Omega Delta Baseball Gets Ready for Opening Day

The popular Omega Delta Youth Baseball & Softball League is starting its 2018 season with a parade and full day of games and fun this Saturday, April 21. The parade begins at 11 a.m. at the Target store at 33rd Street and Damen Avenue, and then winds through the neighborhood to nearby Hoyne Park at West 34th Street and Hoyne Avenue for opening ceremonies, kids baseball games, food, a bounce house and speeches and support from local officials.

All community members are welcome to attend opening day, and neighbors are encouraged to step out and view the parade and cheer on the teams as they march to Hoyne Park. This is the fifteenth year of play for Omega Delta, which is comprised of youth players supported by an all-volunteer staff of coaches, assistants and administrators.

"Our league is a non-profit organization created to give neighborhood kids an opportunity to participate in a great American pastime at minimal cost," said league communications resource Jose Gasca. He is one of many volunteers "who all share a goal of wanting to provide kids with a memorable summer while having fun and developing skills such as teamwork, leadership and friendship," he said.

A unique element of Omega Delta is its recreational nature, Gasca said. "We put fun and learning above winning. Every player plays in every game." This allows for development of both novices and the youngest players, including five-year-olds who start out in the T-ball league. "By the end of the season, many first time players are able to make a big impact on the team and have also made many new friends," Gasca said.

Daniel Gachas is one of the founders of Omega Delta and is its current lead, volunteering countless hours toward the organization and serving as its chief spokesperson and community liaison. Although many of Omega Delta's volunteers have kids who play in the league, Gachas is one of several who simply volunteer for the love of the game and for the chance to help the neighborhood. 

Gachas played and coached in the Ralph E. Bermele Little League, which called Hoyne Park home for over 60 years before closing down in 2003. Omega Delta grew from the Bermele league's coaches and players and has adopted Hoyne Park as its home, keeping it "active, vibrant and safe," Gachas said.

Gachas noted that Omega Delta also offers more competitive play through its tournament teams for more advanced players. "Over the years we have traveled throughout the Midwest to Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana and all over Illinois to play in tournaments at the 8U, 10U, 12U and 14U levels as well as for 13U girls Fastpitch softball," he said.

In addition to the traveling teams, which compete at the end of Omega Delta's regular season, the league also hosts an all-Chicago tournament "and invite teams from around the city and surrounding suburbs to enjoy the friendly confines of Hoyne Park," Gachas said.

Gasca said his volunteering has allow him to enjoy watching kids improve from season to season. "It is an amazing feeling to witness their improvement over the years, going from building sandcastles on the field to hustling around the bases with hopes of scoring a home run."

The parade map displays the route Omega Delta Baseball players and staffers will take through the McKinley Park neighborhood on Saturday, April 21.