Wow!  Our comeback year following the forced hiatus of COVID 19 last summer was simply OUTSTANDING!  We had a banner year with several new experiences for the League.  Our fans returned in force to watch "Your Hometown Baseball" play night after night throughout the League.  The newest and 10^th franchise, Full Count Rhythm, played in Hendersonville, TN thus expanding the Ohio Valley League into a third state.  The Rhythm set a blistering pace to start the season.  Ultimately winning 32 regular season games and capturing the South Division trophy in their inaugural season. The Henderson Flash, Dubois County Bombers, and Owensboro RiverDawgs spent the summer chasing each other in the North Division standings. The Henderson Flash won the North Division trophy on the last day of the regular season. 

This was the tenth season as a League and our fourth year of divisional play.  With the addition of the Full Count Rhythm in Hendersonville, TN, we changed our Divisions to North and South.  The North Division became Dubois County (IN) plus Henderson, Madisonville, Muhlenberg County, and Owensboro in KY.  The South Division became Franklin, Fulton, Hopkinsville, and Paducah in KY along with Hendersonville (TN).  Despite some inopportune rain, half of our teams played all 44 regular scheduled games.  Four teams played 43 games and one team lost two games to rain.  Many thanks to those that worked diligently to prepare the fields night after night.

Our playoff system is seeded based on Division standings.  This year our playoff seeds were not set until the last day of the season.  The postseason tournament includes three rounds of best of three games.  In 2021 none of the series went three games.  The Dubois County Bombers captured the post-season tournament Championship with a victory on Saturday night in front of their home crowd.

During my seven years around the OVL, the competition has continued to improve.  This year five teams were at or above .500 and two more teams were only one game below .500.  The Muhlenberg County Stallions had their best year ever.  Many, many games this year turned on one hit, one walk, or one error.  I saw outstanding defensive plays made night after night.  Hitters seemed to dominate our game early in the season, but several pitching staffs improved late in the season.

In lieu of an All-Star game, the OVL selected its second All-League Team.  This year the coach's votes provided a "slate" of candidates that were then voted on by the OVL fans.  A great deal of discussion ensued about who was selected and even more discussion about those players not selected.  Our goal was to garner recognition for our players, and I believe we accomplished that goal.  Each player selected was given a commemorative bat from the League.  Individual statistical awards were presented to players in several categories and recognized on the OVL website.  In total, we recognize a little less than 10% of the players in the League.

This year the League created two new awards.  Both awards were voted on by the coaches and media representatives around the League. The first award was the Gordon Guess Most Valuable Pitcher award.  The award was named in honor of the first President of the Ohio Valley League.  Mr. Guess was able to present the award to Gavin Braunneker (Henderson Flash) in front of his home crowd.  Additionally, the Cubb Stokes Most Valuable Offensive Player award was presented to Reed Latimer (Madisonville Miners).  Mr. Stokes was able to present the award in front of his home crowd as well. The award was named in honor of Mr. Stokes who served as the second President of the Ohio Valley League.  We thank both gentlemen for taking the time to present these awards and hope they will do so for many years to come.

I would like to extend my personal thanks to all of the workers behind the scenes that make "Your Hometown Baseball" possible;  the scorekeepers, public address announcers, scoreboard operators, radio announcers, concession stand workers, merchandise table workers, grounds crew, ticket takers, ushers, video personnel, bat boys/girls, statisticians, host families and all others that make it possible to provide quality baseball to our local region and to the nation via the internet and Game Changer.  I want to recognize two individuals.  Our Webmaster and league scorekeeper, Zach Bulleit, who stayed up late every night to post all the games' box scores and maintained the league's stats.  I received many thanks from parents and media members for the efficiency of our website and daily social media postings.  Zach was also the driving force behind our improved website.  He also developed our League media guide which received rave reviews.  Second, thanks to Wyatt Stevenson for traveling to every park in our league to gather photos and conduct interviews in our league-wide effort to improve our overall social media presence.  Many thanks to both individuals for their work and dedication this summer.

Thanks to all the coaches and their staffs who spent their summer helping to develop the players' skills as well as understanding the importance of why these guys were playing summer ball.  While these young men play summer baseball to improve their skills, they also have many opportunities to develop character as men.  Thanks to each club as they provided opportunities for personal growth through visits to Boys and Girls Clubs, nursing homes, hospitals, skills camps for our youth, parades, and a host of other community activities.

Also, thanks to the umpires for without them the league would not survive. They, like the players, spend their summers honing their skills as umpires and make sure the game is played in the correct manner.  I cannot express my gratitude enough to them for the job they do and their dedication to making the OVL one of the premier leagues in the country.

A BIG thanks go out to the dedicated fans, sponsors, advertisers, and owners. Without each of you, we would not be able to have an Ohio Valley League! Whether your team was winning or losing, you were always there giving your full support.  Your support makes it possible for our league to provide "Your Hometown Baseball" entertainment to our communities each summer.

I want to thank all the college coaches across the nation that sent their players to our league.  We appreciate your trust in us to help develop these young men into better players and men. Also, thank you to parents and other family members!  For some, it was the first time that your son/relative has been away from home for the summer, and you are sending them hundreds of miles away to an unfamiliar town to play baseball. It also gave each family an opportunity and place to spend their vacation thus experiencing our fine Southern Hospitality!

In closing, please remember that baseball is just a game (albeit the greatest game known to man) and we owe it to all of you and the players to provide the best possible environment to participate in while building lifetime memories.  Always remember, these guys will be men longer than they are baseball players.

Respectfully,
John M Bruce
President