Oak HIll Aerial Display

Board Nominations

Board Nominations

April 21, 2021

OHYSA is looking for enthusiastic and dedicated Association members to fill our election slate for the 2021-2022 Board of Directors. All officer positions serve 1-year terms subject to annual elections. Directors serve 2-year staggered terms.  Additional appointed positions are also waiting to be filled.

Please note that this form is set up for SELF nominations.

Submissions will close on April 27, after which the Nominating Committee with determine the final election slate for presentation to the Association. The Election meeting will be held on May 16. A Zoom link will be provided at the time the slate is announced.

New officers, directors and appointees will begin their service on August 1st.

Board nominations are now open.  Please fill out this form to be considered for nomination.  To review current positions, as well as tasks, please request access to this Google Doc.

Key dates:

  • Nominations spreadsheet live on 4/21
  • Nominations spreadsheet closes 4/27
  • Nominating committee reviews/interviews nominees beginning 4/28
  • Nominating committee determines slate by 5/5
  • Slate and meeting announcement 5/6
  • Election meeting 5/16

Questions:  Please contact [email protected].

Wear a mask

New Season at Oak HIll!

New Season at Oak HIll!

March 5, 2021

Wear a maskThe Board of OHYSA is aware that Austin-Travis County has dropped to Stage 4, and that state mandates regarding masks and occupancy limits will change beginning March 10. However, we will not be reverting from our current policy regarding mask wear and social distancing.

Masks should be always worn in our complex — this includes coaches, umpires, and all spectators. The sole exception is players during active warm-up or game participation.  Please comply with any requests to mask up.  

We will re-assess if our area drops to Stage 3, or we receive other directives from Austin Public Health or the city or county.

For a complete list of COVID-19 protocols, please visit our website at https://www.ohysa.com/safety/

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No PetsWe get it, we really do. We all have pets in our lives that we love and want to spend time with, but bringing then into unfamiliar situations with hundreds of strangers around isn’t the best time to bond with them.

Please leave your pets at home. This policy is for the safety of our players and our guests — you may know your animal, but that doesn’t mean everyone else does. This policy is posted on our website, on signage throughout the park, and is sent via email at the start of every season.

With the sole exception of ADA service animals, visitors with pets will be asked to take them home.

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ParkingAh, the parking problem. Yes, it’s a doozy.

Even with a smaller number of players this season we still have hundreds of cars vying for a limited amount of parking space. We wish we could magically increase parking, but we just can’t unfortunately. We know, we’ve tried.

Please don’t park where you shouldn’t. No parking signs, bollards, pylons and chains are there for a reason.

More importantly, don’t block in other cars and NEVER BLOCK THE ROADWAY.

If any part of your vehicle hangs over onto the road, you are blocking it. This includes both paved and gravel roads. If you are unfamiliar with what constitutes roadway at our complex, please refer to this map.  https://manageyourleague.com/OHYSA/Sites/Default/file/2019/07/16/FIELDMAP2_1.jpg

Why is this a problem? It blocks other vehicles from moving through the complex INCLUDING EMERGENCY VEHICLES that cannot quickly navigate due to injury or fire. And yes, that does happen. It happened in November in fact.

Plan ahead. Take one car instead of two. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

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It’s a ballpark not a racetrack. We know some games start early, you’re running late, it doesn’t seem like a big deal. But it is.

We have kids, some of them very tiny, that run around the complex because they are kids and they don’t always pay attention.

SLOW DOWN.

It’s honestly not the end of the world if your player is 5 minutes late. Their coach will understand.

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Which brings us to other types of wheels. We already know there are a lot of people, a lot of cars, too much speeding and not enough space. Please don’t add scooters, skateboard, bikes or rollerblades to the mix.

Leave play wheels at home.

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As the season begins, let’s review our weather policy.

Our #1 concern will always be player safety.

