Smoother Seasons Ahead: How WYBA Hit a Home Run with Sports Connect and GameChanger

Featuring Jason Pecard, Communications Director, Westmont Youth Baseball Association

When Jason Pecard, Communications Director for Westmont Youth Baseball Association (WYBA), says his league is “rock solid,” he means it. With more than 40 years of Little League history and a passionate board behind it, WYBA is a staple in the western suburbs of Chicago. However, like many youth leagues, WYBA struggled with scattered systems, repetitive data entry, and a high demand for live-streamed games.

This past spring, Jason and his team made the move to Sports Connect. The difference was immediate. We caught up with Jason to hear how the transition went, how the GameChanger integration made a real impact, and what advice he has for other admins making the same move.

Meet WYBA: A Baseball Legacy in the Chicago Suburbs

Jason has held many roles at WYBA over the years: parent, board member, and now Communications Director, managing everything from emails and registrations to rosters and the league website.

“My kids started in T-ball and played all the way through high school,” Jason said. “We’ve built a rock-solid organization with great leadership, and it’s just fun to keep it going.”

As a loyal White Sox fan, Jason brings that same South Side energy to WYBA’s operations. The league is proudly affiliated with Little League and frequently hosts District 11 tournaments, which is a major source of pride in the highly competitive Chicago baseball scene.

Why the League Switched to Sports Connect

On WYBA’s previous system, one major pain point kept coming up: it didn’t integrate with GameChanger.

“Every coach wanted to use GameChanger, but we had to build everything twice,” Jason explained. “We’d do all the rosters and schedules, and then coaches would rebuild everything manually in GameChanger. It was frustrating.”

When Little League encouraged leagues to adopt Sports Connect, WYBA jumped in. Outside of the integration with GameChanger, one of the biggest wins was streamlining tournament paperwork. Instead of chasing down birth certificates and waivers, everything was collected during registration and readily available when it was needed.

Making It All Work Together

One of the biggest demands from parents and coaches was streaming, and GameChanger met that need immediately.

“Grandma in Florida wants to watch the game. Coaches want stats. Parents want updates. Everyone was already using GameChanger, we just needed it to work together with everything else,” Jason said.

Once a coach is rostered in Sports Connect, their GameChanger team is automatically created. No extra steps, no confusion. That said, there was a learning curve in the beginning when some coaches jumped ahead and created their teams before the league assigned them. With better communication around timing, Jason said those issues have been smoothed out heading into the fall season.

Jason’s Advice: Plan Ahead for a Smooth Season

Jason’s number one tip for other admins is to plan thoroughly before opening registration.

“Treat it like a project plan,” he said. “Have your pricing, schedules, coaches, and communication strategy ready up front. If you do that, the system is incredibly slick and automated.”

WYBA created a year-round operations calendar that includes its spring Little League season, travel program, and fall ball. That level of prep made it easier to build out programs and run them through a single system.

He also recommended handing off some of the more fluid elements, like practices, to coaches directly.

“Games are easy. They don’t change much. Practices are constantly in motion, so we give coaches their practice slots and let them manage it in GameChanger. It’s much easier for parents to get the info directly in the app.”

Using GameChanger for Player Evaluations

At a recent board meeting, the league was planning for fall evaluations when one coach made a surprising suggestion.

“He said, ‘I already have their GameChanger stats from spring,’” Jason recalled. “… it shows how valuable GameChanger has become. Coaches are using it to prep for drafts and build rosters.”

Support and Resources That Make a Difference

Jason credits the support team and built-in help tools with making the transition easier.

“The chat tool is great. Even if there’s a wait, it lets you know how long, and they always send you a helpful article,” he said.

When asked if he’d be open to connecting with other admins who have questions, Jason didn’t hesitate.

“Absolutely. I love this stuff. I’d be happy to help. Anytime I talk to support or poke around the system, I learn something new. There’s so much you can do once you know how.”

Want to connect with Jason? Feel free to reach out at pecard [at] wybabaseball [dot] com.

Want to learn more about the GameChanger integration? Explore these helpful resources: