Saturday, June 21, 2008

Final Game #15 - June 12th

Our last game was a huge sucess...the players looked sharp and had fun. Overall I thought the Grizzlies hit great and fielded even better. It was a great way to end the season. Big thanks to Coach Mark and Coach Scott for stepping up and taking over since Coach Paul didn't have much of a voice that night. Our MVP for the last game was the GRIZZLIES team! A fitting way to cap our season. Also, THANK YOU to our team Mom, Joanne Law for all the work she put in this season including the end of year party, which was a lot of fun.

I'm extremely proud of the Grizzlies. We saw a lot of improvement in many areas, which made for a highly enjoyable season. I hope that everyone had as much fun as I did. Thanks for letting me coach your sons; it was a very memorable and successful season.

Here are some video clips from our last game; sorry I wasn't able to get one of every player:

Blake makes the play at 2nd

Brad's base hit

Jamison's base knock

JD & Spence get the out at 2B

Blake's double!

JD's hit down the 3B line

Spencer throws home

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Game 14 - June 9th

So maybe after Saturday's out of this world performance, the Grizzlies were due to come back to earth just a little bit :-) We didn't exactly have the same energy this game. Talking to the coach before the game, most of their players were playing their second year of coach-pitch and I'm guessing that everyone noticed they were a much bigger team. So it is understandable that our boys may have been just a little overmatched. However, the other team could be full of 7 footers and it shouldn't affect the things we can control, like remembering to cover a base, backing up a teammate, or being down and ready on every pitch - and unfortunately the Grizzlies struggled with some of those things more than usual.

All that said, I was pleased that we started to at least somewhat turn it around towards the end, particularly in the field. A few nice plays included:
  • Brad fielded a ball nicely at shortstop and hustled to 2nd base for the force out to finally get our first fielding out of the game.
  • Toby reacted quickly to a ground ball when playing the pitcher's area and made a solid throw to JD at 1st base for another out.
  • Spencer got his head in the game at 3rd base and made a couple different nice plays to record force outs.

Kudos to our 2 MVP's - Toby showed some nice hustle in the field and made the nice out mentioned above. On a day where we struggled hitting a little more than usual, Kyle was our most consistent at the plate.

Only 1 more game! The boys promised me lots of energy and hustle on Thursday night. I know it is summer and it is fun to be swimming and doing all kinds of other active things out in the sun all day, but if you can make Thursday a more mellow day before our game I think it will serve to have sharp and energized baseball players for our last hurrah. Let's end this season with a bang!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Game 13 - June 7th

I really can't think of any other way to say this...the Grizzlies absolutely RULED THE BASEBALL WORLD on Saturday! I think this was the game we've all been waiting for. It's impossible to summarize all the highlights, both with the bats and the gloves, but here's an attempt at some of them:
  • The energy was amazing for the entire game. The Grizzlies were in the game for every pitch like never before.
  • We again played 6 innings and I believe we got 3 outs in every one of them. It is difficult to come up with a Grizzlies player that didn't have a hand in getting at least one out over the course of the game. An incredible defensive effort!
  • Congrats to our 3 MVPs! Blake had 3 very solid singles, was extrememly active playing the pitcher's area, and was alert in the outfield both fielding and backing up plays. Ethan played a head's up 3rd base getting 2 unassisted force outs at his base and was getting his bat on the ball. Finally, JD played a flawless 1st base and connected on some very solid hits, including a double. Way to go guys!
  • Kyle and JD both had impressive doubles; Kyle drove the ball into left center field and JD laced a hard hit ball down the 3rd base line.
  • Jamison was an animal in his first time playing 2nd base, contributing 3 force outs at his base and always remembered his assignments.
  • Kyle and JD hooked up for several outs. Kyle pounced on everything in the pitcher's area and made some great throws and JD was a human vaccuum, even digging some balls out of the dirt.
  • Spencer cleanly fielded a ball at shortstop and beat the lead runner to 2nd base for the out.
  • Zack, playing 2nd Base, deftly moved to his right to field a hard hit grounder up the middle and got yet another force out at 2nd base.
  • Toby had a couple of his hardest hits all year and was down and ready on every pitch.
  • The entire team hit very well, but I have to point out Brad, Jamison and Kyle who were our 3 players that went FIVE for FIVE at the plate. Wow!