On weekdays we make every attempt to call complex status by 4PM.  However, storms often develop right around the time evening games start. While we try to make and relay decisions about weather conditions as quickly as possible, there will be times when practices or games will be canceled after you have already arrived at the complex.

For weekend rain we evaluate each field in the morning. Decisions may apply to the entire complex or can be made on a field-by-field basis, in some cases there may be game time decisions. Updates are posted on Facebook and sent via email. 

There will be times when the weather doesn’t cooperate with us. In those instances, a Board Member or Commissioner on site may make a game time decision for play, or games may be interrupted.

If severe weather occurs Board Members or Commissioners on site will monitor the situation using a variety of radar and lightning tracking apps. If lightning apps alert on strikes within a 10 mile radius OR if lightning is visually observed OR if thunder claps are heard, activities will be halted for 30 minutes. Activities cannot resume for a full 30 minutes from the last clap of thunder, last bolt of lightning or indications that lightning has moved outside the 10 mile radius. This policy also applies to tornado warnings. If it is not possible to resume games due to continued weather or playing past curfew, the game will be suspended. Coaches cannot override decisions on delays made by league officials. If one field clears – ALL fields clear.

During these types of weather delays all players, coaches and spectators are advised to seek shelter in a safe, fully enclosed building (i.e. bathrooms) or vehicle. At no time should players remain on the field, in the dugout or in batting cages.

Drew French, Houston Astros

Pitching 101

Pitching 101 with Drew French​

Drew French, Pitching Coach for the Houston Astros / Round Rock Express and Oak Hill Alumni!  Drew spoke to the Oak Hill Coaches via a zoom on September 10, 2020.  

Drew French, Houston Astros

Parent, Coach and Player Development

Parent, Coach and Player Development Series

Oak Hill is excited to offer a training and development program for our Parents, Coaches and Players.  Oak Hill events are geared towards both the player and the parent.  

The fall, 2023 Softball Training Program is all set.  Sign up below!

Instructors

allie

Alli Akina, Oak Hill, Bowie HS and Texas State Alum!

tiffany-licon-2

Tiffany Licon, Oak Hill, Bowie HS and St Mary’s Alum!

aspen-howie

Aspen Howie, Lake Travis and University of Houston Alum!

Softball Training!

Receive All Star Instruction for Oak Hill Players!

 

Previous Oak Hill Events

Arm Care and Pitching Clinics
Players and parents learned arm care exercises and routines. An intro to pitching clinic was also held.
Positive Coaching Alliance
PCA events are held once a season. Our partnership with PCA provides training for parents on how to grow as a parent and coach.
Hitforth - Hitting 101
Practice planning and hitting systems for your practices, including fun hitting games, drills and common youth mistakes & adjustments. Date: September 16, 2020 Jeff Leach - Partner & Hitting Coach at Hitforth
Catching Meet Up
Baseball & Softball Catching “meet up” for Catchers and their Parents and Coaches Andrew Prater, Catching Corp.
Pitching 101
Pitching 101 by Oak Hill's Own, Drew French of the Atlanta Braves
Softball clinics
Bi-weekly softball pitching lessons were held by Coach Elizabeth Price.
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Fall, 2020 Updates

New Fall Updates

Fall Season Updates

To safely administer the fall season, there will be several modifications as compared to previous seasons.

New updates:

  1. Safety protocols for Players, Coaches and Fans.
  2. Limited capacity compared to a normal fall season.
  3. Mandatory coaching training zoom meetings for each level. Our goal is to ensure that each player has a coach that is equipped to run a fun, engaging practice.
  4. Decreasing the game length and meetings per week to (2) max.
  5. Increase practice onboarding time to allow for more individual instruction prior to game play. 
  6. Modified game rules to allow for more action.  Examples include starting at bats with 1-1 counts, or limiting to 4 pitches at the Coach Pitch level.
  7. Game day gatherings will be spread out to allow for the complex to empty prior to the next game blocks.

