Baseball is returning to the YMCA. After moving to Phase 2 of their plan to expand services, the Union County YMCA is bringing coach pitch and T-ball back to youth sports. The return only comes a few weeks after YMCA officials originally planned for baseball.
“We planned for late June, so the delay doesn’t affect us much,” said chief executive officer Trevor Secord.
The season will now run from July 13-Aug. 29. Teams will hold only one practice per week and host games on Saturdays. Secord said the numbers are down from previous years, but added it is “totally expected.”
“With COVID-19 parents are being cautious,” he added.
Secord wanted to offer a summertime activity for children in the community and believed the YMCA could offer baseball after seeing Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s Restart Ohio initiative.
“We knew with the size of the program we were expecting to have, we could manage to meet all the guidelines for youth sports,” Secord said. “So we have a very specific set of rules and guidelines in order for the season to run.”
The majority of the guidelines revolve around shared equipment, so the YMCA is encouraging all participants to bring their own gear, but is also offering to provide gear to those that can not provide their own. They will assign a one-time use of helmets to individual players. Equipment must be returned at the end of practice or games. Once returned, the YMCA will sanitize the helmets before it can be signed back out to another individual. Ball bats will be rotated and disinfected in between each use.
“This is easier for practices and will change how the games look and feel a little,” Secord said.
Along with shared equipment safety, athletes will be required to adhere to six feet of social distance and wear face coverings when not in the field of play. Coaches will be required to wear face coverings at all times. All participants will have to complete a self-evaluation upon arriving to practice and games with YMCA staff and a no touch rule will be in affect to include force-outs only.
Spectators will also be required to complete a self-evaluation with YMCA staff, must maintain social distancing and are prohibited from entering player areas.
Secord added it will be a challenge, but there will be YMCA staff on hand during practices and games to help follow the guidelines.
“We will have two sports staff working to keep everyone safe at practices and games and our youth development director is overseeing the program,” Secord added.
Secord added that the extra guidelines are to keep everyone safe, while enjoying the sport they want to play.