2026 Spring Season Registration Update

 

OYO is excited for the 2026 Spring Season, and by the flow of registrations from returning and new ballplayers so are all our families! With a remarkable lineup of registered coaches and tireless volunteer board members working together, we are excited and confident that 2026 will be our best year yet!

 

As we do each and every offseason, the OYO Board has taken a deep dive into how we can improve the overall experience for you and your ballplayers. One theme surfaces annually – team balance. In recent years, our incremental enhancements have yielded improved scores and feedback in our seasonal surveys. To build on that momentum, we are focused on making even greater improvements in team balance through a “scalpel” approach rather than a “hatchet” overhaul to how we construct team rosters.

 

With the help of the OYO Technology Committee, we have adopted a new digital program to construct fair and balanced teams by analyzing the following nine criteria:

  • player evaluation rankings
  • pitching/catching skill sets in kid-pitch divisions
  • player age
  • family members (siblings/cousins only) in division
  • even distribution of all-star team players (Bombers or Red Storm)
  • practice night availability
  • one assistant coach assignment for each head coach
  • sponsorship assignment, if relevant
  • general comments, where accommodation is feasible

 

To accomplish this, we want to be transparent in the difference from previous seasons. Of course, we still hope to accommodate individual player requests where feasible. However, registrations that contained excessive requests for teammates and/or coach assignments will not be widely granted. For example, a coach that may receive an abundance of requests can significantly impact team balance by either having too many players of the same age, too many experienced players or even too many inexperienced players.

 

Lastly, in adherence with OYO’s 52-year tradition of being a place for every ballplayer notwithstanding financial and timing needs, our league will continue to welcome late registrants until each division is full. We welcome your referrals to OYO and even your division. However, barring select extenuating circumstances, we do not plan to offer a “recruit-a-friend” promotion in any division except Tee Ball and Challenger. So, all ballplayers who register after rosters are released (on March 3 for our 12 and Under divisions) will be assigned to the team most in need regardless of comments.

 

Once again, on behalf of all of our amazing and dedicated OYO board members, we appreciate you choosing OYO as your place for baseball and softball. We look forward to seeing you and your family back at Veterans Memorial Park in just three weeks!

 

Play Ball!
Michael DeSanto
OYO President