Practice this week

Skills day is done and "open gym" is over.  Required practices start this week.  Since the weather is uncooperative, practice will be in the Riverview school gym, Monday and Wednesday from 6:00-8:00.  If you can't make it to practice, coaches need to know in advance.

This is baseball!

This picture is from Babe Ruth 2013.  Grant Hamm made an amazing flying catch after racing in from deep center field.

Registration/Skills Day

Don't forget skills day is this Saturday, March 29th at NOON.  Any player wanting consideration for the varsity team needs to be registered by the end of the day on the 29th.  Registration is open until April 14, BUT fees go up $5 after the 29th.  Earlier is better - we need to have the right number of coaches and teams need to practice together before games begin.  Please don't wait until the last second to sign up!

Registration can be done via the paper form delivered to Amy Welty any time between now and skills day, or online at:

https://www.portageinc.com/baberuth/register/default.aspx

Practice OUTSIDE this week

The weather has finally decided to cooperate, so we are moving Babe Ruth practices outdoors, where they should be.  We will be at the Riverview fields from 6-8 Monday and Wednesday this week.  The fields are on the south side of Canyon Rd, just northeast of Riverview school.  See you there!

Equipment Swap

The Shelley baseball program has grown tremendously over the last few years.  That leaves a lot of used gear after boys grow out of it.

If you have any used but still usable gear (bats, gray baseball pants, cleats, helmets, etc.) that you would donate anyway, bring it to skills day this Saturday (or contact me any time between now and the 29th to arrange a pick-up). We will have a table set up during skills day so that families can buy the equipment at garage-sale prices.  All proceeds will go into the Shelley Youth Baseball fund where it will be used to purchase bats, ball, helmets and help pay for tournaments.

Thank you for supporting Shelley Youth Baseball.

Babe Ruth BAT REQUIREMENTS

First, we apologize for the mix-up tonight.  The school forgot to tell us there would be a book fair in the gym this evening.  Tables of books and flying baseballs seemed like a bad idea.  Wednesday night, however, we are good to go.  Hope to see you all there!

We have had a few people ask about bat requirements for Babe Ruth Baseball.

Bat length:  not to exceed 34"
Bat barrel diameter:  not to exceed 2-5/8"

All aluminum/alloy bats are allowed
All bats that have aluminum/alloy barrels and composite handles are allowed.
All-composite bats are only allowed if they are marked BBCOR .50 (It must be an intrinsic part of the bat paint, not a sticker)

Although there are a lot of good ones available, we do not recommend all-composite bats for Babe Ruth baseball in Idaho for the following reasons: 

• Composite bats should not be use below 65° F and really prefer 70° or higher - they can shatter at lower temperatures.  Most baseball in Idaho is played at lower temperatures.  
• An alloy bat is game ready immediately, but a composite bat must be broken in before being used in a game.  To properly break in a composite bat, you should take 200 swings soft toss or off of a tee using regulation game baseballs.  Begin swinging at about 40-50% power for the first 150 swings.  Then work your way up to a full strength swing as you get closer to 200.  It is important to rotate the bat 1/4" after each swing to ensure complete coverage of the barrel.  Never go to a batting cage to break in a composite bat.  Those balls are dense and can damage your bat. 
• Composite bats are all -3 bats. [bat length in inches minus bat weight in ounces = 3.  For example, a 32" bat weighing 29 ounces is a -3 or drop 3 bat]   While a -3 bat is required in high school, they are typically too heavy for a younger player to successfully get around on a fast pitch.  A -5 or -8 bat is more appropriate for 13-14 year old players.

If you have your heart set on a composite bat, bring it out when it gets warm, break it in correctly, and be aware that Coach may still require you to swing a lighter bat during games if the heavier bat is affecting hitting ability.

We encourage all players to have their own bats so they can practice their swing every day.  However, we also understand that bats can be expensive, so players are not required to own their own bats.  We have a variety of team bats that any player may use and we strongly encourage players to share their bats during games and practices.  Boys may also check out team bats for extra practice.

FINALLY gym time

Babe Ruth (ages 13-15)
Where:  Riverview school gym
When:  Monday and Wednesday, 6-8 pm STARTING WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12

Cal Ripken (ages 9-12)
Where: Riverview school gym
When:  Tuesday and Thursday, 5-7 pm STARTING THURSDAY, MARCH 13

Where:  Stuart school gym
When:  Monday and Wednesday, 6-8 pm STARTING MONDAY, MARCH 10

I will keep the Babe Ruth gym schedule updated on the calendar.

There is NO FEE for open gym.  This is great opportunity for boys to come out and work on some fundamentals before the season starts.

If you have any questions, call Amy Welty or send an email using the box on the right and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Play Ball!