April 2017
Check Out What's In This Issue!
2017 Upcoming Key Dates
President's Message - The Season is Upon Us!
Player Development Program - Tips and Training Pictures / Updates
Sponsorship Spotlight
Volunteers
Keep Up With LGLLon our website, or follow us on Facebook!
LGLL NEWS & INFORMATION
LGLL 2017 Calender
April 12: Season Opened!!!
April 23: ChallengerClinic (2:00-3:00 PMLTHS South Field House)
April 30: Picture Day (LTHS South Field House)
June 12: Playoffs Start
June 17: Closing Ceremonies (Sedgwick Park)
See the latest updates and full calendar on our websiteHERE.
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
The Little League Baseball and
Softball Season is Upon Us!
I want to extend a warm welcome on behalf of the entire Board of Directors to our returning baseball & softball families, as well as to all new families to our League and our community!
At a time when children have many sports and activities to choose from, we are thrilled that such a large group of boys and girls have chosen to play baseball and softball in La Grange Little League. LGLL has served the community of La Grange for decades, providing a positive environment for the development of sportsmanship, character, and athletic skill among our baseball andsoftball youth. Our program puts an emphasis on fundamentals, participation, development, teamwork, safety, family involvement, and fun, all with an appreciation and love for the games of baseball & softball.
As a LGLL parent myself, I know what a thrill it is to see your child play for the first time and watch them grow and improve through the years. These are memories that we will all cherish and I am pleased that you too will enjoy watching your children learn baseball andsoftball growing-up as part of the La Grange Little League family.
We completed extensive renovations to Sedgwick field during the off season and I look forward to seeing everyone out there. We are continuing to update the other fields so please look out for improvements over the next few months.
Tim O’Brien
La Grange Little League President
LGLLPLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Player Development Tips of the Month:
No Chasing Missed Throws & Have Fun!
Age Groups:T-Ball, Coach Pitch, Minors, Peanuts
Challenge: "No Chasing Missed Throws!"
Kids at this age need work to throw/catch consistently, so a simple game of warm-up catch can turn into 80% chasing the ball.
·  Solution #1:Position coaches or parents behind kids throwing to do the chasing for them. Have a few back-up balls to hand to them to KEEP THROWING and NOT CHASING.”
·  Solution #2:Ifyou don't have enough adults to help, place a pile of 3-4 "extra" balls behind each player. When they miss a throw, they can immediately pick up another ball and keep the skill building process going.
Age Groups: A, B, C, Majors and Juniors
Challenge: "Keeping It Fun!"
This may sound like master of the obvious, butan important part of “playing” the game. As we all know, the skill levels and interest levels can be all over the​place. We, as Coaches, work hard to teach proper mechanics and situational understanding for games. Sometimes we lose sight of the fact this is a GAME...and this is NOT the district team, All-Starteam, or a travel team.
Solution:
Reserve a portion of your practice for fun drills to keep it light.
Suggestions Include:
Running BasesTeaches the importance of tagging the runner out, and that the runner owns thebase.
Game of Whiffle BallKids will still be learning situationalbaseball and help with hand-eye coordination using a whiffle ball.
Game of 500Teaches the kids coordination for fly balls and effectivefeet positioning to make the catch.
Home Run DerbyUsing with Tennis balls, the color of the tennis balls will help with their hand/eye coordination, and they'll have fun with how far the tennis balls fly.
Target Practice> Place a garbage can at any of the bases, hand toss an easy to catch fly balland have the players make the throw to the target...old-school Fred McGriff style!
Peanuts & Minor Training Recap
Up Next: Challenger, A, B, Majors & Juniors!
We've continued our commitment to player development for our boys and girls through our partnership with the Chicago White Sox. Most recently, we held a softball specific training session at LTHS for the Peanuts and Minors levels - check out the pictures!)
Next up will be a Challenger clinicwith Dan Pasqua from the White Sox Acadamy. The clinic will be onApril 23 from 2:00 to 3:00 PMLTHS Field House.
As mother nature starts to cooperate, we'll be rolling out custom practices for our older players in A, B, Majors and Juniors. Our League VP’s and your managers will be sharing dates/times for these sessions, pending weather and field conditions.
We can't thank the White Sox enough for rolling up their sleeves and helping our players get off to a great start this year! As with all of our local sponsors and partners, please keep the White Sox Academy in mind as you continue your player's development.
Coach Schlichter and Tom Ratcliffe
LGLL Board Members - Player Development
SPONSORS
Sponsor Spotlight:
Amy Rudolf, Smothers Realty Group
Sponsors play a big role in keeping La Grange Little League running, and this month we would like to recognize Amy Rudolph as our featured Sponsor for April. A big "thank you" to Amy at Smothers Realty Group for all of her support.Amy grew up in the area and has lived in La Grange with her family for the past 20 years. During that time, she has completely gutted and rehabbed two of her homes and was the general contractor on one of them. Amy joined Smother’s Realty Group in 2013.
Amy’s decision to become a real estate Broker is a natural next step as it blends many of her best strengths, one of those being able to see the hidden potential in a home and the ability to visualize floor and room layout. Amy’s formal education includes a degree in communications from Loyola University. She started her career at a downtown advertising firm working in account management.
Please be sure to contact her if you're in the market to buy or sella home!
Amy Rudolph
Broker at Smothers Realty Group
919 West Hillgrove Avenue, LaGrange, IL 60525
O: 708-482-2993 M: 708-352-0076 F: 708-482-2989

www.amyrudolph.com
www.smothersrealty.com
LGLL VOLUNTEERS
With the 2017 season now underway, the Volunteer opportunities for April have been posted. These will be 2 hour shifts working in the concession stand during games. This is an opportunity to earn back you $100 volunteer deposit.
VOLUNTEER FOR LA GRANGE LITTLE LEAGUE
Keep an eye on the LGLL website and watch for email alerts as more volunteer opportunities are posted for May. Remember, the positions are filled on a first come, first serve basis and new opportunities will be added throughout the season.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LITTLE LEAGUE
For families new to Little League or for those moving up to levels of play within LGLL, we encourage you to take advantage of the resource available at our website and through the Little League Organization.
LittleLeague.Org
Also, please follow-us and Like Us on Facebook!!
© 2017LeagueAthletics.com, LLC. and La Grange Little League. All Rights Reserved.