Little Leagues seek comeback
Portage league folds because of lack of willing volunteers
Supporters say the Little League lineup is still strong in Northwest Indiana, despite the recent demise of the Portage and Merrillville Little Leagues and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“What we’re finding this year is parents want to get back to as close to normal as they can,” said District One director Rich Arndt. “Registrations are up over 2019.”
Most leagues in the district, spanning Lake, Porter, Jasper, Newton counties and part of LaPorte County, were benched in 2020 because of the pandemic.
This is a comeback season for more than 4,300 players, ages 4 to 16, in 18 local leagues with play expected to begin in April.
Portage, however, won’t join them.
In a Feb. 11 post, its board of directors told social media followers it was disbanding after more than 60 years because of a lack of volunteers.
“Like many of you, we are extremely disappointed, not just because our decision denies children the treasured Little League experience in the city we love, but also because of the economic consequences to our area businesses and organizations who have supported us so strongly in the past.”
Arndt said the board made the difficult decision after sending out requests for volunteers. Emails went to about 250 families, but Arndt said they netted just two new volunteers.
“It’s not just a Portage trend, it’s all over country,” said Arndt, whose two sons are now playing college baseball. “Everyone just wants to drop off their kid. The volunteerism is just not there.”
A Portage attorney recently filed a lawsuit to stop the city’s league from disbanding.
To fill the void, the South Haven Little League has expanded its boundaries to include Portage, so players can continue to play baseball.
Meanwhile, Arndt said the five fields at the Portage complex near Founders Square Park, will revert to District One’s oversight. Because three fields are lighted, he said he may offer them for use by other nearby leagues, which don’t have lights.
Merrillville’s fields will also be used under District One
supervision.
Despite the setbacks, there’s room for optimism as opportunities in other communities are expanding.
Gary’s two leagues — Miller and Gary Metro — recently merged under one umbrella called the Calumet Region Little League. They plan to play at fields in several neighborhoods in the city and beyond.
The Calumet Region’s boundaries have expanded to include northern Lake Station and south down to parts of Merrillville, said its president Tracy Brough.
Last year, before the merger, the Miller Little League managed to play a full season despite the pandemic.
“We followed guidelines from the city and Little League. We installed foaming soap dispensers in bathrooms, hand sanitizers pumps around the field and social distancing signs,” said Brough.
She said the league finished its season without an outbreak.
“We have a huge opportunity to work together to grow our league, with everyone pulling in the same direction,” Brough said.
“By absorbing boundaries from other neighboring leagues that have unfortunately ceased operations, we are looking to combine the diversity and strengths of our players to create a stronger, more competitive League in District One.”
Like Portage, Arndt said the Merrillville Little League folded in the wake of the pandemic and issues recruiting new volunteers who typically run concessions, manicure fields and coach players.
“If we have a team with a bunch of Merrillville kids, we’ll work it out so they can play there,” Brough said of the Merrillville complex, now run by District One.
The 65-year-old league maintained a sprawling complex at 93rd Avenue and Mississippi Street.
While some struggle, Arndt cited DeMotte, State Park in Chesterton and Munster as success stories. He said all three are adding more players and growing a vibrant volunteer pipeline.
“If I could find a way to bottle what DeMotte is doing and State Park, I would. The business model is set on the volunteer base,” Arndt said.
“I believe in Little League and I believe in the program,” said Arndt. “A lot of parents leave Little League. There has to be mentoring and grooming. Early on, you start identifying people. The feeder program for volunteers is as important as it is for players.”
For information, visit calumetregionll.com and for online registration, calumetregionll.org
District One leagues include: Calumet Region, Cedar Lake, DeMotte, Dyer, East Chicago, Hebron, Hessville, Highland, Hobart, Lakes of the Four Seasons, Munster, Roselawn, South Haven, State Park, Wheatfield, Wheeler, Whiting and District One.