Berks teams form independent league
With their official seasons cancelled, six members of the Berks County Senior Legion Baseball League have decided to find a way to still play ball this summer.
Boyertown, Norchester, Daniel Boone, Twin Valley, Oley-Topton and West Lawn have banded together to form the Berks Independent Baseball League, which will play a total of 33 games beginning July 7.
Pennsylvania teams are not permitted to use the American Legion name, emblem and baseball logo after Department Commander Robert E. John announced the cancellation of legion baseball for the remainder of 2020.
“We’re not really involved with “legion” at all,” said Boyertown assistant coach Justin Konnick, who is set to head the Bears’ program starting in 2021. “It’s more or less just a bunch of kids getting together in their respective towns playing sand lot baseball and getting out there playing.”
Teams will play 11 games each on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays through July 30, capped by a tournament from July 31-Aug. 2.
Teams had to wait until the state went into the green phase of reopening on June 26 to return to play and didn’t want to push the season too deep into the summer as many players begin their fall sports and/or have to return to college in August.
“With the coaches in the league, we decided it was about time to get started,” Konnick said. “With that being said, we are going to take the right precautions and respect the state and what they require for us to do moving forward.”
All weekday games will begin at 6 p.m. The first set of games July 7 includes Daniel Boone at West Lawn, Twin Valley at Boyertown and Norchester at Oley-Topton.
Due to school district restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the teams will play at alternate sites. Games will be played at West Lawn, Daniel Boone’s Legion Post 626 Field, Oley Valley youth league, and Lee Mecherly field in Gabelsville, which typically hosts the Junior Legion Boyertown Bear Cubs.
Unable to use Bear Stadium on the Boyertown Area High School campus, the Bears will play home games at Gabelsville. Norchester, which uses Owen J. Roberts High School as its home field, and Twin Valley, which plays at Twin Valley High School, will travel for all of their games this summer.
“It’s not going to be so much practice and teaching the game as much as it is just getting the kids out there and letting them play because they’ve been trapped inside for how long they’ve been.”
Teams are using the PA COVID-19 Guidance for Sports to ensure a safe return to play. Konnick mentioned avoiding group travel, ensuring fans can spread out, having hand sanitizer available and disinfecting areas before and after use as some of the measures that will be used.