February 24, 2021
Registration is open for Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department’s summer youth baseball and softball programs.
LPRD’s Youth Baseball/Softball program provides an opportunity for children to play baseball/softball in an organized, competitive, yet recreational setting during the summer. The emphasis will be to teach some basic skills and fundamentals, fair play, teamwork and sportsmanship.
Teams and leagues are formed by current grade level and team assignment depends primarily on who volunteers to coach and the school their child attends. Not all the teams will be made up of children exclusively from the same school.
One-hour practices will begin the week of Monday, May 10. Games may be scheduled any weekday, Monday through Friday, after 5:30 p.m.; Saturday after 9 a.m.; and Sunday after 12 p.m.
T-Ball is available for kindergarten and preschool-aged children (must be 5 years-old before Aug. 1, 2021). The cost for T-Ball is $45.
For first- and second-grade children, Parks and Recreation offers Rookie Baseball (combo coach pitch) for boys and Rookie Softball (combo coach pitch) for girls. The cost for either of these leagues is $45.
For third graders and fourth-graders, Parks and Recreation offers Recreational Baseball (coach pitch) for boys, and Recreational Softball (coach pitch) or Recreational Softball (machine pitch) for girls. The cost for each of these leagues is $50. Fourth-grade boys wanting to try their hand at pitching may also join Jhawk Baseball 4, a combination coach pitch/player pitch league. The cost for JHawk Baseball 4 is $55.
For fifth graders and sixth graders, Parks and Recreation offers Jhawk Baseball (player pitch) for boys and Jhawk Softball (machine pitch) for girls. The cost for Jhawk Baseball (player pitch) is $60, and Jhawk Softball (machine pitch) is $55.
Seventh-grade and eighth-grade girls have the option to join Jhawk Softball (player pitch) for $55.
Enroll online at http://lprd.org/activity?n=224401. The deadline to apply for any league is Thursday, April 1. For participants registering after the deadline, a $15 late fee will apply.
The Youth Baseball/Softball program recommends the use of face coverings for spectators and participants. For all safety guidelines, please visit https://assets.lawrenceks.org/lprd/covid/ballfieldsafetyguidelines.pdf. Games are dependent on current conditions at the time games are to be played.
Conditions will be continuously be monitored and reviewed in consultation with public health professionals. Status updates will continue to be updated every Thursday to indicate the current risk level using green, yellow, orange or red based on the number of new cases, trends and percentage of positive COVID-19 test to mirror Lawrence-Douglas County Health’s recommendations being used for the Smart and Safe School Reopening Guidelines and Status for county schools. Individuals may find the current status by visiting the department website or the department social media platforms, Twitter and Facebook. To find out more information on the gating criteria, please visit: https://lawks.us/3bHgFoJ.
Enrollment can also be done at the following Parks and Recreation facilities:
8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday, Parks and Recreation Administrative Office in South Park, 1141 Massachusetts St.
8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday, Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center, 4706 Overland Dr.
10:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday, Sunday, Community Building, 115 W. 11th St.
9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday, Sports Pavilion Lawrence®, 100 Rock Chalk Ln.
9 a.m.–noon Tuesday–Friday, 1–5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Prairie Park Nature Center, 2730 Harper St.
Noon–5 p.m. Monday–Friday, Holcom Park Recreation Center, 2700 W. 27th St.
9 a.m.–noon Monday–Friday, East Lawrence Recreation Center, 1245 E. 15th St.
For more information on youth sports, please contact Alex Husbenet, youth sports supervisor, ahusbenet@lawrenceks.org, (785) 330-7355.