At our post game meeting, the players all committed to show that same energy in our last 2 games and finish the season strong. I'm looking forward to seeing it!

Game 12 - June 6th

We accomplished something we haven't before at this game...we played 6 innings for the first time. It's great to see the game moving along at such a good pace. This is due to playing more "real" baseball like 3 strikes as an out and getting 3 outs in the field more often. But it is also due to the kids hustling on and off the field between innings, which is great to see.

The Grizzlies started off with a lot of energy and "bounce" this game and we batted through the lineup our first time out! As the game wore on, we seemed to lose a little bit of that energy and our timing seemed to be just a little bit off. However, there were some strong performances to point out:
  • We had 2 MVPs! The first went to Brad, who always does a great job of being down and ready on every pitch. He went 4 for 4 at the plate, and ran the bases hard. Brad also made a couple unassisted outs at 1st Base later in the game. Way to go!
  • The 2nd MVP went to Jamison. He did some things that really impressed the coaches: One was that he is probably the very fastest on the team getting down that 1st base line after hitting the ball. He never looks up and runs hard. Another is that while playing Right Field, he was always backing up throws or ground balls, an extremely important part of playing the outfield.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Games 10 & 11, May 29th & 31st

Well, we had 8 days between games due to the Memorial Day break and it may have affected the Grizzlies a little bit on Thursday night's game. We struggled to make defensive outs more than usual and our bats weren't as lively as we've seen the past. But there were still some positive things to note:
  • Kudos to Spencer, the MVP of the game. Spence made a couple unassisted outs at 1st Base on ground balls and looked sharp! He showed a lot of hustle on the bases and had a couple nice singles.
  • On a game where our hitting as a team struggled, Zack was 3 for 3 at the plate!
  • We started the game with back-to-back-to-back doubles by Brad, JD, and Toby!

Today's game, our 11th, was a very rewarding game. We started a little slow with the bats again and through the first 2 innings we hadn't scored a run. We were making plays in the field, but falling just short of finishing the plays for outs. I thought it might be a long day for the Grizz. But then, I saw something very fun...the team starting showing some BIG hearts and turned the game around big time!

The 3rd innning we batted all the way through the lineup and had some amazing hits and great hustle on the basepaths. TJ started us out with a single and then Zack scorched one of his signature doubles down the 3rd base line! Then after Brad and Jamison kept the rally going with singles, JD smacked a double into left field. The inning finished out with more good hits by Kyle, Blake, Spencer and Ethan. Now that's what I call a breakthrough offensive performance!

Other great moments included:

  • TJ, who took home the MVP award, made an incredible catch of a line drive while playing at the pitcher's area. He almost made another one at shortstop earlier and he was 3 for 3 at the dish. Stellar game!
  • Kyle made a sharp play on a grounder off the pitcher's area and threw a bullet to JD at 1st base, who stretched out for the catch. Kyle was an animal playing pitcher today making good decisions and getting to ground balls very quickly.
  • Toby did a great job cutting off a ball in the outfield and nearly got an out at 2nd base with a solid throw to TJ
  • Zack cleanly fielded a ground ball down the 1st base line. He was smart enough to grab it before it went foul and tag the runner out.

I am sure there were other nice plays that I failed to mention above. I am really proud of the kids for keeping a positive attitude after our slow start and turning things around.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Schedule Changes

Please note the updated schedule for the rest of the year on the right side of this page. A few changes to be aware of:

- Our game originally scheduled for today, Saturday May 24th is cancelled due to Memorial Day weekend
- The practice orginally scheduled for June 2nd, will now take place on Tuesday, June 3rd, 6pm at the Rocky Top Grass area.
- We will have our 2nd Makeup Game on Monday, June 9th, 6pm at Rocky Top.

Let me know if you have any questions

Friday, May 23, 2008

Games 8 & 9, May 19th & 21st

In our makeup game on Monday night, the theme for the Grizzlies was hitting! I was very proud of the boys because this was the first game that we moved to 3 strikes as an out for the entire game and yet we had VERY FEW strikeouts! It was unfortunate that the other team didn't have enough players for an outfield because we could only take singles, despite that fact that a few of our batters got hits worthy of a double in a normal game. Those level swings and keeping their heads down on the ball are translating into more consistent batting for the Grizzlies.
  • It was such a stellar game that we had 3 MVP's - congrats to Jamison (who hit safely in all his at bats and had a great attitude), Blake (who had a couple strong hits and was down and ready every pitch of the game in the infield), and Kyle (who deserved a couple doubles and always hustled on the basepaths)
  • Spencer stole the show while playing 2B. He never forgot to cover his base and was there to make a couple great catches for outs - one from TJ at Shortstop and one from Kyle in Centerfield .
  • TJ made a great play on a ball as catcher and wisely tagged out the runner who was heading home.

