It is with great sorrow that I have to pass along some very sad news. David Hull, MLL's Umpire in Charge, passed away yesterday due to complications from a bacterial infection. David was a very long time MLL volunteer of approximately 20 years. Umpiring, the majority of the time is a thankless job, but essential in providing the LL experience for the youth of our community. David's commitment and passion for MLL, the kids, umpiring, and the game of baseball will be missed for a long time. Our condolences to David's family.

MLL Families -

We hope this update finds everyone healthy and well. Since receiving the tentative timeline from the State of Washington, the MLL Board of Directors has been working on a plan to resume the MLL "regular" season under Phase 3 of that timeline. There are many factors and concerns that go into this planning, with the primary being the safety of our kids and families. Second, but just as important in order to play, is field, coaches, and player availability . Each one of these items must come together to be able to play and have a successful season.

Since the beginning of this shutdown, we have followed the guidance of the State of Washington, Snohomish County Health District, and LL International and will continue to do so moving forward with this timeline. Safety and the well being of our kids, families, coaches, umpires, and volunteers is paramount. Even though the games of baseball and softball can not be played within the strict guidelines of social distancing, MLL is actively looking into ways to mitigate the risk with being able to provide hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to all teams as well as adding additional hand washing stations.

Field availability is also a concern as we continue to work with Snohomish County on our complex and the Mukilteo School Board on school ballfields becoming open to use. The hope is that the state timeline will allow this to happen according to our proposed schedule. Since the announcement of the state's timeline last Friday, we have been in communication with our coaches at all levels to determine their availability and willingness to continue on with the season according to our new proposed timeline. The vast majority have indicated that they are indeed still on-board with this plan.

Lastly, we need to make sure our players and their families are still intending to participate. Up to this point, MLL has received a very limited number of refund requests. Based upon this, it is our assumption that most of our players and families still want to play a "regular" season if it can begin following the state's timelines and done as safely as possible. With following the State of Washington's Timeline, sports activities are allowed to start during Phase 3 (June 22nd) of this timeline. Therefore MLL's current plan is as follows:

Week of June 22nd - Begin practices for all divisions
July 2nd - Begin games for all divisions
Week of August 17th - Final regular season games (Tee-Ball and Rookie Divisions to end sooner due to number of games normally played)
Week of August 24th - Reserved for possible end of season tournaments
We understand that this plan does not allow for much practice time before games start, but it allows us to follow our normal schedule of 2 games and 1 practice per week while being able to play a regular season number of games. At some of the beginner levels the early "games" may be treated as scrimmages or practice games to allow coaches to teach the game as need be. There will need to be some flexibility and understanding in how we approach this season from all involved. We all need to remember that our primary goal is for the kids to have fun and be able to enjoy playing the games of baseball and softball, especially after this quarantine period.

Obviously, this plan is subject to the state's timelines and could change moving forward. We will keep you updated as information changes or as we get closer to "PLAY BALL".

Please continue to support MLL's sponsors and all the small businesses in our community that have been effected by this shutdown. We know it is greatly appreciated. Also, please continue to practice social distancing and washing your hands so we can get back out on the ballfields ASAP.

Any questions or concerns please feel free to contact Ed Hansen at ed.hansen@mukilteolittleleague.com

MLL

Parents -

The Mukilteo Little League Board of Directors hopes all of our families are doing well and staying healthy through these trying times. Even though not much has changed since our previous communication, we wanted to keep you updated with any new information.

MLL will continue to follow the State of Washington, Snohomish County Health District, and LL International's guidelines as to when we can safely proceed with our "spring" season. Our goal remains the same. MLL is fully committed to providing a full season of LL baseball and softball to our community. We are currently preparing plans for a number of different start dates so that we are ready to get back on the fields ASAP when given the green light to do so. We all hope that is as soon as possible.

Mukilteo School District has asked us to remind our families that all school fields are closed until further notice. We understand that this might make it harder for families to practice amongst themselves, but the quicker we stop the spread of COVID-19, the sooner we can get back to the game we love.

Please remember to continue to support our sponsors (listed on our website), and local businesses during these unprecedented times. Many are a part of our MLL family. Also, remember to still get out for exercise and try to practice at home as much as possible.

Stay healthy. We all miss the action on the field and hope to "Play Ball" soon.

MLL