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?

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.

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.

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.