Wednesday night was fun game as we got through 5 INNINGS for the first time this year. Defense was the name of the game in this contest. Both teams made a lot of outs in the field, which was a fun brand of baseball to watch. Our bats started off a little more inconsistent and we had a few more strikeouts. But thank goodness we played that 5th inning because WOW, the Grizzlies bats came to life at the end of the game.

  • Zack was the days MVP as he turned in 2 doubles (one that was rocketed down the 3rd base line!) and made 2 nice plays on balls hit to left field (one where he sacrificed his body by stopping a hard hit ball with his chest). A stellar performance!
  • Brad was also en fuego in the field as he took a ground ball for an unassisted out at 1st base. Earlier, while playing 2nd, he scooped up a ground ball and threw to JD, who made an impressive catch at 1st base for the out.
  • TJ played a solid shortstop, tagging a runner out that was trying to go to 3rd base and also taking a throw from JD at 2nd base for a force out.
  • Ethan made a nice play on a grounder to 3rd and wisely got the force out at his base.
  • Toby made some strong throws from the outfield and also got one of his best hits of the season

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Game 7 - May 17th

I hope everyone is excited that we finally seem to be getting weather more suitable for baseball! 10 days between games is not good for any baseball team and the Grizzlies looked like it may have affected them just a little bit in the field, especially in the 1st inning. But the bats sure looked good! A few highlights:
  • Congratulations TJ for taking home the game's MVP award! TJ displayed some very nice fielding at Shortstop, knocking down some hard hit balls and making strong throws to 1st base. He also had 2 sharply hit singles. I was also proud of him for making good in game adjustments. In the first inning he forgot to cover his base the first time, but after being reminded of that, he never forgot again. Great game!
  • Other impressive outs were made by Brad, who gobbled up a ground ball at 1st base and Kyle, who fielded a ball at shortstop and wisely tagged out the runner going to 3rd base.
  • We've been working more on hitting mechanics, particularly #1 - level swings and #2 - keeping your head down on the ball. It looks like this is starting to pay off as the bats looked solid. Brad clobbered another double and Zack had 2 hard hits that made the outfield. And Kudos to Toby who hit safely in all 4 of his at bats, the only Grizzly to accomplish that feat.

Here are some pictures from the game:



Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Game 6 - May 6th

OK, I'm quite sure I have not been more pleased with our team this year! You may or may not know that out of 11 Coach-Pitch division teams, we are the VERY youngest team in average age. On Tuesday, we played the same team that we played last game - that happens to be one of the older teams (their coach tells me that this is the 2nd year of Coach-Pitch for most of their players). Well, in the top of the 1st inning, our Grizzlies' bats were somewhat quiet and we didn't get any runs across the plate. Conversely, our opponent hit through the lineup and scored several runs. Things were looking a little bleak. But then...the Mighty Grizzlies came to life! I don't know what happened between the 1st and 2nd inning but wow did we look great the rest of the game and gave an older and bigger team all they could handle! Here are a few of Coach Paul's observations of the game:
  • One thing I loved seeing was that several players did an outstanding job of applying some pre-game hitting drills in their in-game at bats. Over our last couple games I had noticed a few of our hitters were not swinging level at the plate and this was affecting their ability to make consistent contact with the ball. So we worked on more level swings with the hitting stick during warm up. Everyone did better during the game, but Big Kudos go especially to Jamison, Ethan, and Blake for making great adjustments in their swings. It paid off as I thought those 3 all got their most solid hit of the season this game.
  • Speaking of hitting, give it up for the game's MVP, Brad! Brad hit the ball hard all 3 times including a very memorable double. Even better, Brad was down and ready on every pitch for the 3rd straight game. He's been our leader in this area. Congrats on a great game!
  • More hitting highlights (sensing a theme, here?) included Zack and TJ, who also smacked doubles into the outfield, and Kyle and JD who hit the ball hard all 3 times at the plate.
  • On to the fielding: Compliments to Zack and JD for making one of the season's more impressive outs. Zack popped off the pitcher's area to field a ground ball on the 3rd base side and made a rather long throw to JD, who stretched out from 1st base to catch the ball just before it hit the dirt. Wow!
  • Later in the game Kyle (at SS) and Zack (at 2B) teamed up for a handful of force outs at 2nd base. They got these outs because #1, they were down and ready every pitch and #2, they knew what they were going to do if the ball came to them and they knew where to go if it didn't. Man, baseball is FUN when it's played the right way!

