News

On this Giving Tuesday, communities everywhere are invited to support organizations that matter to them. OYO has always been shaped by one guiding belief:

We exist so every child can grow – on and off the ballfield, in skill, in confidence and in character.

This year, we have the opportunity to strengthen that mission in a powerful new way with the addition of the OYO Bullpen, our indoor training facility designed to give athletes year-round access to meaningful development.

For the first time, OYO players will have a consistent space to train during the winter and off-season – a space where they can get intentional reps, build confidence and continue improving no matter the weather. This is a significant milestone not only for our league, but for every young athlete who will benefit from it.

The training area inside the Bullpen includes roughly 2,400 square feet of turf. Today, for Giving Tuesday, we invite you to symbolically sponsor a square foot of that turf for $5.

Your gift goes far beyond helping offset the $16,000+ expense associated with purchasing and installing the new turf. More importantly, your financial support will fuel the training, coaching and year-round development that will happen on that turf for every OYO athlete in 2026 and beyond.

If OYO has played a meaningful role in your family’s life, we invite you to be part of this next step.

Sponsor a square foot today!

Thank you for supporting OYO and helping us build year-round development opportunities for our players.

With much appreciation and gratitude,
The OYO Board of Directors

We’re making great progress in transforming the indoor facility at Lee Road Park into OYO’s new home for player development and training for all our rec league participants, All-Star players and Full-Time Travel team members. We appreciate the continued interest and support in this effort and our partnership with the City of Lawrence to make this new chapter possible.

To help mark this milestone, we are proudly rolling out the new name for this facility — The OYO Bullpen! The logo above will be used in all promotions for this new training location for all our ballplayers and teams. More exciting news to come, but we hope you’re eager to check out The OYO Bullpen soon!

If you have a baseball player who is interested in being a member of our 07U Bombers or 10U Bombers teams (based on age as of April 30, 2026) or a softball player interested in our 12U All-Star Red Storm team (based on age as of September 1, 2025), then now’s the time to learn more about OYO’s All-Star program. Final tryouts for each team are set for Saturday, November 15!

BOMBERS TRYOUT DETAILS | RED STORM TRYOUT DETAILS

The OYO Spirit Store is open once again and is accepting orders through Sunday, November 23 at 11:59 p.m. All orders will be shipped to your home in time for the holidays! Don’t miss this chance to outfit (or gift) your ballplayer and/or fan with OYO, Bombers or Red Storm apparel!

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

Courtesy of The City of Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department, Veterans Memorial Park has been experiencing a valuable makeover for all our families and fans. In October, the city has paved and repaved a vast majority of our walkways, which includes our first-ever paved path back to Fields 10-12. OYO truly appreciates our tremendous partnership with the City of Lawrence and the continued support and generosity they offer to the Oaklandon Youth Organization!

REGISTER TODAY!

With the spring and summer seasons behind us and Fall Ball wrapping up, is your ballplayer already expressing the fear of missing out on his or her favorite sport? At OYO, we certainly are! So, don’t let the offseason keep your ballplayer from doing what he or she enjoys most…playing baseball or softball! OYO has just the right solution — and in a brand new location that is closer to home than ever before, too!

ABOUT THE PROGRAM | Every winter, we welcome all baseball and softball players to come join us indoors to knock off that winter rust with our Winter Workouts program!

DAY | All sessions will be held on Saturdays

DATES | Saturday, January 10 thru Saturday, March 14 (regular season practices will begin March 16)

SESSIONS | 10 weekly sessions running 90 minutes each (for players ages 9 and older) and and 10 weekly sessions for running 60 minutes each (for players age 8 and younger) The scheduled times are as follows:

• 9:30-11:00 a.m. | 12U Softball + 14U/16U Softball
• 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Super Major + Junior Baseball
• 12:30-1:30 p.m. |  Junior Rookie + Rookie
• 1:30-2:30 p.m. | 08U Softball
• 2:30-4:00 p.m. | 10U Softball
• 4:00-5:30 p.m. | Minor

FEE | $100 per ballplayer

PARTICIPANTS | Winter Workouts are open to past OYO players, prospective OYO players and ballplayers in the community just looking for a chance to get some off-season practice in before the spring season starts. It is not a requirement for participants to play in OYO’s 2026 Spring Season — any interested ballplayer may participate.

LOCATION | Indoor Facility at Lee Road Park, 6200 Lee Road, Indianapolis, 46236

FACILITATION | Each workout session plan will be developed and executed by veteran OYO rec league coaches and leaders. The workouts for all baseball and softball age groups will focus on hitting and fielding and, where applicable, pitching and catching.

