Guidelines for the 2020 OK Kids Baseball Association Season

May 11, 2020

OK Kids intends to play the 2020 baseball and softball seasons, as outlined below, if conditions allow.  This decision is based upon Oklahoma’s “Open Up and Recover Safely” plan published on April 22, 2020.  Phase 2 of the plan, effective May 15, states that “organized sports activities can reopen and operate under proper social distancing and sanitation protocols.”  Phase 3 of the plan, proposed for June 1, states that summer camps (church and school) can open. 

The safety, health and well-being of all of our participants, players, coaches, umpires, parents, guardians and volunteers, is our top priority.  OK Kids understands the need to return to a sense of normal life, therefore we are hopeful to play this season.  To assist us in accomplishing this, we have reviewed guidelines and decisions of USSSA, Little League Baseball, Babe Ruth League, Pony League Baseball, Dixie Youth Baseball among others.  While many of these organizations have canceled their national and international tournaments, they are planning on proceeding with regular league play and some state tournaments. 

1.  Neither OK Kids nor any governmental or health authority can guarantee the safety of any participant in baseball or softball.  Each individual parent and/or guardian must self-determine if they feel it is safe for their child and/or themselves to participate in the 2020 season.  All participants are acknowledging that they knowingly and freely assume all risks.
2. Any team, local organization or league participating in the 2020 season must follow all local, state and federal governmental and health guidelines to participate.  If your local community says that you can’t play baseball or softball this summer, then you can’t participate in OK Kids.
3. To repeat, if you don’t believe it’s safe to play this summer or if your community will not allow play this summer, you cannot participate in OK Kids in 2020.
4. If you choose to play and are allowed to play in your community, here are some guidelines to follow.  (This list is not all inclusive and several more safety measures could be implemented.)

1. Follow all health and sanitation guidelines for facilities and events.
2. Create social distancing with designated seating areas.
3. Eliminate personal contact such as handshaking and high fives.
4. Have each team provide balls for their team to pitch and field.
5. Discontinue the use of team water coolers.  Require each player to have a personal water bottle.
6. Minimize contact during the exchange of lineups and the home plate pre-game meeting.  Limit the meeting to coaches and umpires only with no players.
7. Spread out the dugout seating.  If necessary have players sit outside the field.  Do not compromise player safety, though.
8. Have antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer available at all times.
9. Allow players, coaches and umpires to wear personal protective equipment, such as masks, at all times.
10. Clean and sanitize dugouts regularly.
11. Adjust playing times to allow more times between games in order to reduce the number of people at a facility at any one time.
12. Discourage the practice of sharing equipment.
13. Limit person-to-person contact as much as possible.
14. Display signage to promote social distancing and healthy practices.

1. Individual leagues can determine how to conduct their 2020 regular season.  For example, a league can eliminate regular season league play and only have a league tournament to determine its playoff qualifiers
2. If a league decides to not participate in the 2020 season, individual teams can register with OK Kids as “At Large” teams.  These teams must follow all OK Kids guidelines.  OK Kids reserves the right to accept or deny any team applying for “At Large” status.
3. Rescheduled 2020 Dates

1. June 1 (Monday)…Registration is due.  Requests to host Regional Tournaments and bids to host State Tournaments are also due by this date.
2. July 3 (Friday)…Playoff qualifiers reported to OK Kids. 
3. July 6-7-8 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)…Playoff tournament assignments and brackets will be determined.  They will be released no later than Thursday, July 9.
4. July 13-18…Regional Tournaments for Baseball and Tee Ball and State Tournaments for Softball will be held this week.
5. July 20-25…State Tournaments for baseball and Tee Ball will be held this week.

If OK Kids determines that conditions are not safe for play in 2020, OK Kids reserves the right to cancel the season at any time.  Additionally, if OK Kids determines that the participation in any particular age group is so small as to create a financial hardship for OK Kids, then we reserve the right to cancel the playoffs for that particular age

OK Kids Team Registration is available until JUNE 1.  After that date, registration will end and teams/players cannot be added.

We are currently working on guidelines for proceeding with the season.  We will be following local, state, and federal guidelines.  These guidelines will be posted when completed.

UPDATED—Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Rescheduled 2020 Dates

Listed below are the rescheduled season dates based upon information currently available.  Please keep in mind that these dates are still subject to change, but they are the official dates at this time.  OK Kids fully intends and is dedicated to playing a 2020 season if conditions allow.

June 1 (Monday)…Registration is due and league seasons start.  This leaves the possibility of practices, scrimmages, invitational tournaments, etc. at the end of May.  Requests to host Regional Tournaments and bids to host State Tournaments are also due by this date.

July 3 (Friday)…Playoff qualifiers reported to OK Kids.  This allows a five-week regular season.

July 6-7-8 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)…Playoff tournament assignments and brackets will be determined.  They will be released no later than Thursday, July 9.

