Peekskill Youth Baseball League Reaches out to Community for Help

Peekskill Youth Baseball League Reaches out to the Community for Help

Christopher Hanzlik said he can’t figure out why the Peekskill Lapolla Little League is having such a hard time attracting youth.

But Hanzlik, president of the league’s board of directors, said it’s trend that started years ago.

“Registrations have steadily dropped and we don’t know why,” Hanzlik said. “At the start of last season, we had 140 children total. Right now, we’re at about 80—We have been able to sustain ourselves at 140 to 170 kids during the past three or four years, but now we’re starting to get anxious.”

Hanzlik said the league, in its 50th year, is in jeopardy of not happening this year. Usually, around this time, officials are beginning the process of filling rosters and ordering uniforms.

But things have been put to screeching halt as officials find themselves in the position of trying to recruit players.

There are currently not enough players between the ages of 6 and 12 registered to field the minimum number of teams. The league must be able to register a minimum of 25 children for its Minor division between ages 6-8, and 25 children for its Major division between ages 9-12 in the next week or so.

Hanzlik said the league’s woes aren’t financial and that it  remains on of the cheapest options locally. The league also offers scholarships for players and raffle tickets for students who want to recoup the money they spent on registration.

“We have never turned away a kid who has the desire to play because of money,” Hanzlik said.

Below are directions for kids to register:

• Online at www.eteamz.com/LapollaLittleLeague (payment by debit or credit card required).
• In-person at the Park and Recreation Office at Depew Park, open from 9a.m. to 4:30p.m. Monday through Friday (cash or check payable to PLLL accepted).

The registration fee is $65, but each child registered will receive 65 raffle tickets that will allow the parents/guardians to recover up to the full amount by selling the tickets and keeping the money!! For those parents/guardians that want their children to play but absolutely cannot afford the fee, there are a very limited amount of scholarships available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For any questions or concerns, please contact Christopher Hanzlik at (914) 671-6080, League Information Officer John Pagan at (914) 382-3202, or by emailing us at peeklittleleague@aol.com.