Morton Youth Baseball is looking forward to hosting another tournament this weekend at Westwood Park in Morton.  Per the Illinois guidelines for youth sports, all fans need to socially distance themselves from others.  All people in attendance to watch are recommended to bring a chair or blanket to sit on.  All bleachers will be shutdown to fans and spectators and nobody will be allowed to sit in them.  As for the dugouts, a maximum of four players and two coaches can be inside them at a time.  The rest of the players must be outside the dugout in the areas where the concrete is taped off.  These taped off areas are for players only and fans are not allowed to sit there.  Thanks for your understanding and we look forward to having a great tournament.

The tournament information for the U13 tournament this weekend is all listed here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-92ejYQG2HnDLbKO7aaTW3oFe4dily7w0PIYR4kIWSc/edit?usp=sharing

MYBA is looking for Field Duty Help Tonight, Tuesday, and Wednesday night of this week.  We need two people to help out and make sure things run smoothly.  Games start at 5:15 and will go until 9:15 or so  Please text or call Josh Tarter at 309-208-1642 for details if you are willing to help.  Thanks!

Here is the U9 Tournament information for the Pre Memorial Day tournament:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17M0bInShdqlDTehQLVQ7NuUub376gMUh4tFUjOi8J4M/edit?usp=sharing

Here is the tournament bracket and information for the U11 tournament:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13q5-sZJLdi6dwccRZQyx6AFrHsaVo5sOrnmSk_abxjY/edit?usp=sharing

We hope this message finds everyone healthy, safe and ready to play baseball games in Morton again.  Once again, for those within our MYBA family that are working in healthcare, we extend a very heartfelt thank you for all that you are doing to battle the current COVID-19 pandemic.

We first want to thank everyone who has put in all of the hours to get our fields and facilty ready for our 2020 season.  A lot of hard work has gone into making this season a reality, and it would not have been possible with out all of our board members, field maintenance staff and volunteer coaches.   With the state finally moving into phase 4, MYBA will officially be able to host baseball games beginning June 26.  

After reviewing the state's Phase 4 Youth Sports Guidelines, our executive board has revised the current Phase 3 MYBA guidelines which will allow our youth to play baseball games.  Below there is a link to our guidelines for baseball activities in phase 4, as well as the state's phase 4 youth sports guidelines.  

MYBA Guidelines for Baseball Activities in IL Phase 4

IL Phase 4 Youth Sports Guidelines

Due to the social distancing requirement, our Tee-Ball (Pinto) and Maverick (Coach Pitch) seasons will begin the week of August 17.  Teams will be selected and announced the last week of July, and practices can begin the week of August 3.  This will allow more time for anyone interested to register.  Registration will remain open until games begin.  The season will conclude at the end of September, providing a full season to all participants. 

Moving forward, our dugouts will open during Phase 4 per Park District Guidelines., with limited capacity.   Practices and games will be done in accordance with the Youth Sports Guideines around social distancing.  

Spectators fall under the normal state phase 4 guidelines around social gatherings of 50 or less.  We ask that everyone responsibly follow those guideslines.  We also ask that there be not fans sitting up close to the dugouts, the state's youth sports guidelines dictate that spectators must follow distancing from players during phase 4.

Our indoor hitting facility will remain closed for now as we figure out a way to safely allow it's usage.  The outdoor cages have been set back up and are ready for use, please use those for any batting practice needs when fields are not available.

Our concession stand will open up this Friday.  There will be one window for orders, and one for pickup.  We ask that everyone please follow distancing while waiting in line.  Treat tickets this year will be done on a delivery system to avoid huge crowds after games, more details will be provided to coaches soon.  We ask that fans not congregate in the common area in between Fields 1 & 6 in front of the indoor hitting facility.  when watching games so that we can provide adequate room for concessions lines due to the distancing requirements.  Also, the park district is not permitted to turn on any water fountains at this time due to state mandates.

Thank you again for your patience, grace and support while we have been working to bring youth baseball back to Morton.  We are very excited for our season to kick off, and we look forward to seeing everyone out at Westwood Park in the coming days.