Coach Development

Training will be a mandatory requirement for all coaches.  Training goals will include:

  • League wide Covid-19 safety procedures and policies on August 31 from 7pm – 8pm.
  • Positive Coaching Alliance seminar on September 13 from 7pm to 8pm.
  • Zoom – Pre season practice planning session for each league.
  • Zoom  (½ hour – 45 minute) coaching clinics focused on specific areas of the game (ex: Infield play, Outfield play, Pitching daily routines, catching routines, pre-game batting practice).

Divisional Season Agenda Changes

6U – Tee Ball level.  Pod setup.

8U – Coach Pitch.  

  1. (2) engagements per week.  
  2. Increase the onboarding period before games start to 5 practices prior to the first game, which would happen at the end of week 3.
  3. The first practice will be 90 minutes long.  Other practices will be 60-75 minutes long, with access to cages and field space. 
  4. Game time to decrease to 60 minutes max, with a ½ hour warm up period.
  5. Recommend having a continuous season lineup. With this approach, if a game ends with the #7 batter on deck, the #7 batter would then lead off the next game.  

10u – level.  Increase the duration of the onboarding period for Pitchers and Hitters prior to live situations. Visit the 10u page to find the recommended season schedule. 

12u – 14u – 18u level.  Opportunity for more practice/field time prior to first game. 

*Updated, August 17, 2020.

Oak Hill Safety Protocols

Covid-19 Safety Protocols

Covid-19 Safety Protocols

A great deal of the success of our season relies on parents and families taking proactive responsibility for their player’s health. Now, more than ever, decisions you make for your child will affect other people’s children as well.

To that end, when we say that parents are responsible for screening (1) their player; and (2) their household members who will be attending games, our expectation is that you take this as seriously as we have taken the many, many steps necessary to even be able to offer this season.

*Update, May 25:

Spectators at practices/games are no longer required to wear a mask in the bleachers.

Fully vaccinated individuals may resume normal activities without wearing a mask – this includes players, coaches and umpires.

Please note: if you are unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated following your 1st vaccine dose, you should continue wearing a mask per CDC guidelines.

For any issues, please email [email protected] and include (1) the player’s name, (2) playing division, (3) team name. You should also contact your coach to let them know your player will not be available for game day.

Updated: May 25, 2021

Oak Hill Daily Checklist

Spring Registration Open

Fall Registration Open

Fall Registration Open

Registration Instructions for Fall 2020

It is extremely important that you follow all steps and read all information. Our typical registration process has changed in order to accommodate COVID-19 processes.

  • In order to follow best safety practices, every division of play will have firm capacity limits. These capacities are irrespective of playing age within a division.
  • For Fall 2020 the Baseball age cut-off is 4/30/2021. For Fall 2020 the Softball age cut-off is 12/31/2020. Your child’s playing age is determined by their actual age on that date. They will be placed automatically into the correct division. There will be no movement (aka playing up) between age divisions.
  • There is NO WEEBALL this Fall – there will be no playing up into 6U as an alternative to Weeball.
  • Do to capacity limits there will be no “buddy” requests in 6U.
  • Any 18U baseball players MUST already have been invited to a specific roster prior to registering. If you do not know what this means, then please do not register your child for a HS age team.
  • Please make sure that ALL address and contact information in your parent and player profiles is correct and up-to-date. This is vitally important in the event contact tracing becomes necessary.
  • When going through the registration module you will need to answer a series of questions for each player detailing your educational plans for the Fall semester. It is important that you answer these as completely as possible. Not every division will be using the typical assessment and draft process this season. Your answers will assist in the process of team creation which limits potential exposure to your children and other players.
  • For FALL 2020 there will be A NO-REFUND POLICY. We recognize that not all details about the season or health protocols are available, and while we wish they were ready for release, the reality is that we need the information from registration in order to determine our process by playing division. If you are uncomfortable with this, please do not register for the season.
  • WE WILL NOT HOLD SPOTS without payment. Our registration consists of a module that walks you through entering or updating your information, and a secure online Square store for payment. The registration module generates a confirmation email with the subject line “Welcome to OHYSA” and details of your registration, including the URL for payment.  The online store generates an email receipt showing the amount paid and a receipt or ticket number. You must receive BOTH for registration to be complete.
  • If you requested a credit of your Spring fees, please pay your Fall fee to complete your registration. Your credit amount will be refunded against that payment.
  • There may be situations where multiple siblings within the same family may not all be able to register due to differing capacity limits and how fast specific divisions fill. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate all players if this occurs.
  • There will be no walk-up registration – all registrations must be completed online.
  • There will be no cash or check payments – all payments must be made using credit or debit online.
  • There will be no option for payment plans.
  • Cost: $150 per player.
  • Registration requires agreement with the COVID-19 WAIVER.

