THE BASERUNNER December 31, 2010

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1 THE BASERUNNER December 31, 2010 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Welcome to Sacred Heart CYO Baseball and Softball Association s 2011 baseball season and 54th year of providing recreational and tournament ball to all children of the Rancocas Valley area, which includes the towns of Lumberton, Hainesport, Westampton, Eastampton and Mount Holly. After surviving my first year as President, I would like to say thank you to all of the coaches, parents and sponsors who made 2010 a successful season for Sacred Heart CYO. We are getting ready for the coming year and once again ask for your continued support, help and participation in making this program as successful as it has been, while also looking for ways to make things even better. As you know, Sacred Heart is a self supporting league, relying on the volunteer efforts of our elected Board members as well as the rest of the Sacred Heart family. Without these individuals or you stepping up, the league can not be properly supported. Congratulations to our organization s new Board members elected by the league s general membership, and a big thank you to those Board Members who are stepping down after many years of service with the league. Below you will find a listing of our 2010/2011 Board, (all board members can be reached by ing: shcyobaseball@yahoo.com). President Ken Zeng* Vice President Tony Pingelli Secretary Rich Crisci Treasurer Dave Corson Business Manager Patrick White * Information Coordinator / Scheduler Jim Pellock* Baseball Coordinator (9-12) Bill Challender* Baseball Coordinator (8 and under) Rob Mendys* Softball Coordinator Jaime Mungo Softball Coordinator Ken Jacobs Registrar / Assessments and Draft Coord. Scott Iovine* Field Maintenance Coordinator Mike Sweeney Tournament Director / Field Maintenance John Breed Umpire / District Team Coordinator Bob Falese Member At-Large Chris Stridiron * * Re-elected or newly elected for

2 Congratulations! To the 2010 Division Champs, in what was an exciting rec season Majors - Twins; Minors 10 Cubs; Minors 9 Astros; Developmental 8 Yankees; Instructional Diamondbacks; 10U Softball Navy; 8U Softball Royal and T-ball - the Parents and Coaches are the winners Congratulations as well to our District and Tournament Teams. Sacred Heart had great showing by all of the District and Tournament Teams throughout the summer; some notable accomplishments: Our 8U Softball team placed 4th in the Mid Atlantic Regionals after placing 2 nd in both Districts and the Southern NJ State tournaments. The 10U Softball Team was District Champs and advanced to the State Tournament. The 9 Year Old and 10 Year Old District Baseball teams each were District Champs and were Runners Up in their respective State Tournaments, and the 8 Year Old Team was Runner Up in both their District and State Tournaments. The Sacred Heart District and Tournament teams also represented the league very well in open tournaments throughout the summer. More Opportunity to Players to have an Extended Season Last season, our league was fortunate enough to be able to field an additional number of teams to represent Sacred Heart in area tournaments. Thanks to the interest shown by coaches and players, we were able to add a second tournament team for baseball at all ages 8 through 12 as well as fielding a tournament team for 7-year-olds. As a result, players wishing to extend their season into the summer were able to do so while improving their skills at the same time. We hope to continue this trend in 2011, for both baseball and softball. If you have interest in coaching any of these teams please let me know as the rec season gets underway. Softball Softball Committee Board Members Jaime Mungo and Ken Jacobs are forming the 2011 Softball Committee. If you are interested please contact them at the below. The softball program has continued to grow over recent years and the coordinators and committee are working to provide a favorable overall experience for all of our softball players. While aiming to improve the level of play for everyone, the group is also working on scheduling, player assessments, rules, and uniforms (among other things). We plan to continue the inter-town scheduling initiated a few years ago to supplement the rec league schedule with games against comparable teams from other nearby programs, primarily at our older age groups. Winter clinics There are many winter clinics in the area beginning in January. This is a great way for the girls to get back into softball before the season. Feel free to cyosoftball@gmail.com if you would like to know about some of the local clinics going on. 2

3 WHAT S NEW FOR 2011??? Possible Ban on Composite Bats for Baseball Babe Ruth / Ripken is considering a ban on bats which are made of composite materials, effective with the upcoming 2011 season. Composite bats are made of aluminum but are also wrapped in woven graphite. The advanced technology in the bats results in balls potentially flying off the bats at speeds faster than regular aluminum only bats, potentially putting defensive players in harm s way. Just yesterday (12/30/10), Little League (the most prominent youth baseball organization) announced an immediate moratorium on composite bats (for baseball only, not softball), The decision was based on an exhaustive research study. Babe Ruth / Ripken is expected to make a definitive announcement soon, and it s very possible (or even likely) that they will follow the direction of Little League on this issue. As such, it s probably not a good idea to invest in a composite bat until this issue is resolved. Without going into too much detail here, as a general guide, if you ve spent at least $175 on a bat, it s probably a composite bat that could be subject to the immediate ban. We ll keep you posted of any new developments as we learn of them. Who s on First? Or more precisely which field is on first. As a result of feedback from our members, we have switched the softball field and the minors field used primarily for baseball. The new softball field has a smaller outfield more suitable to the level of hitting typically seen. The smaller field will also provide the softball players a truer feel for the game in that the outfielders will play in the outfield grass and not on the edge of the infield. Ongoing Improvements to our Facilities The league will continues to make improvements as needed to our complex during 2011, with several improvements already underway. This fall, the infield dirt was turned over to help keep the fields softer and water absorbent. A concrete pad was laid under the new pavilion and the concrete was replaced in front of the snack bar. Other projects to look for (hopefully before the spring): an overhang in front of the snack bar to help reduce the sun/rain getting into the snack bar, a new counter top in the snack bar; batting cage upgrades, and bullpen and parking enhancements to enhance safety as our youngsters move around the complex. Westampton Complex It was great to have the additional field space last year and we will be utilizing the Westampton Complex again this year. In meeting with township officials, they plan to have an irrigation system in place as well as dugout roofs for the 2011 season. They also are planning to put in netting between the fields to address the foul ball issues faced at 3