MAXIMUM CAPACITY | Although the workouts don’t start until early January, the number of roster openings in each division is limited to only the first 20 players who register. Once we reach capacity, we will add all interested players to a wait list. Don’t delay, register today!

REGISTER | Visit LeagueApps today to register your ballplayer for the Winter Workouts!

Thank you for choosing OYO as your place for baseball and softball! We look forward to welcoming you to our new and improved Winter Workouts this winter!

Oaklandon Youth Organization (OYO) has partnered with the City of Lawrence Parks Department to bring athletes a new indoor training home at Lee Road Park.

Renovations this fall will add batting cages, improve bullpens and maximize training space in ways that will transform the building into a year-round home for OYO baseball and softball. Winter workouts will be the very first program hosted there, starting in January 2026.

Why It Matters

• Year-Round Opportunities | Athletes can keep training when outdoor fields close
• Player Growth | A space built for skill development at every level
• Community Investment | A partnership that keeps Lawrence families playing close to home
• Pathway for All | Supports OYO Rec League, All-Star and Full-Time Travel programs

Renovation Timeline

• October-December 2025 | Renovations in progress
• Early January 2026 | Celebration event early January
• January 10, 2026 | Facility opens with Winter Workouts

Facility FAQs

Where is the new facility located?
The facility is located in Lee Road Park, 6200 Lee Road, Indianapolis, 46236.

What improvements and renovations are being made?
While there are a series of short-term and long-term improvements and enhancements planned to renovate the facility, below are the improvements being completed in the next 90 days:

• Exterior
  • Gravel pathway to facility
  • Parking lot closer to facility
  • Lighting for increased safety and security
• Interior
  • HVAC units
  • Wallboard replacement and painting
  • Improved lighting for player safety
  • Additional batting cages
  • Improved pitching areas
  • Strength and conditioning resources

When will it be ready?
The indoor facility renovations will be completed by early January.

Who will use the facility?
The facility will be used by all interested players who are currently affiliated with – or interested in becoming a part of – the OYO family. This facility will welcome participants in every level of baseball and softball programming we offer, including the OYO Rec League, All-Star program and Full-Time Travel.

How can you or your business support the renovations associated with the new indoor facility?
We welcome service, labor and financial donations that can help provide the following resources and developments:

• Asphalt paving
• Gravel
• Door and lock services, including garage doors
• Wallboard installation
• Insulation replacement
• Painting services
• Electrician services
• Interior and exterior lighting
• Minor interior construction support
• Baseball and Softball equipment needs (e.g. L-screens, batting cage nets, ball buckets and carriers, baseballs and softballs)

If you are interested in donating services, please send a message to the league. If you are interested in making financial donations on behalf of the facility, contact the OYO Sponsorship Committee.

How will this benefit players long-term?
The Lee Road indoor practice facility will serve as the new home for year-round baseball and softball training and player development for all interested youth baseball and softball players in Lawrence and the surrounding communities. Be a part of this exciting new chapter! Here are three upcoming action items for you and your ballplayer(s)!

• Register now for Winter Workouts (opens October 3)
• Learn about sponsorship opportunities 
• Sign up for the Spring Baseball & Softball Season (2026 registration opens in December)

Congratulations to all 2026 OYO Board Members! On Tuesday, September 9, 2025, the current OYO Board elected a new slate of board members to help continue serve the OYO families in 2026 and beyond. This unprecedented group of 65+ board volunteers will work tirelessly to uphold The OYO Way and continue to grow our program to serve more than 2000 ballplayers from 1500 families each year. These board members will assume their official roles on November 1, 2025.

At this time, we still have three chairperson vacancies on the 2026 OYO Board of Directors as well as the President-Elect position. Read this article to learn more about the remaining opportunities to join the board and how to submit your nomination today!

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.

The 2025 OYO Fall Ball expanded season involved seven memorable weekends, culminating with a picture-perfect Sunday on October 5 for our annual Fall Ball tournament. From players to coaches, from fans to volunteers and from umpires to concessions staff, our collective efforts made this a wonderful Fall Ball season to remember for all this fall. We witnessed some memorable and competitive games complete with memorable plays and lasting memories.

Below we have summarized the champions and runner-up participants in each division.

We truly appreciate you choosing OYO as your place for baseball and softball. We wish each and every ballplayer and family a memorable offseason.

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.