Lake Elmo Baseball Association

March 24, 2023

Thank you for trying out for Lake Elmo Baseball.  We had over 260 boys sign up and tryout this season which is our biggest ever! We are in the process of finalizing coaches, teams, etc. so we thank you for your patience on the various levels were teams are yet to be final.

We will be holding our uniform fitting night on Tuesday March 28th at the clubhouse. Like the past few years, you will be able to try on sizes and purchase some Lake Elmo gear. Please bring cash if you would like to purchase fan hats, t-shirts and stickers. You may also purchase apparel through the Nike website. Each player will need to order their uniform directly from Nike after the fitting. Please see the below times for the various age levels. Try to make your slotted time if you can. Siblings are encouraged to come at the same time so we can be efficient.

Fitting Times

9’s: 5:00 – 5:45pm

10’s: 5:45 – 6:30pm

11’s: 6:30 – 7:00pm

12’s: 7:00 – 7:30pm

13’s: 7:30 – 8:00pm

14’s: 8:00 – 8:30pm

15’s: 8:30 – 9:00pm

Don’t forget you can order your Lake Elmo Gear anytime, all year long!!  This site will remain open throughout the season for your shopping pleasure.  If you have any ideas or items you would like added please let us know.  https://lakeelmo.gearupsports.net/

A note from the Pernu Family, 1/1/22:

Hello,

As we get underway with another great season of Lake Elmo Baseball you will notice a purple “JDP” ribbon on the tryout shirts, hats, and jerseys perhaps for the first time and for you veterans, once again.  Hi, my name is Jay Pernu and the ribbon that you see is in honor of my son, Jayson David Pernu who passed away from an opioid/fentanyl overdose on May 23, 2019.  The purple ribbon signifies opioid/fentanyl awareness.  While I realize that some of the athletes that try out for and play in the Lake Elmo Baseball Organization are as young as 8-years-old, I truly believe that this is an important enough issue that all ages understand or are at least aware of the dangers of opioid addiction.  The Lake Elmo Baseball Association also believes that the opioid epidemic is something that we should all be aware of and is using this ribbon to promote opioid awareness and education. 

Jayson began playing Lake Elmo Baseball in 2002.  I am a member of the Lake Elmo Baseball Board and coached Jayson throughout his Lake Elmo Baseball “career”.  Jayson continued with baseball and pitched for the Stillwater Ponies during his junior year.  He had a very successful season as did the Ponies qualifying for the State Tournament in 2010.  Jayson received All-Metro and All-State honors and was also named Stillwater Ponies “Pitcher of the Year”.  In the off-season Jayson injured his shoulder in a casual pick-up football game.  He had labrum surgery in the winter of his senior year and was unable to pitch as a senior.  It devastated him. 

Jayson went on to pitch for DCTC (Dakota County Technical College) the following year.  Jayson pitched very well but perhaps too much, too soon and experienced shoulder pain.  This is where the downfall began.  He began taking opioid pain medications and was never the same person.  I won’t go into all the details here, but it was a long, hard journey for him and our family as well.  Our family didn’t know for quite some time (years) that Jayson had an opioid addiction. 

Tragically, Jayson’s life ended at the age of 26 due to a fentanyl overdose.  There are many, many more details to his story but our purpose here is to give you some insight as to what the ribbon is all about.  We thank all the parents and players for wearing it, honoring Jayson but more importantly to bring an awareness to this terrible disease during the upcoming baseball season and into the future.  It means so much to our family to know that maybe we can make a difference for someone else, perhaps many.  I would also like to thank the Lake Elmo Baseball Board for allowing this to happen.  Although I am a member, it was the rest of the LEB Board that paved the way for the displaying of the purple ribbon.  Our family is forever thankful to them.

I pray as players and parents that you never have to go through this.  Our goal as a family is to bring as much awareness and education as possible to this terrible disease.  I am more than willing to speak with anyone about this if you need advice or just want to learn more.  We miss you so much Lefty.

Have a great season,

Jay Pernu