Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.

Since we entered Phase 3 of the Safe Return to Play Guidelines today, July 5th, we wanted to emphasize the Covid-19 virus is a real concern as we head into VFW Baseball post seasons. We humbly request everyone to be on guard and not be complacent. Try to maintain team and family safety bubbles as much as possible. We’ll help with sanitization as our hosts follow their local guidelines. It would be prudent to ensure your team is self-sufficient just in case your hosts have difficulty getting supplies. Hand washing is still one of the most important first steps to protect yourself and others. The VFW Baseball Chairman will be wearing a mask when inside or outside and unable to maintain the recommended 6-foot physical distance.

We’ve made adjustments to our normal operating procedures to minimize the time we have large crowds. There will be a SD VFW Baseball Representative at all State Tournaments. Our opening ceremonies will be more team specific and intimate with the VFW Representative or other veterans who are able to make it. We hope to bring back our traditional opening ceremonies during the 2021 SD VFW Baseball Tournament Season. The traditional honor guard will participate if the organization feels comfortable with the setup considering most of our veterans are in the high-risk category for Covid-19.

Good luck to all our teams. Be respectful, play smart and have fun!