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Game 5 - May 3rd

Today's game contained a big adjustment for the Grizzlies. As of April 27th, we are moving towards 3 strikes as an out (instead of 6 hittable pitches) in the Coach-Pitch division. It is definitely a little tougher, but it's important to keep in mind that the major goal of the Coach-Pitch division is to prepare the kids to play real baseball rules. With one of our practices snowed out this week, we didn't get as much time as I would have liked to work with the kids on understanding to only swing when the pitch is a strike. We will work more on that. But with that said, I thought the majority of the Grizzlies showed good discipline at the plate and didn't swing at balls out of the strike zone. Nice job! Moving to 3 strikes as an out will be a bit of a progression - today you may have noticed that we just did it the 1st time through the batting order and then switched back to 6 hittable pitches. But even when we do that, we will not be as liberal as we have up to this point and if the batter swings and misses, that will count as one of the 6 even if the pitch wasn't in the strike zone. Practice hitting at home...if you need to borrow a bat and a couple balls don't hesitate to ask! Let me know if you have any questions on this change.

On to the game....Congratulations to the day's MVP, Ethan! He hit safely 2 times, including the 1st at bat when we were counting 3 strikes as an out. While playing 3rd base, Ethan made a great play on a ground ball and wisely got the force out at his base. Way to be, #6!

Other highlights:
  • With the bases loaded, TJ pounced on a short ground ball near the pitcher's area and quickly threw home to JD who made a nice catch for the force out at the plate
  • Brad played a terrific 1st base - he fielded a hard hit ground ball and got the out at first. Later, he made a couple nice catches on throws that arrived just barely too late for the out.
  • Kyle showed why it's important to be "in the game" even when playing the outfield when he picked up a fly ball off one hop and got a nice force out at 2nd base.
  • The Grizzlies just keep getting better and better at being down and ready on every pitch. The players that I noticed were down and ready every pitch were Blake, Brad and Toby. There may have been others...the coaches will continue to watch for this!

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Game 4 - April 25th

The Grizzlies were at it again...they looked very sharp on Friday. Congratuations to JD for taking away the game's MVP award! JD was a monster at 1st Base making a handful of terrific defensive plays, one on a ball that would have gone foul but JD charged it, gloved it while it was still fair, and got the out. He also hit safely all 3 times at bat. Nice work #12!

Other highlights from the well played game:

- Kyle made an out by hustling off the pitcher's mound to a ground ball and making a solid throw to JD at 1st base. All that throwing camp practice is paying off!
- Toby was probably the day's best at the plate, hitting the ball hard all 3 times he batted.
- Jamison also had a breakout game with the bat, hitting safely in all 3 of his at bats.
- A big Thank You to Brad and Spencer...Coach was watching close this game to see who was down and ready in the field on every pitch and I never once caught Brad or Spencer not ready, even when they were playing the outfield. Just about everyone is doing a better job with being ready and keeping their heads in the game.

Keep up the good work Grizzlies! Too bad today's game couldn't be played due to the cold weather. Our team may be a little crazy showing up to the field in that cold but it's clear now that no one can question our toughness, right?

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Games 2 & 3 - April 18th & 19th

I thought Game 2 on Friday was the best the Grizzlies have looked so far. The highlight of the game as a team is that we got 3 OUTS to end all 4 innings we played! I was very impressed to have the boys accomplish this so early into the season. A few of the nice plays that I recall:

- Toby played a heads up 3rd base! He fielded 2 different grounders and wisely got the force out at 3rd both times. Toby also had a couple solid hits. He was our deserving MVP for the game!
- JD, playing 2nd base and Kyle, playing Shortstop hooked up for a force out at 2nd base when JD cleanly fielded a ground ball and threw to Kyle who was not only covering his base but made an excellent catch.
- Blake was probably the day's most consistent hitter, making solid contact all 3 times up - once even nearly taking his Dad's head off at the pitcher's mound (though I don't think Coach Scott minded one bit :-)

Here's a few pictures from Game 2 - Again, feel free to email me any that you take at the game we'll post them.

