The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Board approved Aug. 6 a fall baseball clinic partnership with high school varsity coach Zach Colter to provide programming for 7- to 11-year-olds at Patriot Park.
Under the agreement, the high school coach will operate the program — making teams, ordering jerseys and running the sessions — while the parks department will handle registration and provide the facilities. Staff said the program will use the three smaller fields at Patriot Park (fields designed for younger age groups) and that the city will receive 20% of registration revenue while the partner retains 80% for program operations.
Registration will be $60 per child, the same fee as the city’s 8U baseball league, and the program is expected to run approximately eight sessions (Wednesdays and Sundays over four weeks) with roughly two-hour sessions. Staff said the high school coach plans to schedule Sunday late-afternoon sessions and potentially Wednesday evenings.
Board members approved the partnership by voice vote. Staff said the partner may handle registration in the future (using the city’s registration platform or independently), and noted the arrangement provides a low-cost option for youth participation while leveraging local coaching resources.