When It Rains, We Have a Plan!

This spring’s unpredictable Indiana weather has created significant challenges for the 2026 OYO season. Yet, it’s Indiana and the weather has lived up to its Indiana reputation of being unpredictable. This has resulted in game-day decisions and announcements that are not popular – yet necessary – as a result of saturated and unsafe field conditions.

 

CURRENT STATE OF CANCELLATIONS | UPDATED

Through the first four Saturdays of regular season play, OYO has already experienced two full-day cancellations totaling 100 games due to rain and unsafe field conditions. The cancellation breakdown is as follows:

  • April 18 | Canceled | rained all morning and into the afternoon resulting in canceling our traditional Opening Day
  • April 25 | Played | rained the night before but a heroic all-hands-on-deck approach by a handful of volunteers ensured all games were played
  • May 2 | Played | weather pleasant, families enjoyed a wonderful day for ballgames
  • May 9 | Canceled | rained heavily overnight at the park resulting in canceling full slate of games

UPDATE! While we were able to successfully play all games on Saturday, May 16, the first slate of weeknight games experienced more challenges due to the weather, including:

  • May 16 | Played | rained the day before but incredible effort from a handful of volunteers ensured all games were played
  • May 18 | Canceled | rained at game time with a thunderstorm warning resulting in canceling all games (plus, postponed MVP Classic Games and attempted to reschedule these games)
  • May 19 | Canceled | rained during the afternoon saturating all fields resulting in canceling all games
  • May 20 | Canceled | rained throughout the day saturating all fields resulting in canceling all games
  • May 21 | Played | weather pleasant and grounds committee worked all day to recover fields, families enjoyed a wonderful night for ballgames
  • May 22 | Canceled | rained late in the evening and throughout the night resulting in unsafe field conditions and canceling all games (that were rescheduled from Monday, May 18)

OYO is an amazing league. Dozens of volunteers work so hard to make everything possible for each and every one of you — our players, our fans, our coaches, our umpires, our concession workers and our community. So, when we find the fields essentially flooded after working hard all week to try to make them playable — and ask our coaches to dedicate extra time after practices to properly rake the fields — it is most definitely discouraging for all of us.

 

THE RAINOUT POLICY

Yes, we have a proven OYO Rainout Policy, which outlines how we schedule more games than projected to be played. In short, we anticipate every team will experience two game cancellations due to weather. It’s very rare that this early in the season – after just four regular season game days when we still have 21 game days to go – do we anticipate all teams will meet (or have met) that projection. Yet, by the numbers, we have. Here’s the breakdown:

  • 23 teams total already have experienced three or four games canceled to date
  • 61 teams have met the two-game cancellation threshold
  • 59 more games tomorrow (Saturday, May 16) and dozens more next week (May 18-22) are at stake based on rain-heavy forecasts

 

OUR IMMEDIATE ACTIONS FOR THE 2026 SPRING SEASON

As a result, the OYO Executive Board has met recently. The league is already implementing several immediate action plans and improvement initiatives on how we move forward with the 2026 Spring Season and recover some of the canceled games. While we don’t hold a crystal ball and can’t predict the future, there are three commitments we are extending to all OYO families, particularly in our 12 and Under divisions. Please note, not a single one of them is any promise for better weather as that is just not within the league’s control.

  • MORE FIELD IMPROVEMENTS | We are continuously working diligently to move more fresh field mix to the worst trouble areas on the fields and attempting to address the drainage issues where feasible
  • TAKE OUR TIME AND FIND OPPORTUNITIES TO PLAY | We will never risk a player’s safety, but beginning Saturday, May 16 we will demonstrate more patience, deliberation and effort – and adopt a staggered decision-making approach – to determine and communicate game status based on weather and field conditions
  • RESCHEDULE ONE “LOST” SATURDAY OF GAMES | The OYO Rainout Policy has served all of us well since 2008 – and will continue to be our path forward. However, we understand this spring’s weather has been miserable all too often. With all fields assigned each and every day through the remainder of the season, we do not have flexibility to add games to existing game days. So, we will proceed in rescheduling 1-2 of your team’s canceled games as follows:
    • The Scheduling committee will reschedule all games scheduled on either April 18 or May 9 between June 8-12
      • if any of these rescheduled regular season games are canceled in June due to the weather, they will not be rescheduled
    • The double-elimination tournament will remain intact but now start on Saturday, June 13 and conclude (for most divisions) by Friday, June 19
      • select Tee Ball games may be assigned new fields or game times and will be announced accordingly
    • Please note, no existing commitments to our Junior Baseball, 14U/16U Softball or full-time travel teams will be compromised
    • No later than Friday, May 22 we will announce the newly rescheduled games and release the tournament brackets f