Spencer & Blake in the dugout

Toby ripping the baseball

Blake heading to first after a hit

JD sliding into home for a run

Spencer putting the hurt on the ball

Game 3: Late Saturday game + strong winds blowing sand into the kids eyes + subpar replacement pitcher = an overall tougher game for the Grizz. But there were still some real nice positives:

- Congratulations to our MVP, Spencer! He had one of the more solid hits of the game. Also, Spencer and TJ connected for an awesome out to end the game when TJ hustled to a short ground ball near the pitcher's mound and threw a bullet to Spencer, who made a sweet catch at first base. Now that's finishing the game in style!
- Zack had one of our season's finest hits when he ripped the ball down the 3rd base line and into the outfield, scoring Ethan all the way from 2nd base.
- Brad shook off dirt in his eyes had 2 very solid hits on a day that was not ideal conditions for hitting

They are coming along and looking like a team. As a reminder, the best thing you can do to help your son have a great time on the baseball field is to PLAY CATCH, PLAY CATCH, PLAY CATCH. I know I'm a broken record with this but I promise that the better they can throw and catch, the more fun they are going to have playing baseball this year.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Game 1 - Saturday April 12th

Congratulations to the Grizzlies on a memorable first game! A few highlights:

Each game we will have an Most Valuable Player award for the player that did some special things that game. This could be for great hitting, fielding or even for demonstrating notable improvement on a certain aspect of baseball.

Congratulations to Zack Debolt, our first MVP! Zack started the game off in style by scorching a line drive that made it past the outfielders and he motored safely into 2nd base for a leadoff double. While playing the outfield, he was into the game and nearly had an out at 2nd base after making a good decision to throw the ball there. Later, he made a couple of unassisted outs at 1st base. Enjoy your $5 gift card at Dick's Sporting Goods, Zack.

Another highlight was when a runner for the opponent was trying to get from 3rd to Home on the last batter of the inning. TJ made a fantastic throw to home where Blake caught the ball nicely on one hop and tagged the runner out. What a play!

The hitting looked good and for the most part, I saw everyone showing good hustle. We still need some work having everyone on the field "baseball ready" on every pitch, so we'll work on that. We also probably need to review some baserunning and make sure that everyone is listening to their base coaches. But overall, I was so pleased with the boys and how they knew where they were supposed to be on each play. And boy, do we have some hitters!

By the way, big THANKS to Joanne (Brad's Mom) for the nice schedules she made up for everyone; Jamie (TJ's Mom) for keeping our scorebook, and Eric (Zack's Dad) for taking a lot of pictures to share with the team. I'll make sure to post them here on the blog at a later date.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

4/5 Scrimmage Highlights

I hope all the kids enjoyed our scrimmage on Saturday. It was a blast to see them out there looking like a baseball team. I think it was beneficial for them to get a feel for what games will be like and we'll be ready to rock n' roll once the season begins.

A few highlights from our scrimmage:
  • I knew we had officially arrived when Brad Law stepped right up as our first batter and smacked a sharp base hit up the middle. Brad's hit was immediately followed by more great hits by Jamison, JD, Toby, and Kyle. Now that's what I call a nice start!
  • Spencer Conover got the Grizzlies first out as a team when he cleanly fielded a ground ball and wisely went to 2nd base for a force out. Great decision Spence!
  • To end the 1st inning, there was a grounder to the pitcher's mound. Blake hustled to the ball, fielded it and made a strong throw to 1st Base, where JD reached out and made a sweet catch while keeping his foot on the base for the out. What a play!
  • Ethan impressed me by listening to his coach. In the 2nd inning, a ball was hit to TJ at shortstop, who fielded it nicely and tried to get the force out at 3rd base, but Ethan wasn't there to cover. After Coach Mark reminded him where he needed to be, the very next ball came to shortstop again and this time, Ethan covered his base perfectly...TJ made a good throw and they very nearly had the out.
  • Zack hit all 3 times up to bat and his last hit was probably the hardest hit ball of the game. He also did a great job helping the team remember to stay together during our pre-game warmup lap around the field.

My favorite part of coaching is seeing the smiles on the kids faces when they accomplish something on the field. I was proud of them and it only gets better from here.

