Baseball Parent Handbook

Transcription

1 Baseball Parent Handbook Athletics Dept , ext. 20 Our Mission Statement To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Guiding Principles - Help ensure that all local youth have equal access to programs that instill a strong sense of competence, usefulness, belonging, self-esteem, and influence. - Reach out to those most in need while ensuring that no child will ever be turned away due to an inability to pay. - Offer programs that enhance: Character and Leadership Development Education and Career Development Health and Life Skills The Arts Sports, Fitness and Recreation

2 T-Ball and Coach Pitch Baseball Rules and Regulations Expectations The Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties T-Ball League is designed to help participants mature by teaching them good sportsmanship, cooperation and teamwork. Sportsmanship is defined as fairness in following the rules of the game or conduct and attitude considered as befitting participants in sports, especially fair play, courtesy, striving spirit, and grace in winning and in losing. It s about respect for self, the opposition, game officials and the game itself. The program also hopes to develop confidence and self-esteem through the fundamentals of baseball. Most of all, coaches should do their best to ensure that everyone is having fun. Following are the fundamentals coaches should be working on as the season progresses. 1. Concept of TEAM 2. Number of outs per inning 3. Fielding techniques. Proper down and ready position. 4. Using both hands to catch the ball vs. one-handed catches 5. How to properly field/catch a fly ball (stress getting underneath the ball). 6. Throwing (opposite foot forward). 7. Proper base running. 8. Making outs. 9. Proper batting position and technique. Bat back and held at shoulder height as well as emphasis on swinging hard and stepping towards the pitcher and not towards 1 st or 3 rd. 10. Good sportsmanship. Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties defines this as behavior which contributes positively to every player s sense of selfesteem and love for the game. T-Ball Rules 1. Both teams should provide a scorekeeper to keep track of runs and outs. Three outs or five runs end an inning. This is the only reason scores are tracked. The score at the end of the game is meaningless, and a tie score does not mean extra innings. Coaches (and parents) should de-emphasize wins and losses. 2. The game will be a maximum of 5 innings or 60 minutes. No inning may start after 50 minutes of play. 3. Games will be played on a 35-foot diamond. The pitcher s mound should be 35 feet away from home plate. 4. Offensive coaches will be umpires. Offensive coaches consist of first and third base coaches and a coach placing the ball on the tee.

3 5. Players should be rotated in the field every inning. Please follow the rotation chart below (catcher) 6. Players are required to hit the ball which is placed on a tee at home plate. Coaches are asked to adjust the tee height according to the child s size. 7. The defensive pitcher must remain at the pitcher s mound until the ball is struck. 8. The ball must travel at least 10 feet from home plate, and stay within the first and third base lines to be ruled fair. 9. One or more coaches may be on the playing field (usually in the outfield) while his/her team is on defense, but are not allowed to intentionally touch the ball or players during play. 10. Runners may not advance once an attempt has been made by a fielder to throw the ball back to the pitcher or catcher unless the runner has made a move toward the next base prior to the throw or if the fielder is attempting to make an out at home. (Note: It is highly recommended that T- ball players never take more than one base, at least until the very end of the season). 11. Runners may not advance on overthrows. 12. No stealing or leading off will be allowed. Runners must stay on base until the ball is hit. 13. No bunting is allowed. Coach Pitch Baseball Rules 1. Games will be played on a 50-foot diamond, with the pitchers mound being 35 feet from the back of home plate. 2. A coach from the offensive team will serve as pitcher-coach. The pitcher-coach may pitch underhand or overhand depending on the player s ability. As the season goes on, all pitches should be overhand, and velocity should increase. The pitcher-player should stand to either side of the pitcher-coach. The pitcher-coach should make every effort to stay out of the way of a hit ball. A ball which hits the pitcher-coach will be considered fair. 3. Infielders must play behind the baselines until the ball is hit players will be used on defense. Defensive team must use 4 outfielders. All must be positioned at equal depth. No short fielder will be allowed. Each team must use a catcher. 5. Teams play a maximum of 6 innings per game. There is a 90-minute time limit. No inning may start after 80 minutes of play. 6. Each team will provide an umpire.

4 7. No base stealing. Base runners cannot leave the base until the ball is hit. Runners may advance after tagging up on a fly ball. A runner who leaves early will be called out, and the ball will be dead. 8. There will be no base advancement on missed or passed balls by the catcher. 9. There will be free substitution of all players. All players must play a minimum of two innings in the field. The entire roster will bat. 10. Catchers must wear full equipment including chest and leg protectors, helmet/mask and throat guard. Cups are recommended. 11. Catchers may not talk to hitters. 12. An inning will consist of 3 outs or 5 runs, whichever occurs first. 13. There is no dropped third strike rule. 14. There is no infield fly rule 15. Bunting is NOT allowed. Intentional bunting will be an automatic out. 16. Sliding is NOT allowed. 17. Play will be stopped once the lead runner is stopped and controlled. 18. No quick pitching. Pitcher-coach must make sure defense is set. 19. An at-bat consists of one hit, ten pitches or 3 swinging strikes, whichever comes first. 20. A foul ball on the last pitch that is not caught will not be considered a pitch. The batter will be allowed to continue the at-bat. 21. When on offense, coaches (or parents) should serve as first and third base coaches as well as umpires. 22. There are no walks. 23. A player who throws a bat will be automatically called out. Point of Emphasis Bat Safety - Players should be made aware that throwing the bat will result in an automatic out. Coaches should emphasize bat safety during the first practice that the team is hitting. Players should be told to look around before they hit the ball to make sure that nobody can be accidentally struck with the bat. After hitting the ball, players should put the bat down and run to first. A safe zone must be established where non-batters must sit. PLEASE REMEMBER: Success in this league is not measured by the number of team victories, but by the positive development of the children as baseball players and human beings. Skills & Drills Baseball Clinic This new program is designed for children in 3 rd -6 th grades who are too old for our baseball leagues but still want to learn more about the game. It is structured as a season-long clinic rather than a league. Players meet once a week for five weeks of skill building followed by four weeks of game play. We are partnering with Athletic Edge for this program; they are providing coaching and time at their batting cages during the season.

5 Rainy Day Policy The Boys & Girls Club rents the fields we use at Bernard Eldredge and McNear Schools. We wish to be good tenants by being respectful in regards to taking care of these fields. Therefore there may be times during the season when the sky is clear, but we decide not to hold practices or games so we do not damage the fields. The Athletic Director will contact coaches when there is a question about whether or not we will play. Please contact your coach rather than the Club if you have questions in this area. Parent-Coach-Club Communication Because we have over 600 players in our leagues each season, it is highly inefficient for the Athletic Director to try to communicate with each family during the season. Please consider your coach to be your liaison to the Boys and Girls Club. The Athletic Director will keep them up-to-date on all pertinent info, and they in turn should keep parents informed. You should feel free to contact the Athletic Director with questions or concerns during the season, but for general questions regarding scheduling, rainouts, etc. please contact your coach first. Parent Responsibilities It is greatly appreciated by coaches when parents ensure that their children arrive on time for games and practices. It is also helpful to let your coach know if your child cannot make a practice or game. Other than that, the main job of the parent is to be a supportive spectator. Remember that the players will not learn sportsmanship if the adults surrounding them do not model it. The best way for parents to have input into the way Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties leagues operate is to fill out end-of-season evaluations. Please take the time to do so and let us know what we re doing well and where you see a need for improvement. If you have questions or concerns during the season, please contact the Athletic Director.