FALL DEVELOPMENTAL LEAGUE

We believe our Developmental Leagues provides the perfect blend of instruction and competition while limiting the amount of time spent traveling to different fields and the lack of activity that plagues youth baseball.

In all three Developmental Leagues, we focus on players' attitude, effort, and situational awareness.  All of our head coaches are also educators and they understand the importance of creating an environment where youngsters feel comfortable enough to make mistakes.  They are also remarkably adept at using those teachable moments to help everyone on the field learn and improve.

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In the Fall, as the sunset times creep earlier and earlier, there isn't enough day light to have practices in the evenings.  Because of that, we use the first 3 sessions of the season as practices and the last 5 for games.

All our practices are a fast-paced balance of technical instruction and dozens of repetitions of hitting, throwing, catching, defensive, and base-running drills.  In practice, ballplayers are grouped with kids their own age as they go through a variety of stations designed to improve a variety of skills and techniques.  We believe that by keeping the groups small and the rotations short ballplayers are able to learn a great deal, stay focused, and have fun.  While the skills and drills are often repeated, coaches are able to modify their stations as the ballplayers learn or to match different abilities.Ballplayers are encouraged to play and practice at a variety of positions. 

Games are also played at a quick pace to allow for as much action and as little downtime as possible.  Coaches encourage hustle, focusing on the mental aspects of the game, and moving on from mistakes by being ready for the next play.  There is always a senior coach in the middle of the field umpiring, teaching, and attending to the pace of play.  Other coaches man each dugout where they work with their team to review previous plays, at bats, and to make sure that their team is aware of whose turn is coming up in the order and each ballplayer's upcoming defensive assignment.   

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While the focus on effort, attitude, sportsmanship, and learning are priorities across the Developmental Leagues, we also recognize that ballplayers' skills and abilities change as they grow.  With that in mind, we have modified certain aspects of the games to fit the three different age groups.

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Single A ( for 1st and 2nd Graders ) will have coaches pitching, and at the beginning of the season they'll pull out a tee after a third strike to keep the games going and everyone engaged.  These are our youngest ballplayers with many playing in their first competitive game situations.  There will be plenty of teachable moments, smiles, big hits, and nice plays in the field

Double A will feature a pitching machine throwing nothing but strikes to our 3rd and 4th graders.  The machine will throw harder than the coaches did in Single A but will also put the ball in the middle of the strike zone every time.  As the ballplayers adjust to the ball moving faster, both towards the hitters and coming off their bats, they will be asked to think the game a little faster as well.  Our coaches will be frequently reminding them of how situations affect where the ball should be hit or thrown, while also letting them know that working through tricky moments is the best way to build the instincts that every great ballplayer has.

Triple A is for the oldest ballplayers in the Developmental League and is when we believe they are ready to begin pitching and catching themselves.  While this may slow down the pace of play, as pitchers and hitters alike get used to walking and striking out more frequently, this is the perfect age to learn how to throw strikes as a pitcher, how to receive, block, and throw as a catcher, and  how to make sure one is swinging at strikes as a hitter.  These ballplayers are also old enough to develop an understanding of how to respectfully talk with umpires and how to deal with perceived bad calls at the plate.  We will encourage everyone to play lots of positions, and while no one will have to pitch or catch if they don't want to, they are skills that everyone should be familiar with.  While we understand that games will go slower with kids pitching, the coaches will be there to keep the pace as quick as possible.  If and when a ballplayer struggles to throw strikes, the senior coach will step in and pitch to ensure the pace of play does not decrease.  When the next batter steps up, the coach steps back behind the mound for the young pitcher to try again.  Our coaches are very mindful of their players' emotional states and work to ensure that these potentially upsetting situations are seen as part of their growth as ballplayers.

 

The Developmental League will play on Saturdays from September 9th to October 28th with no games on Indigenous Peoples' Day weekend

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The cost for the Spring Developmental League is $475 and includes a jersey and hat.

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