Attention High School Seniors!

Please Apply for the Matt Engels Memorial Scholarship

La Grange Little League encourages all current high school seniors to apply for the inaugural Matt Engels Memorial Scholarship! This $5,000 scholarship is named after longtime La Grange Little League and Babe Ruth coach,

Matt Engels, who passed away in July 2024.

Matt embodied everything we cherish in a coach – teaching the fundamentals of the game, leading with respect, and helping his players overcome challenges to work toward a common goal. Matt was not motivated simply to mold the next big leaguer, but rather, to build self-confidence and self-worth in each developing athlete. He made every La Grange kid feel valued, no matter where they were slotted in the lineup. He was a coach’s coach, a straight shooter, a skilled teacher. And we are forever grateful for the lessons he taught us.

To honor Matt’s legacy and ensure his spirit lives on in future generations in our La Grange community, this memorial scholarship has been established to help young people earn a college degree. These awards are made possible by those who were the beneficiaries of Matt’s talents on the ballfield – friends, family, neighbors, and more who grew up playing baseball with him, fellow moms and dads who coached with Matt, young women and men who played for Matt, and those and whose sons and daughters were fortunate enough to call Matt their coach.

Scholarship applications are available NOW!

The scholarship application can be accessed by clicking the button below.

All applications must be submitted by midnight on June 2, 2025. The recipient will be honored at LGLL’s Championship Saturday, June 14 and also during the Babe Ruth senior league championship in late-July 2025.

All questions about the scholarship program can be directed to

Jeff Nowak at [email protected] or

Michael Krantz at [email protected].