BBA UPDATE – May 29 

To our BBA Families,

As announced last week we are working some activities for this summer to get our players out on the fields. More information about what those events will be will be available shortly. We are tentatively planning on 2 weekend dates in both June and July. These activities will be free of charge and open to all of our BBA players.

Regarding 2020 registration fees, all families have two options:

1). Receive a full credit for the 2021 season. Your 2020 registration will cover your 2021 registration fee regardless if there are any price changes for 2021. You will still have to participate in the annual fund raising requirement but your 2021 spot is already reserved and your registration fee covered. To use this option you do not have to do anything!

2). Receive a full refund of your 2020 registration fee, including any associated processing fees. If you want to request a refund please contact Mike Schwebs directly at michael@bbabaseball.com by Friday, June 12. All request for refunds must include the player’s name. 

- if you paid by credit/debit card the refund will be applied to the card you used. It will take several days after we submit the requests for the refund to be credited to your card.

- if you paid by cash or check a check will be mailed to you (please provide your mailing address with your refund request)

All refunds will be processed mid-June, after the June 12 request deadline.

Again, we want to thank everyone for your patience, understanding, and support as we went through the process of evaluating this season. This is not the outcome anyone of us wanted but the health and safety of all of players, families, and support staff was paramount in our decision.

We will continue to keep you updated on our plans for this summer and a return to the fields in 2021.

Sincerely, 

BBA Board of Directors 

To all of our Baseball, Softball, and T-ball Program Families,

2020 Season Announcement

Over the past several weeks we have been working together on how in the current environment we could provide our baseball/softball/t-ball programs. We have had several meetings, communicated with surrounding community and national programs, continued to monitor the federal, state, and local orders and guidelines, and determined how the mandated state guidelines could be applied to our local programs. We have reached out for legal and medical recommendations while constantly revising our ‘normal’ plans and looking at alternatives to provide our players, families, and staffs with the opportunity to participate in a safe and healthy environment.

After much thought and deliberation we have collectively made the difficult decision to cancel the regular baseball/softball/t-ball programs in Berea, Brook Park, and Middleburg Heights for this year. This decision was made with the best, long-term interest of everyone involved. There were many specific contributing factors to this decision. At the top of the list was being able to consistently provide a safe and healthy environment over the course of the season for ALL of the participants, including our players, their families & fans, the umpires and support staff while adhering to the guidelines outlined by the state.

While there will not be a regular season of games we are working on several alternative activities that will be provided in all 3 communities to give our players the chance to get out on the fields, take some swings, make some throws, run the bases, play catch, etc. all within the state guidelines. These limited events will be age specific and much easier to administer and monitor than a full season of games across multiple days, times, and sites. We will share the specific details for these events as they are finalized.

This was a very difficult decision for us to make, especially as the state continues to re-open. We took all factors into consideration and waited as long as possible before making the final decision. We appreciate your patience during this process and hope you understand our perspective of making the right choices for ALL.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does this decision also apply to travel baseball/softball teams? No. Those teams are or will be making their own decisions based on the leagues and tournaments they participate in. This decision only applies to the in-house/rec-level programs in Berea, Brook Park, and Middleburg Heights.

Any chance this decision is revisited or reversed, especially as more things are re-opening across the state? No, this is the final decision for this year. We have the support of the 3 cities program administrators, their Recreation Departments and Administration, all that were already included in the decision making process.

Who else did you talk to before making this decision? In addition to our 3 communities we have had several update meetings with most of the surrounding communities, including Strongsville, Olmsted Falls, Parma Heights, Brooklyn, Seven Hills, Independence, North Olmsted, Lakewood, etc. We already partner with these communities in some of our leagues. We were also contacted by a member of the governor’s advisory committee for our input and thoughts on some of the proposed guidelines. We also referenced state and national sports organizations (ie, Little League Baseball & Softball, OHSAA, ASA, etc.) updates, plans, and policies.

Why are some communities and programs going ahead with their seasons and we are not? There were many factors that went into our assessments and ultimately the decision. In our recommendation and decision some of these factors were either too risky for the overall health and safety of the players & programs or would be difficult to consistently repeat over the course of a regular season. Other communities and programs may have had a different perspective. Our primary commitment is to do the best for our players, our programs, and our communities.

Why are the 3 programs making a joint announcement? Why now? In several leagues we already have a partnership for our teams to play each other and we felt that as our players and families are already partners in the Berea City School District it is important that we make and announce this decision as a single, unified group.

I already paid for this season, what will happen to my registration fee? Each community will communicate their plans and handle this separately.

Thank you for your participation, patience, and understanding as we work on the next steps.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Berea: Scott Hubler, President, Berea Baseball Association (BBA), hubler5@aol.com

Brook Park: Andres Gonzalez, Program Coordinator, agonzalez@cityofbrookpark.com

Middleburg Heights: Kerry Kemp, Athletic Director, kkemp@middleburgheights.com