Huntley 47's Baseball - January 2024

January 2024 Newsletter

Author

TJ Vinz
January 30, 2024

As January Winds Down, Training Intensifies!

All the teams are starting to settle into their off-season training routines. There were a few scheduling hiccups with the facility early on, but Phil and Todd worked overtime to iron those out with the vendor.

Time sure flies and before you know it, everyone will be out on the fields making plays and having fun!

We have a few items for your review during this end of month update.

  1. Uniforms

  2. Helmets

  3. Bags

  4. Team Store

  5. Schedules

Housekeeping

Super Bowl Squares
Preparing the 47’s Team Store has taken up the majority of our time and Super Bowl Squares have become an elective option for each team.

Uniforms

Uniform Fitting Results
Thanks for the stellar turnout! It was great to meet everyone and while no organization wins games by simply looking good, not many organizations win while looking sloppy.

The players that were not able to attend will need to visit Play it Again Sports in Crystal Lake for a fitting. The process should take 10-15 minutes.

Let the staff know you are with the Huntley 47’s and please send the following information to [email protected] 

  • V-Neck Jersey Size

  • Button Down Jersey Size

  • Pant Size

  • Knickers (Yes or No)

  • Shoe Size

  • Fitted Hat Size

  • Helmet Size

Uniform Ordering
Uniform orders will be submitted Monday, February 12th

If you do not get fitted by Sunday, February 11th, your uniforms will not come in at the same time as the rest of the team

Couple things to consider regarding the uniforms

  • Sublimated Jerseys

    • 7-10 day turnaround time

  • Pants

    • In-Stock items

  • Socks

    • In-Stock items

  • Hats

    • Ships from Richardson on the West Coast with a typical 7-10 day turnaround time

    • Embroidery is done locally with a 3-5 day turnaround time

    • The hats we will most likely order earlier since the gameday hat will be a flex fit so we have some room for error.

Jersey Modification

My wife put her foot down and said no white jerseys. I told her I promise to keep them fresh and clean, but for some reason she didn’t believe me! There is a silver lining though. We will be able to utilize grey pants for both uniform options which will be a welcomed simplification.

Helmets

Feedback from the uniform fitting was mixed regarding Champro helmets.

Helmets, like shoes, must be comfortable and fit well.

I have worked out a deal with Play it Again Sports where you can apply the helmet line-item budget amount ($34) to a helmet of your choice. Any difference of price will need to be paid to Huntley Little League.

There are a few caveats

The exact opt-out process is pending, but please be on the lookout for a Google Form.

Bags

Feedback from the uniform fitting was mixed regarding the Champro bags. The bag does not seem sufficient for 12U/13U and while the smaller bag may work for 10U/11U, the bag will be a 1-year stop-gap at best.

Boombah bags are very popular, but expensive and large. One concern was the 10U kids tipping over, however, the Havoc Softball team purchased Boombah bags for their girls and they seemed to be fine with the size. That being said, this is an expense that we cannot absorb into the budget. We will need to fund-raise for the bags and if we have strong support on the Team Store, we will make up the difference easily.

The plan is to offer a Grey/Red Superpack Bat Bag
*Name and Number would be embroidered on the front flap

For any players that are looking for a bigger bag like the Superpack Rolling Bat Bag or the Superpack XL Rolling Bat Bag we can work out a similar system to the helmets where the players pay the difference.

First, let’s gear up at the Team Store and then we can figure out the details later.

More information to follow.

Team Store

The team store is a fully functional storefront for 47's gear.

Please consider the following regarding the Team Store

  • The store is built and hosted on Shopify

    • This ensures security end-to-end, especially with payments and customer information

  • The store will collect sales tax

  • Multiple delivery/pickup options are available

    • Pickup from Play it Again Sports in Crystal Lake

      • Since we are offering store pickup, we are not required to charge sales tax on shipping

    • USPS Shipping

    • Local Delivery by HLL

      • If you are in Lake in the Hills, Algonquin, Huntley, Marengo or Union, an $8 Local Delivery option will be available. The entirety of the Local Delivery Fee goes back to our program!

  • We will never keep stock of products - every order is a custom order

  • We do our best to vet availability of products, but product shortages and back orders are inevitable. In the event we do not feel like the order can be fulfilled in a reasonable amount of time, we will issue a refund.

Logistics Overview

  • Shipping times from the vendors are typically 5-7 business days

  • Screen printing is 3-5 business days

  • Embroidery is 3-5 business days

  • If there are no delays, the products should be ready for fulfillment 2-3 weeks from the end of the ordering window

  • Fulfillment should take 1 week to complete

  • Expect 3-4 weeks until you receive your order

Team Store Schedule

February 2024

  • January 30th - February 7th - Team Store Open

  • February 8th - Team Store Closed and Orders Submitted to Vendors

  • February 23rd - March 7th - Fulfillment

March 2024

  • March 1st - March 7th - Team Store Open

  • March 8th - Team Store Closed and Orders Submitted to Vendors

  • March 23rd - April 7th - Fulfillment

April 2024

  • April 1st - April 7th - Team Store Open

  • April 8th - Team Store Closed and Orders Submitted to Vendors

  • April 23rd - May 7th - Fulfillment

If the Team Store concept goes well, we will keep it going! If you have issues or feedback, please let us know!

Schedules

Schedules are starting to take form! The Little League portion of the schedule is set and teams have picked out tournaments and are in the registration process currently.

Once tournaments are locked in and scheduled, we will round out the season with n60 games and games against other area travel teams.

Be on the lookout for the schedule release!