Please refer to these step-by-step instructions for completing registration for both new and returning families to resolve any issues or answer questions. If you still have questions or issues, email [email protected].


If you are NEW to OHYSA and have questions about tryouts, draft, practice & game schedules and other general information, please read our NEW TO OHYSA? page. This gives an overview of our organization and what you can expect for your player.

Still have questions after reading through that page? Contact the commissioner specific to your player’s age division. All our Board and Commissioner contacts can be found on the ABOUT page.

Interested in coaching a team? OHYSA is a fully volunteer organization and relies on parents and community members stepping up to coach teams. Visit our Be a Coach page for more information.

OHYSA actively encourages sponsorship of area businesses and other corporate sponsorships. Ideally located on a major section of US Hwy 290, and with near constant flow of hundreds of daily visitors, your company’s logo is ideally placed for immediate visual recognition. For information about the demographics of our league and available sponsorship packages, visit our Sponsorship page today!   

 

Oak Hill Youth Sports Association

Bathroom Update

Bathroom Update

June 23, 2020

Over Father’s Day weekend Walk-Off Sports hosted a USSSA baseball tournament at the OHYSA complex. OHYSA served solely as the locale for this event, renting the playing fields to Walk-Off Sports for their use.
 
During the course of the weekend water main issues caused disruptions in the pressure levels throughout the complex. This was an issue related to INCOMING water, not sewage or wastewater — although both were effected because of it.  As owners of the property OHYSA did engage a plumbing company on a holiday weekend to assess the problems but they were unable to access the necessary area to attempt repairs. 
 
OHYSA is aware that the bathroom conditions were unacceptable and did everything in our power at the time to correct the situation. Repairs to the impacted water main are now being undertaken. In addition, several thousands dollars of worth of additional repairs will need to be made as bathroom facilities continued to be used while non-functional. 
 
If you have concerns, further questions or refund demands they should be directed to Walk-Off Sports as the tournament host and director.
 
Thank you.
 
OHYSA
Oak Hill Youth Sports Association

Season Refunds and Catcher’s Gear Deposit Refunds

Season Refunds and Catcher's Gear Deposit Refunds

June 23, 2020

If you requested a refund for spring fees remaining, or returned catcher’s gear and are waiting on your deposit, checks are in the process of being manually cut for any payments received via credit card prior to February 6, or for registration fees made by cash or check. If you are expecting a refund and paid by credit card after February 6, please review your credit card accounts as all refunds that met this criteria have already been issued.
 
Only a single check will be issued per household and made payable to the parent in the system listed as Parent 1. Thus, a refund check would include fees remaining for all children in that household as well as any refund of catcher’s gear deposit. 
 
If you are only expecting a refund check for catcher’s gear deposit that will be mailed directly to the coach named on the initial deposit payment. Checks will be mailed to the parent in the system listed as Parent 1.
 
Thank you.
 
OHYSA
Oak Hill Update

Spring Season Cancelled

OHYSA has made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the Spring Season. The continuation survey provided valuable information that we used to determine what scheduling for a continued season might look like at each playing level.