer to Fall Ball’s Opening Day. Don’t delay or you may find your ballplayer left off the ballfield this season.

REGISTER TODAY! RECRUIT YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN YOUR DIVISION TODAY, TOO!
Let your friends, classmates, neighbors and relatives know they can still join us for the 2026 Fall Ball season. Once these limited openings are gone, there will be no additional openings available, just wait lists unfortunately. We are quickly approaching maximum capacity and the openings remaining are all we have left to offer to interested families. So, act now!

Don’t Delay! Register Today!

Support OYO and hundreds of ballplayers this fall with your sponsorship — and get some timely marketing benefits, too!

We’re looking forward to an exciting Fall Ball season. As with each season, we’re also in need of growing our support from the business community to ensure all our teams are supported by a team sponsor.

For those parents and/or businesses who have helped sponsor a team, we appreciate your support, which helps keep our registration fees flat year over year despite rising costs. With another robust Fall Ball season in the works with 73 teams, we need your support quickly. 

Our complete list of sponsors is due to the uniform vendor on Thursday morning. However, we still have 25 teams without a sponsor.

So, if you’re interested or know of a business that wants to support OYO, let us know ASAP. We can still guarantee your sponsorship will be tied to your ballplayer of choice, if received by EOD on Wednesday, July 29.

Our Fall Ball sponsorship program begins at $200/team.  Visit our sponsorship page to learn more email the OYO Ways and Means Committee.

We appreciate your consideration and support in OYO!

OYO Board Members recently conducted our exclusive Coaches’ Meeting and Orientation for our Fall Ball softball and baseball coaches to kick off our 19th Fall Ball season at OYO.

This meeting helps ensure all our coach volunteers are aligned in how they will leverage our organization’s resources and collaborate frequently to maximize the development of all our ballplayers across the league. What’s more, they are prepared to demonstrate great teamwork in providing our young softball and baseball players a memorable on-field experience this fall.

We hope the information attached provides our coaches with the details needed to execute a quality experience for all our ballplayers and their families. If you have any questions about the upcoming season, please contact an OYO Board Member.

As always, thank you for choosing OYO as your place for baseball and softball this fall. And, we truly appreciate you sharing your talents and volunteering to be a coach this season. Play Ball!

Link to Coaches Meeting Orientation:

• Meeting Presentation
• Key Takeaways
• Field Care Guide
• Must-See Video for Proper Field Maintenance Techniques

Links to Helpful BASEBALL Coaching Resources:

• Rules
• Player Development Progression Framework | Baseball

Links to Helpful SOFTBALL Coaching Resources:

• Rules
• Player Development Progression Framework | Softball

All head coach applicants and those interested in being assistant coaches should attend this important pre-season meeting.

Coaches Meeting | The 2026 Fall Ball Season Coaches Meeting is set for Thursday, July 30 at 8:00 p.m. at OYO on Field 2. (All attendees are encouraged to bring their own chair and notepad.) This meeting is specifically for all head coaches and interested assistant coaches in all our Fall Ball divisions.

Team Equipment Distribution | Coaches also may pick up their team equipment either before or after the Coaches’ Meeting (on July 30) during the following windows:

• 6:15-7:45 p.m.
• 9:15-10:00 p.m.

Got Questions? | If you have any questions about coaching or division-related matters at OYO — or for additional questions about OYO’s operations, planning and preparation for the upcoming Fall Ball Season — please contact:

• Aaron Campbell, OYO Vice President, Baseball
• Mario Covarrubias, OYO Vice President, Softball
• Anthony DeSanto, OYO Vice President, Game Day Operations
• Michael DeSanto, OYO President

As always, thank you for all you do for OYO’s ballplayers and families and thank you for choosing OYO as your place for baseball and softball this fall!