Best Regards,

MYBA Board of Directors

The U12 Schedule has been released for the 2020 Morton Classic:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/162LaM30T49i5EEcdgxYKEUlxMUz9zXl19Yt-IvEE2lA/edit?usp=sharing

This is the Morton Classic U14 Schedule and Bracket:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YHVzUVo5qQ-Gi_y-a1OR4oDl5jkIXcMuF0H-H30m2oI/edit?usp=sharing

Registration for Mustang, Bronco, Pony and Colt will remain open until those leagues begin games.

Registration for Pinto (Tee-Ball) and Maverick (Coach-Pitch) will remain open until September 1.

Sorry for any confusion on this issue,

MYBA Executive Board

We hope this message finds everyone healthy and safe.  Once again, for those within our MYBA family that are working in healthcare, we extend a very heartfelt thank you for all that you are doing to battle the current COVID-19 pandemic.

We first want to apologize for the delay, we have been working hard to bring baseball back to Morton for this summer, as you can imagine this has been an extremely fluid situation, as we have been working with the Park District to get clarification on the guidelines from the Governor’s office.  After a lengthy delay, the youth sports guidelines were finally released this past weekend, and we have spent the past few days working through them with the Park District to create a safe environment for your children to practice and play baseball.  

Below there is a link to our guidelines in line with the requirements from the youth sports guidelines for Phase 3 of the Governor’s re-opening plan.  

MYBA Phase 3 Re-Opening Guidelines

Due to social distancing requirements, the Pinto (Tee-Ball) and Maverick (Coach-pitch) leagues will be delayed until mid-August.  The MYBA Board decided it would be easiest to introduce baseball activities at a later date when guidelines are less restrictive for younger kids to participate.  The Mustang, Bronco and Pony leagues can begin as early as next week.  IF the Governor draws out his Phase 3 guidelines beyond late June, we will re-evaluate and update the start dates for the rest of the in-house leagues. Due to the Phase 3 guidelines, there will be no player evaluations or draft this year, instead teams will be assigned by the league reps with coach and board member input. 

Moving forward, our Dugouts and bleachers are closed during Phase 3 per Park District Guidelines.  Practices will be done with the kids in groups socially distanced apart from each other.  We are asking that for ALL parents not coaching, please either stay in the parking lot or in a chair socially distanced from the field. 

If you are not comfortable with your child playing this season, for whatever reason, or are unable to play this fall, we will support your decision and help process your refund.  Below is a link to a google form that will need to be filled out to process your de-registration and refund.  If you are comfortable donating a portion of your registration fee to MYBA, we would greatly appreciate your support.  We are a self-funded, not-for-profit organization that relies on our fees to provide uniforms, equipment and field maintenance, so any donation would be a tax write off.   If you do not notify us by June 5 of your intention to de-register, we will assume your child is playing baseball this summer and assign them to a team.

MYBA Refund Document

Practices will begin the week of June 1 for all travel teams, and no later than June 8 for in-house teams. If you have any questions or concerns, please use only email our President, Jason Vallar (jvallar9@gmail.com), or our Vice President, Josh Tarter (jrtarter@gmail.com), we are happy to help in any way.  

We look forward to hopefully seeing you out at Westwood Park this summer for another season of Morton Youth Baseball.

Best Regards,

MYBA Board of Directors

I hope this message finds everyone healthy and safe at home.  For those within our MYBA family that are working in healthcare, we extend a very heartfelt thank you for all that you are doing to battle the current COVID-19 pandemic.

We understand that right now baseball is not a top priority for any of us, but felt that as our weather improves (minus the snow about to hit us the next couple days) it might be a welcome message to get an update on when our kids can head out to play baseball together again.  The MYBA Executive Board has developed a contingency plan that we hope still allows all of our kids the opportunity to play baseball this summer.  Just a reminder that this is a tentative plan based on what the Governor decides to do with the current shelter in place order.

If Shelter in place is phased out during May, MYBA is hoping to start our 2020 season for both our travel program and in-house by the week of June 1, extending through the entire month of July.  Tentatively practices would be scheduled before and during the season.  Registration will remain open, and fees will not be due until a firm start date is scheduled.  We are looking forward to seeing you all out at Westwood Park this summer. 

MYBA and the Morton Park District are in constant communication, as we continue to monitor the public health situation, we will make adjustments to this plan, and keep all of you informed and up to date.

Until then, please send us any at home baseball pictures to our Facebook page, and we look forward to hopefully seeing you all at Westwood Park this summer.

Best Regards,

Jason Vallar

MYBA President