Practice this Tuesday (4/8) is behind the large house at 13500 York St. Directions have been emailed. Let me know if you have any questions.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

A couple extra dates to be aware of:

There is a practice that I left off of our original schedule, so please be aware of this:

Friday, April 4th at 5:00pm at Eagle View Elementary

Also, our team pictures will be on:

Saturday, April 5th at 11:30am at the NLLL Fields

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Saturday 3/15 Practice

After 1 week and 3 practices, every player is already improving. And I hope everyone is having fun in the process. Just a quick summary of what we've been learning and some highlights so far:

Throwing Camp: We are seeing improvement in catching. Try to practice the "thumbs together, pinkies together" catching drill at home. Kudos to TJ, Spencer and JD who all seem to be catching very consistently. Others aren't far behind and everyone has improved some. We'll keep starting every practice with "Throwing Camp" with the goal of getting everyone very confident catching the baseball.

Defensive Stance: we've been working on the 3 steps to good fielding of the baseball:
1. WIDE BASE (feet a little farther apart than the shoulders)
2. BOTTOM DOWN
3. HANDS IN FRONT (receiving the ball out in front, rather than right between their feet)

Today Zack was our star at remembering this defensive stance during infield practice. Great job!

We have started hitting and that is coming along too. The kids are learning about their swings starting with hips and keeping their head down on the ball. They should see the ball hit the bat. Nice work Brad and Kyle for smacking some great hits today during batting practice with Coach Scott.

Infield Practice: we had infield practice for the first time today. The boys learned that whenever the ball is hit, every position in the infield has a job, namely:

1. Fielding the ball when hit to your area
2. Cover a base
3. Backup a teammate

We practiced when each position needs to do each job and we'll need a lot more work on this. Blake never once forgot to cover his base was fielding the ball very well. Way to go.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

The Top 3 things you can do to help your son have a great baseball season

#1 - Play Catch with him

#2 - Play MORE Catch with him

#3 - After #1 and #2 are completed....PLAY some more CATCH!

At the coach-pitch level, your son's enjoyment of the game and improvement as a baseball player is going to be directly linked to how well he can CATCH and THROW the ball. We will work on this in practices, but the more you can work with him at home on catching and throwing , the faster he and the team will be able to move on to other (funner) drills and learn more of the game of baseball. A couple simple things to focus on while playing catch:

Catching - 3 steps

1. Start with no ball and work on “thumbs together” (hands up) for balls thrown above the waist and “pinkies together” (hands down) for balls thrown below the waist. Work on using two hands, bare hand right next to glove hand.

2. Begin throwing with a tennis ball (it won’t hurt them, so they'll have no fear). Throw some above the waist, some below the waist.

3. Once they are more confident and starting to catch somewhat regularly, switch to the baseball. Continue to focus on "thumbs together" and "pinkies together"

Throwing - 3 steps

1. Player turns sideways with his glove hand pointing to the target (parent's chest)

2. Player extends arm back with the ball; palm facing down (thumb under ball, 2 or 3 fingers on top of ball)

3. Player throws the ball to target, keeping his elbow slightly higher than his shoulder. Make sure he follows through; his hand should end up down near his opposite knee.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Welcome to the Team

Parents and Players,

Welcome to our Coach-Pitch baseball team. We are glad to have you and are looking forward to a great season. I will be using this web page as a way to communicate relevant information for the team as well as hopefully posting some pictures and/or comments after games and practices (we'll see how well I stay on the ball with this). I will also try to post some of the drills that we are working on in practice for reinforcement at home. Hopefully parents and players alike will enjoy checking this site throughout the season.

A little about your coaches: We LOVE the sport of baseball. This is the 4th year that Mark and I have coached together in Northern Lights Little League. We started with our oldest sons in T-ball and are now coaching them at the competitive AA level. Mark takes the lead on that team, while I take the lead on this team where our 2nd sons play. We have an "open door" policy and welcome any feedback from parents. We will also likely need occasional help from willing parents during practices and/or games.

Our number 1 priority is that your son has fun and enjoys playing the game of baseball. To accomplish that, we believe strongly that they learn the game the right way, one fundamental at a time. We will strive to run our practices and games to that end. We'll expect the boys to listen when their coaches are talking and to hustle when they are out on the field.

Again, Welcome to the team...Let's have a fantastic season.

Coach Paul