2024-2025 BTLL Board of Directors
CANDIDATE INTRODUCTIONS

This information was submitted by each candidate to briefly introduce themselves and indicate why they would like to be elected to the BTLL board of directors.

Hello, my name is Ross Eardley and I would like to be a member of the Byron Township Board of Directors.  I am interested in serving on the BTLL board because I truly care about youth baseball and softball in general, and there is a special place in my heart for our local little league.  I have lived in Byron Township since 2002, and my 3 children have played on BTLL baseball and softball teams since 2017, starting with tee ball all the way through Majors.  I have coached at each of the levels as our children have grown, and I plan to continue to coach for years to come as our younger kids grow.  We have a truly special little league here in Byron, and I want to do my part to keep it that way for many years to come.

My name is Kerry DeVito, and I have served on the BTLL board the past three years; the first two in a support role for sponsorships and Under the Lights, and this past year as the Sponsor Coordinator. My four boys have all been in BTLL at various times since we moved to Byron Center in 2015, and my husband has also been active in the league as a coach over the years. Our family loves this league.

The opportunity to serve on the board has allowed me to combine my passion for youth sports, and bringing together community and businesses to support a wonderful organization. I believe strongly in the work of the board to ensure all kids in our community have a wonderful experience, while gaining all the important benefits of playing on a team. I would be honored to continue to support the league on the board for our next season.

Hi, I am a current board member and hope to serve another year.  As a board member since 2005, I have enjoyed serving the community and helping to provide a quality sports experience for the children of Byron Township and beyond.  With your help, I look forward to continuing the great work our league is doing and strive to make improvements to our facilities and operations.

My family and I have been part of the Byron Center community since 2021. Both of my children, ages 8 and 9, currently attend Brown Elementary. We joined the Byron Township Little League (BTLL) two seasons ago, and my kids quickly developed a passion for the game. As a family, we believe in the mission of BTLL and want to see it continue to grow and offer a valuable learning and growing experience for our community. I’m excited to run for the Board of Directors to help ensure the program remains strong and provides lasting benefits for our kids.

My name is Jessica Klap, and I live in Byron Center with my family of 6.  My husband and I have both helped coach in the league, and we have really enjoyed our experience.  Our children have also loved playing for BTLL.  I would like to be part of the Board to help continue the work that will allow lots of kids in the area to learn and grow in baseball and softball along with all the great lessons in character that sports provide.

My name is Dan Kloosterman, and I am running for a board position with Byron Township Little League. As a passionate advocate for youth sports, I am excited to bring my skills and dedication to the Little League Board. With 11 years of experience in coaching and volunteering within Little League (6 years with Byron Township), as well as 6 years coaching youth football, and 2 years coaching middle school baseball, I understand the importance of fostering a supportive environment for our young athletes.

I have 3 children who have participated in Little League, with 1 still in the league. I have seen firsthand the impact a positive experience in Little League can have on growing young athletes to have a passion for the sport while learning great life lessons about teamwork, adversity, success, and failure. I have also seen the impact a negative experience in Little League can have and want to contribute to as many positive experiences as I can.

I am committed to promoting teamwork, sportsmanship, and inclusivity within our league. My vision is to create a positive atmosphere where every child feels valued and has the opportunity to grow, both as an athlete and as an individual.

Thank you for considering my candidacy. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the continued success of our Little League community!

I have served as a coach for my two kids in coach pitch (one in baseball and one in softball) for the last three seasons and been a board member as scheduler for one.  My family has lived in Byron Center for over six years, and we have three kids in BCPS. I have loved baseball since I was a child and am proud to support BTLL in sharing this great game with our next generation. As scheduler, I have been able to contribute to the behind-the-scenes experience for our families.  Scheduling games for a league this size is a mix of art and science, and with my past experience in this role I am confident we can make team schedules as seamless and fair as possible. Thanks for your consideration.

My name is Chris Laska and I am running for re-election as the VP of baseball/softball. I have lived in BC since 2001 with my wife Crystal. We have 3 children that have all gone through BTLL. Cierra is currently at CMU playing softball, Luke a senior at BCHS (football, hockey, baseball) and Evie (volleyball, basketball, soccer) is at West Middle. All of our children play multiple sports, as we feel this was the best way to teach them many different life lessons. Both Crystal and I have served consecutively as VP on the BTLL board for the past 15 years. 

After graduating from Aquinas in 2001, both Crystal and myself started coaching. Crystal was an assistant and head coach for Aquinas softball, and is currently the head coach for Byron Center Softball. I also was an assistant coach for Aquinas Hockey for the first 5 years of its existence, where we won a D3 Natl Championship in 2017. I have coached or trained over 200+ kids that were not involved on my own children’s teams. I finished my playing career in 2001 as an All American in baseball at Aquinas College. My coach at the time was a great model for how to coach and treat people. He taught us the game by the book, and treated the players in similar fashion. Knowledge, consistency, effort, and behavior were some of the things instilled into our teams. These are the attributes that I installed in the teams I coached, and the attributes our children deserve through BTLL. As VP of BTLL, I will focus mainly on issues and complaints within the league, similar to an assistant principal in school. I feel that my experiences can help, not only the kids, but also our volunteer coaches create a memorable time in BTLL.

My name is Tracy London and I’m running for a spot on the BTLL BOD. I have lived in Byron Center with my family since 2005. We love the small town feel Byron Center brings to the community. This small town feel also comes through with BTLL. I feel BTLL is a family of individuals who love the game of baseball and softball. My son started out playing for BTLL in 2016 and then became an umpire in 2021. His involvement with umpiring sparked my interest and I realized we have some of the best out there. I started as the umpire assistant for the 2023 season under Earl Thomas and became the umpire coordinator for the 2024 season. I am dedicated to help train and support our umpires. I would love to stay on and continue the support for these wonderful individuals.

My name is Rachel McIntosh, and I have lived in Byron Center for almost 13 years.  I have been a part of the board for BTLL the last four years. The opportunities have been endless being able to serve this community in this capacity.  I’m extremely grateful for the community members and coaches I now call my friends.  I am looking to continue to support the community in any capacity on the board.

I’ve been a member of the BTLL board for 5 years, with my sons and husband being actively involved since 2014. I began as the uniform coordinator and have slowly added more responsibilities including Information Officer. I learned a TON last year with the forced implementation of SportsEngine and the new website. I navigated many challenges associated with that change and did my best to boost awareness and communication through timely responses and social media posts. 

I would like to continue my work on the board to help ensure our young people have access to a supportive, fun, engaging and well organized local Little League! BTLL is the best around!

Hello BTLL families, you may have seen our SterckusCircus crew running around at any number of BC sporting events, as we have four children involved in ALL things sports. My husband, Dan is often coaching, while I serve as the General Manager of coordinated chaos!

Our family’s first love is baseball/softball) and we’ve been active with BTLL since moving to West Michigan three years ago. 

Simply stated, it’s our job as parents to help ensure youth sports/extracurricular programs can continue to grow and flourish.  I’d like to stay on with the BTLL Board for another year and continue the great work so many before us have started.

My name is Staci Walters and I am honored to be a candidate for the BTLL board. My husband, Mark, and I have lived in Byron Center for 10 years with our children, Bryson and Lauren. Our kids have been involved in BTLL for over 7 years and I have been a coach for the last 2 of those years. I am very passionate about youth sports and making sure we have the best environment that provides our young athletes a place to learn and grow. I look forward to the possibility of contributing my skills and passion to the success of BTLL.