Below, you will find all announcements and updates regarding the COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation, as it relates to KBL's operations. 
If you have any questions, please see our COVID-19 FAQ page or contact us at [email protected]

KBL Families,

Thank you for responding to our survey over the past few weeks. While you were doing that, the Board was assessing the additional safety measures that would be necessary to responsibly conduct a season, as well as possible time lines based on changing state mandates.

Sadly, these assessments have led us to conclude that it will not be practical to begin a season in a safe manner this summer.
So, after much discussion, and with heavy hearts, the KBL Board of Directors has made the very difficult decision to cancel the 2020 KBL season.

While this is a terribly disappointing outcome, which we know may be frustrating for many of our families, we believe this is the best course of action for the health and safety of our community.

As we previously communicated, all registered players may choose to either receive a full refund, or to roll over their registration to next year.

If you’d like to roll over your registration to next year, no further action is required, and you’ll receive a confirmation in July for your 2021 registration.

If you’d like a refund, please CLICK HERE to submit some basic information through a survey, and our Treasurer will send you a check as quickly as possible (please allow up to 3 weeks.)

If you do not submit a refund request, your registration will automatically be rolled over to 2021.

We wish the circumstances were different.  This is a challenging time, and it’s heartbreaking for our kids to continue to miss out on so many of the activities they typically look forward to.  But we’ll be more excited than ever to get KBL players on the ball fields next year, when the community can safely be together again. 

We will continue to work with our partners in the baseball and softball community to attempt to find some alternate opportunities for KBL players, such as small group clinics, if it becomes feasible.  In the meantime, we would like to encourage our players again to stay active and keep enjoying baseball and softball by practicing at home with their families.

Please continue to be safe, and remember that brighter days are ahead!

Best wishes, from our families to yours,

The KBL Board of Directors

KBL Families,

Last night, the KBL Board of Directors met via video conference to discuss the possibilities for this season, but of course with the uncertainty in the world right now, there are still many unanswered questions.

We continue to be hopeful that we can provide our players an opportunity to play ball sometime this summer, though we’re obviously not able to determine exactly what the season will look like, or when it could even begin. 

We know that many of you are eager to take the field when it becomes safe, and we’re happy to wait it out with you in hopes we reach that point in the coming weeks or months! We also know that some of you simply won’t be comfortable with your child participating in team sports at all this summer. Either way, we understand how you feel.  We want to support all of you in making a decision that’s right for your family, and we want to give you the opportunity to make that decision now if you’d like. 

So, we’ve decided to offer you a few options. 

We’re asking that you submit your choice through a survey. Please read the following information in its entirety and then follow the link to the survey below. You’ll be asked to choose one of the following options.  Take some time to think about it if you need, and please submit your response through the survey by Saturday, May 16. 

Before we get into the details, we want to be clear that KBL will issue full refunds to anyone who requests one.  In addition, if we are not able to conduct a season at all this year, all registered players will receive their choice of a credit for the 2021 season, or a full refund. 

Option 1- Wait it out: You’ll remain registered for the 2020 season and we’ll wait for the all clear to play ball!  Please keep in mind, we won’t begin any activities until health and government officials tell us it’s safe, and then we’ll take all recommended precautions to ensure our community remains safe. Of course, we don’t know when the season will be able to begin, and in the survey you'll be asked for some feedback on potential schedules. We promise we’ll update you anytime we have new information.  Rest assured, if the season begins and you find you don’t feel comfortable with your child playing, or if it turns out we’re unable to start the season at all, you’ll still get a refund.

Option 2 – 2021 Credit: We’ll cancel your child’s 2020 registration and roll it over to next season.  You will not receive a refund this year, but instead will be automatically registered and paid in full for the 2021 season.

Option 3 – Refund:  We’ll cancel your child’s 2020 registration and refund your registration fee.  We’ll mail you a check as quickly as possible (please allow up to 3 weeks)  We'll appreciate your patience as this can be a time intensive task for our volunteers.

To make your choice, you will need to respond through a very quick online survey. (It'll take you less than a minute!)
CLICK HERE to take the survey. Don’t forget to hit submit before you leave the survey!
Please complete this survey by May 16!
DO NOT submit your choice by email. 
Please only submit a survey response if you are currently registered.

Please help us expedite this process by ensuring that your family only submits the survey one time, and includes all registered players in your response. 

Keep in mind, we are an all-volunteer organization and there are far more players than there are volunteers, so if you have questions, please help us by first checking our COVID-19 frequently asked question page.  If your questions are not answered by our FAQ, please reach out to us at [email protected]. 

