Play ball! Youth leagues discuss future plans

By COLIN FOSTER and GARY R. RASBERRY
sports@dailystandard.com

Youngsters are getting ready to play ball again.

Ohio's top leaders said Thursday that low-impact sports leagues and other activities will resume later this month. Yesterday, Gov. Mike DeWine's office released a list of mandatory safety guidelines to follow for the youth baseball and softball seasons.

America's pastime will soon be back. And it is one of few sports allowed at the present time.

"We're ecstatic," said Minster Youth Baseball Softball Organization President Tim Nixon, who said the board will meet Sunday to discuss their plan.

"The guidelines aren't that crazy, I didn't think," Nixon added. "They're definitely all doable. We definitely feel like we're going to have some sort of season."

That wasn't the only good news on Friday, however.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced it would lift the no-contact rule for baseball, softball, swimming and diving, tennis and track and field on May 26, according to an update sent to superintendents, principals and athletic administrators. Since mid-March, coaches have been limited to virtual contact with their athletes but will now be able to do in-person coaching in those sports. The spring sports seasons remain canceled, though.

Youth baseball and softball will go ahead as planned (in certain communities). Some have already canceled and others are discussing the future.

Coldwater Park Director Toby Siefring, who coordinates the Little League program in the village, says that nothing had been canceled and that coaches have been keeping updated distantly.

"We've been in a wait and see mode, and right now, we're waiting," Siefring said. "We would have had our (coaches) meeting by now, but with today's technology, we've been able to communicate. We'll shortly be communicating with our players, who have been anxiously waiting. As far as games and practices, we're behind a little bit, but we're going to be cautious. … We've got plenty of room on the back end (of the schedule). We always try to be done by Coldwater Picnic (in August), but this year we could play a little later into July and August to take advantage of the summer."

Siefring also says that the Cavalier Little League Baseball Tournament, featuring fifth- and sixth-grade teams is still on as of now for June 26-28.

St. Henry summer sports coordinator Pat Elking mentioned that no decision has been made since the village council closed the parks in the community until June 15, although the governor's announcement could mean a change. Elking also has considered playing just a regular season with no tournament.

The Fort Recovery Youth Sports Organization, which coordinates activities in Fort Recovery, is also undecided. Boys League director Jonas Foote said in a social media message that the board will confer with the volunteer coaches to see what direction will be taken.

According to their Facebook page, the Marion Baseball Committee is also undecided on their course of action.

The announcement came after a number of communities - Celina, Rockford, New Bremen and Mendon - had already canceled their summer youth leagues. Celina and Rockford are still not planning to go on with their seasons.

"We're not going to be able to put together teams. More than half the kids didn't even sign up. We've reimbursed them all their money already with the anticipation of rec sports being done," Celina Recreational Department Director Darl Strable said. "Starting on June 1, we will be having open enrollment on www.teamsideline.com/celina for soccer and football for the fall."

"Really, the whole program is all about community," Rockford board member Ryan Thompson added. "And who is going to be up there making sure people are staying six-feet apart and making sure kids are staying six-feet apart? We felt like with the information that we have we couldn't create a program this year that ensured the safety of all of our kids.

"Rockford has canceled their regular summer baseball and softball programs," he continued. "But we are still looking at the guidance of the governor, and if the opportunity comes available that we could offer some sort of different program, then we would certainly entertain that. We've talked about that maybe there is a chance that there could be a fall league or we could look at doing something else in the fall."

New Bremen is reconsidering, however. The board will meet early next week to discuss future plans.

"We'll kind of try to hash something out with the town and with the health department and that stuff," said President of the Cardinal Recreation Club Mark Keller.

Keller said New Bremen officially called off their season on Monday and then issued refunds in the succeeding days.

"We waited two months (to cancel), and the main driver behind it was the department of health saying nobody could be on the facilities or anything until later on," he said.

There are a lot of variables to figure out, but Keller is optimistic they can iron everything out to get kids on the field, he said.

The guidelines released by DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health include an emphasis on social distancing and wearing masks. Other key items include daily symptom assessments by coaches and players, no team water coolers or shared drinking stations, no touching, no spitting or eating sunflower seeds, gum or other products, no touching, and compliant game balls must be designated to each team for use while that team is playing defense. A full list of the guidelines can be viewed at https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/responsible/Baseball-Softball.pdf.

"There's thing you can look at and think, 'Holy cow, I don't know how we can do this," he said. "But the goal is to try to do something because I think the kids really, really need it."