July 13-18…Regional Tournaments for Baseball and Tee Ball and State Tournaments for Softball will be held this week.

July 20-25…State Tournaments for baseball and Tee Ball will be held this week.

The link for team registration is located below.   Registration should be completed before teams play a league game.  Changes to rosters are allowed until midnight on May 1.

League application registration is located below.  Application is completed by League President and should be done immediately.   There are different applications for baseball and softball leagues.  This helps us know how many teams we have and share information for player releases.  If you have any questions please notify the OK Kids office.

League Presidents must register leagues with OK Kids.  Complete a separate form for each age group your league has.  The forms require the following information:

1.  League Name

2.  Contact information for each league officer

3.  Teams:  Team Name, Head Coach, Phone, Email

1.  Rule V - Eligibility of Players, Paragraph 4 will state:  "When a league plays all of its games at one location (e.g. field or complex) a player must play with a team from the school he attends or with a team representing the school closest to his residence."

2.  Rule III - Membership:  Team rosters must be submitted on-line before beginning league play.  The deadline for making changes to the roster is May 1.  Roster will not be accepted after this date.

3.  Protest of player eligibility during Regional and State Tournaments:  Protest of player eligibility during Regional and State Tournaments must be done during the three hour period from the start of the coaches meeting until the scheduled start of a Regional or State Tournaments.  Rosters will made available to the Head Coach upon request to the tournament director.

4.  During Coach Pitch games, the Coach Pitcher may not talk to players while in fair territory.  During Regional and State Tournaments this rule will be strictly enforced.

5.  OK Kids Baseball Association strongly encourages each league to establish a method of conducting Background Checks on all adult participants.

6.  10U (PW) and 12U(Midget) State Tournaments will be expanded to include 16 teams.  Each Regional Champion and Runner-Up will advance to the State Tournament.  The host town will be allowed to have two teams in the tournament.

1.  On-Line Registration Opens - March 1

2.  Deadline to complete roster - May 1

3.  Softball Reporting Date - Saturday, June 20

4.  State Softball Tournament - June 24 - 28 (Wed. - Sunday)

5.  Baseball and Tee Ball Reporting Date - Saturday, June 27

6.  Tee Ball Regionals - July 1 - 3

7.  Tee Ball State Tournament - July 9 - 11

8.  State Prep Tournament - June 27 - 30

9.  Regional Baseball Dates - July 6 - 11

10.  State Baseball Dates - July 14 - 18

8U

Champion - McAlester Peaches

Runner-Up - Leedey Lady Bisons

10U

Champion - Silo Lady Rebels

Runner-Up - Elk City Fury

12U

Champion - Maysville

Runner-Up - Davis Chaos

14U

Champion - Coalgate Lady Wildcats

Runner-Up - Tupelo Lady Tigers

Team pictures are posted on the individual tournament pages.  If your team picture has not been posted, please email a picture to OKKidsBaseball@cotc.net.

TEE BALL AGE LIMIT

We have had several questions regarding the minimum age to play Tee Ball.  A player must have been four (4) by January 1, 2020 and cannot have been seven (7) before January 1, 2020.  To play OK Kids Tee Ball in 2020, a player must have been born in 2013, 2014 or 2015.  Children born in 2016 are not eligible to play until 2021. 

There are two important points to remember here: 

1.  A child reaching age four in early 2020 is not being “cheated” out of a year of playing Tee Ball.  That child is eligible to play in 2021, 2022 and 2023.  Instead of being one of the youngest children in the age group, the child will be one of the oldest. 

2.  When the Board set this minimum age it was with the thought of allowing as many children to play as possible without having too large of an age spread from the youngest to the oldest.  As it is now, children playing Tee Ball can be up to nearly three years apart in age.  If children born in 2016 were allowed to play, it’s possible to have a three year old, born in 2016, play against a seven year old born in 2013, a gap of four years from the youngest to the oldest players.

This rule has been in effect since OK Kids adopted Tee Ball in 2018 and will not be changed or amended for 2020. 

TEE BALL BATS

At the request of several coaches, and due to the delay in the season, we are currently reviewing the Tee Ball bat rule and will announce any changes within a few days.  Any amendment to the new rule with will make more bats available to players, most likely in line with the current bat rule for Coach Pitch, Peewee and Midgets.

1.  Teams must register on-line.  Paper copies of rosters will not be accepted this year.

2.  You must register your team before beginning league play.

3.  The deadline to make changes to a team roster is MAY 1.  This deadline is replacing the June 1 date.

The purpose of this organization is to promote the playing of amateur baseball and softball, to coordinate and standardize the activities of various organized leagues and to develop future citizens with the proper attitude toward life.

If you have questions regarding any OK Kids rule please feel free to contact the OK Kids office by phone or email.  The OK Kids email address is:  okkidsbaseball@cotc.net.

If you would like a tournament posted on the website, please email the information to the OK Kids office.  It will be posted as soon as possible.