 

WE NEED YOUR HELP, TOO!

Lastly, we need you! OYO is 1100 players strong from 700+ families. OYO is an amazing place that delivers an awesome experience. An amazing team of 60 volunteer board members, 93 head coaches and nearly 200 assistant coaches continue to volunteer to help make OYO a wonderful place for your ballplayers, families and fans ever since. However, the next time we experience a saturated ballpark, we – including you – will do all we can to make the fields playable for your ballplayer’s team.

So, here are two ways you and your team can help before and after the rain comes:

  • RAKE YOUR FIELDS AFTER EVERY USE | We share the importance of raking and dragging your ballfield regularly, so we want to emphasize (again) it really does make a difference. 5-10 minutes after practice or a game goes a long way in saving a game day!
  • BE READY TO COME HELP WHEN IT RAINS | Our volunteer grounds crew cannot recover 14 fields alone after it rains. We need all hands on deck. So, when it rains, we will communicate how you can help, too. We will need as many parents (not just board members and coaches) to come to the park to help!

 

WE VALUE YOU!

What has truly been a special year at OYO through new opportunities, expansion and growth has clearly been drowned out lately by Mother Nature wreaking havoc and creating disappointment in the hearts and minds of our young hardworking, resilient and deserving ballplayers. You and your ballplayer are a blessing to all of us at OYO. With so many positives all around OYO in 2026, we ask for your continued understanding and grace – and help, too.

Most importantly, please know after the past four weeks, your recent messages and feedback have been heard. We understand. I understand. We promise to do better, yet need your help (and Mother Nature’s cooperation), too. As always, thank you for choosing OYO as your place for baseball and softball.

 

PHASED CANCELLATION STRATEGY, BASED ON CONDITIONS

When we experience inclement weather at Veterans Memorial Park, we will adopt a patient, deliberate and staggered approach to determining game status for all fields. We acknowledge there are multiple criteria — weather elements, resources, personnel availability, etc. — that can impact the decision-making during this process. Where we indicate “juncture” below, the time frame is estimated to be a 1-2-hour window.

  • Weather Is Favorable, Fields Are Game-Ready
      • No changes or delays, Play Ball
  • Previous Day/Night Rain, No More Rain Forecast, Fields Moderately or Significantly Impacted
    • Option 1 (if all/majority fields can be recovered without darkness issues)
      • At first announcement, delay all games a defined amount of time (1-2 hours max)
      • At next juncture, cancel first slate of delayed games and keep rest as is
      • At next juncture, cancel the day
    • Option 2 (if all/majority fields can be recovered but darkness issues exist)
      • At first announcement, cancel first game slot
      • At next juncture, cancel second game slot of games and keep rest as is
      • At next juncture, cancel the day
  • Previous Day/Night Rain, Current Rain, Then Weather Improves
      • At first announcement, cancel first game slot
      • At next juncture, cancel second game slot of games and keep rest as is
      • At next juncture, cancel the day
  • Previous Day/Night Rain, Current Rain, No Major Weather Improvement Expected
      • At first announcement, cancel first game slot or cancel the entire day
      • At next juncture, if only first game slot is announced, then decide on remainder of day
  • No Rain Concerns, but Temperatures Starting below 40 degrees but Rising
      • Delay all games a defined amount of time (1-2 hours max)
  • No Rain Concerns, but Temperatures Starting below 40 degrees and Not Rising Substantially
      • Cancel the entire day