This is a frustrating time for everyone, and we hope these options are helpful to many of you. 

We volunteer with KBL because it's important to us that the kids in our community have the chance to play baseball and softball in a safe and positive environment, and we're so hopeful that we'll have the opportunity to provide that this summer. 
In the meantime, we're working on some ways to engage our players virtually so they can connect with their teammates and coaches and get some remote practice in.  Stay tuned! And don't forget to utilize the Boredom Busters page on our website for videos, tips and drill ideas for at home practice!

We hope everyone in the KBL family is doing well!  Please remember to stay home, stay safe (and stay active!)
We'll get through this together.

Best,
KBL Board of Directors

KBL Families,
Governor Whitmer has extended the stay at home order for the state until April 30th, so of course, KBL will not begin any activities prior to then. 
As you know, this situation continues to be very fluid, and at this time we can not give an exact date that we expect to start the season.  As we've communicated previously, the decision to begin activities will be based on recommendations and guidelines from state and local government and health officials, and we will not begin any activities until officials deem it safe. 
A lot can happen in a few weeks, so we will start assessing the options for our season at the end of April, based on the information available at that time.  Keep in mind, it may still be challenging to make anything official at that time, but we will keep you updated with any new information.
 
We realize that our players are already missing out on spring activities, end of year school trips, summer travel plans and so much more, and we've heard your requests for us to let them play ball this summer.  Please know, we absolutely expect to have our season, when it becomes safe and reasonable to do so.
We know this is a frustrating time for everyone and we are so looking forward to being able to get kids out on the ball fields.    

In the meantime, we hope our players are staying active and engaged in baseball and softball! Visit our Boredom Busters page to find easy and fun practice drills that can be done at home.

Our registration remains open, and we are still getting new sign ups weekly.  If you know of someone who is now looking for an alternate summer activity, please encourage them to sign up - we want every kid to have something to look forward to this summer.  We will leave registration open for as long as possible, and have waived late fees. 

Thank you for your patience as we all navigate this unprecedented situation together.
We hope all of our KBL families are well, and we can't wait until we can see you all!

Tuesday, 3/17/20
We hope all of our KBL Families are well!! 💙
We wanted to let you all know that we are constantly monitoring the COVID-19 situation.
The Board of Directors will be meeting by phone this week to determine whether any further action is required at this time, with regard to KBL’s season.
Currently, practices are scheduled to begin after April 13. Because this situation is so fluid, we may not make any further decisions for a couple of weeks. It’s important that we do not react too quickly and cause unnecessary confusion.
We realize Little League made an announcement today regarding their season. Please remember, KBL is not affiliated with Little League (a national organization that must look at the situation around the country as a whole, rather than by assessing each state’s situation.)
We understand there is much uncertainty in the world right now, and we appreciate your patience as we determine how our season may need to be adjusted.
We believe our players will need the experience of playing with their ball teams this summer more than ever, and we’re committed to providing that experience, but only when state and local health officials tell us it can be done safely.
All future updates will be emailed to all participants, posted on social media, and posted here, on our COVID-19 Updates page.
Thanks again for your patience. Our community will get through this together!

Friday 3/13/20

The East Kentwood Baseball & Softball Clinics scheduled for Saturday, 3/21 have been canceled.  These are Kentwood Public Schools events, hosted by the Varsity Baseball & Softball teams, and the EK Coaches will attempt to find a date to reschedule once schools are reopened and officials have deemed it safe to hold large group gatherings!

Thursday 3/12/20
As you know, there is rapidly growing concern over the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and its important that communities take appropriate action to prevent the spread of the virus. As always, the sole concern of KBL’s Board of Directors is the safety and well being of our players, families and community. As such, we’ve made some adjustments to our pre-season schedule:
⚾️The Coaches meeting and player pool on March 19 will be cancelled. We will communicate with Coaches about the possibility to reschedule, and the team selection process as more details are available.
⚾️Due to this change, you may receive your team assignment a week or two later than normal. You’ll receive an email when teams have been finalized.
⚾️Team practices will not begin prior to April 13.
We believe these are appropriate first steps, for everyone's safety, during this situation.
We will continue to monitor new information and follow the recommendations of The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services as detailed in their Community Mitigation Strategies.
We will immediately communicate updates to you by email, social media posts, and on this page, should there be any further changes to KBL’s operations.
We’re looking forward to getting KBL players on the field when it’s safe for everyone involved, and we appreciate your patience!
⚾️🥎💙