Dear Lexington Little League Parents and Players, With snow on the ground and another Super Bowl victory in the books, there is no better time to start thinking about the upcoming 2019 Little League Season. As I hope you all know, Lexington Little League strives to provide a positive learning environment for the development of sportsmanship, character, and fundamentals both on and off the field. At a time when children have so many other sports and activities to choose from, we are thrilled with how many boys and girls continue to play baseball and softball each spring. But before we can start making banners for the Opening Day parade, I want to take a moment and look back at 2018, show gratitude to all the people who made our league a success, highlight the achievements we had as a league and as a town, and let everybody know how they can help Lexington Little League going forward. A Tip of the Cap… The Lexington Little League Board would like to thank all those who made 2018 so successful and reflect on some highlights throughout the year: Lexington Little League would not exist without the countless hours dedicated by our managers, coaches and event volunteers. It takes good people to make this League work and come together each year. The LLL Board is extremely grateful to the parents who take on additional volunteer jobs beyond these commitments. All of our 2018 team sponsors. Your generous contributions help us maintain a quality little league program. Our sponsorships help cover the cost associated with uniforms, field permits fees, umpire fees, and much more. Lexington Little League is lucky to have so much support from our community business leaders. A heartfelt and sincere THANK YOU to our outgoing Board Members for their dedication and years of service. Jennifer Velis, Events Coordinator Peter Kuechle, Treasurer Mike MacClary, Baseball Player Agent Ossie Babson, Softball Commissioner Holy Cow…Highlights from the 2018 Season: We had over 750 registered between both programs and over 60 teams, meaning fields were filled with Little Leaguers any given night. We are proud to offer such a great program to the Lexington community. Opening Day Parade Purchased new bats, per USA guidelines, for all A, AA, AAA & Major Teams Donated $1000 to LHS Baseball and Softball programs Donated a portion of Red Sox ticket sales to the Pete Frates #3 Foundation Participated in the Kids PMC Ride at Bowman and held a Home Run contest Annual Lexington Lions Club Sports Night Award Winners: Baseball – Rycroft Award Alex Wagner – Majors Jackson Sarker – Minors Athletics – Majors Champions Softball – Mary Daley Award Sofia Demirjian – Seniors Ella Wilds – Majors Diamondbacks – Senior Champions LLL & The Red Sox On July 10th, players and families participated in our annual LLL Day at Fenway Park. A few lucky players were chosen to go on the field with the Red Sox during the National Anthem. LLL & LHS LLL players joined the LHS Baseball team at the 3rd Annual “Pitching in for Pete” fundraiser to benefit the Pete Frates #3 Fund on May 12th. The kids were able to join the team during infield practice and hang in the dugout during the game. This is one of many ways both LLL and LHS are working together to connect the players of the future with the players of today. Successful pre-season clinics provided to LLL softball players in grades 4-8, as well as,winter clinics offered to LLL girls in Minors and Majors byLHS Varsity softball players. Many LHS softball & baseball players trained and served as umpires during the season. Celebration Games On June 2nd, our traditional end of year co-ed softball game was held at C2 for 12 year old boys (graduating from LLL baseball) and 6th grade girls (LLL softball). It was a great night under the lights with food, music & fun. Softball Championship Night/Seniors Night A fun and high-energy night to end the LLL softball season with players and families cheering on the Majors and Seniors championship games under the lights at C2. A ceremony before the Seniors Game was held recognizing all coaches and players leaving LLL as 8th graders. Summer Baseball 200 players and 14 teams competed over the summer and proudly represented Lexington Little League baseball and softball programs. The Bay State U11 team competed in 2 Trophy Weekends, taking home a Silver and Gold trophy. They also qualified for the end of the season “Tournament of Champions”. BIG TIME, I’m on my way I’m making it… But that is not all - Lexington’s success went far beyond the Little League diamond. LHS High School Both the Lexington High baseball and softball team’s qualified for post season tournament berths, with the boys being selected for the prestigious Div. 1A “Super 8” tournament. Chris Shaw MLB Debut Former member of the Lexington Little League Dayton Dragons was called up to the “Real” Major Leagues in late August and in his 4th game, hit a 468 foot home run. Chris spoke at the annual Lions Club Award night and we look forward to following his journey and wish him continued success. Blue Sox Win 13th Intercity Championship The Lexington Blue Sox won their 13th Intercity League Championship. Founded in 1995 by owner and manager Rick DeAngelis, the team is a unique blend of top collegiate talent, professional baseball prospects and former major and minor league veterans. The Blue Sox compete in the Intercity League, which is widely considered among the best amateur leagues in the Northeast. NU Head Coach Mike Glavine Northeastern University head coach and Lexington resident Mike Glavine was honored as the 2018 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) and the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Coach of the Year. The fourth-year head coach led the Huskies to a program-record 36 wins, their second CAA regular season title in as many seasons, and their first NCAA bout since 2003. How can you help? As you can see, we had numerous baseball & softball achievements to be proud of in 2018. We are hoping for an even better 2019, but it is hard work and we need your help! VOLUNTEERS Lend a hand and get involved! All weask is that you have a good perspective on what we are trying to accomplish. And remember that we are all volunteers! We require good sportsmanship from all involved in practices and games including parents, players, coaches, and officials. BOARD MEMBERS There are open Board positions available and we welcome everyone, as it is our volunteers that make us such a great league. Bringing on more engaged members will be paramount to the future strength of our league. Please contact us at [email protected] if you are interested. SPONSORSHIPS We are always looking for new sponsors to help with the upcoming 2019 season. If you know any business or individual that would like to sponsor a team, or make a contribution, please email us at [email protected] DONATE Donations of cash or check are always welcome. Every little bit helps and look out for potential fundraising events in 2019. REGISTRATION Finally, a great 2019 will not happen if you don’t register your player(s)! Our registration is still open for our school based leagues: Baseball Single A and Rookie Softball Minor and T-Ball Please go to www.lexingtonlittleleague.org and click on the registration link. Then get the word out to your neighbors, friends, classmates, other youth sports teams. We know that word of mouth from the parents & players is our best recruiting tool! On behalf of the LLL Board, thank you so much to our baseball & softball community for your continued support and dedication toward our program. Jay O’Shaughnessy LLL President