4 times last year. The snack bar / restrooms at the complex will be completed for the start of the season. In exchange for the field use, the league will be responsible for staffing the snack bar during our games much like we do at our complex. Overall, we were very pleased with our use of the Westampton Complex in 2010, and we re continuing our good relationship with the township to make the experience even better. Baseball Majors Division Our Baseball Majors Division (for 11 and 12 year-olds) may be impacted this season by the success we ve had in recent years in attracting and retaining players through some innovative measures taken in the 8, 9, and 10 year-old baseball divisions. Right now, there is a strong likelihood that we may have enough ballplayers to field as many as 13 teams in the age group, while Babe Ruth places a limit of 10 teams for any single division. Depending on the actual number of players that register, we may be in a situation where we split the Majors Baseball group into two separate divisions for Based on feedback we received last year when we faced this potential issue and in discussions at the general membership meetings, we would likely create an 11 year-old division and a 12 year-old division, similar to the setup for 9 and 10 year-olds. Under this setup, both divisions would be playing at the 50 / 70 distances (distance to the mound and bases). If you re impacted by this, please share your thoughts with us either during registration, at an upcoming general membership meeting, or by ing us at shcyobaseball@yahoo.com. BABE RUTH Baseball for ages 13 and up: Mount Holly Baseball League For last year s 12 year olds that have graduated from the Sacred Heart Baseball program, the Mount Holly Baseball League (MHBL) is a great place to continue playing ball. MHBL was formed for ages 13 and up, combining the efforts of Babe Ruth (Sacred Heart), Little League (RVLL) and the independent Bandits teams, for this age group only. MHBL registration will be conducted during January at various times independent from the Sacred Heart registrations. For more information about MHBL registration, visit: REGISTRATION All registration forms are now available for download at the league s website, and should be filled out before the day of registration to minimize confusion during the registration session. Both pages of the registration form must be completed for each child being registered, accompanied by a copy of the child's birth certificate (new players) to confirm the child s age Registrations for the 2011 season will be held at the Westampton Municipal Building (710 Rancocas Road) on the following dates: 4

5 Saturday January 8 9:00am to 1:00pm Thursday January 13 6:00pm to 9:00pm Saturday January 15 9:00am to 1:00pm Thursday January 27 6:00pm to 7:30pm Our intent is to complete registration through just the four sessions noted above. We would like to have about 12 players on each team in Please make yourself available on one of these dates to register your child, as time is needed for the league to order equipment, uniforms, set up teams, assign coaches, and prepare schedules. While we try our best to accept all registrations, it is possible that late registration requests will be placed on a waiting list until we see enough to form another team in a division, without expanding the rosters to a point where the overall playing experience is compromised for all players on a team. Remember, all fees and fund-raising activities are due upon registration without exception. Once the season begins, everyone s attention will be on playing ball and not on following up on collecting unpaid registration fees. COACHES APPLICATIONS All individuals seeking a coaching or assistant coaching position must complete, in its entirety, the application form included with the registration materials and submit this form to the Baseball or Softball coordinators. Applications are to be submitted as soon as possible so that coaching positions can be assigned in a timely and efficient manner. Please note on the form if there are other coaches you wish to coach with; these are requests, not guarantees. If you are the parent of a t-baller, please consider stepping up to be a coach. Typically, our t-ball coaches have only limited experience but have a great opportunity to build their skills at the same time that the ballplayers grow on the field as well. For those who wish to coach but have not done so in the past, please be advised that all coaches must attend a Virtus Training Course administered by Sacred Heart Parish, and must also be finger-printed. Evidence of this training and background check are required by our league, in close cooperation with Sacred Heart Parish. The Rutgers Safety Clinic is also recommended, but not required. Dates and times will be posted on the league s website as the Virtus class dates are determined. OTHER ITEMS: League Website Use The league will continue to use its website for updates, including information about schedules during the season. If you are already a registered user for the website, your username and password will remain the same as last season. Please us anytime, at shycoybaseball@yahoo.com and we ll be sure to get back to you. 5

6 Code of Conduct Reinforcement A few years ago, we established a Code of Conduct for all players, coaches, and parents to adhere to. Thankfully, we have had very few incidents to deal with, and we ask for your continued support in this regard so that collectively we can be certain to set a good example for our children. As we head into the 2011 season, take the time to read the Code of Conduct, which can be viewed at the league s website. There will be an acknowledgement that these have been read on the players and coaches application. Remember, the CYO Complex is a No Smoking, No Alcohol, No Pet facility, so that we can provide a comfortable recreational environment for players and their families. Annual League Fund Raiser The 2011 Fund Raiser will be the same as it has been for the last several years: Raffle Tickets. This has been a huge contributor to the financial well-being of the program, and your willingness to continue to support the fund raiser is vital to the league s ability to keep our facilities playable for years to come. The book cost is $50 for 10 tickets, with payment due at registration. For those wishing to not sell tickets, a donation of $45 which will be used to fund necessary improvements faced by our program. Dates for Assessments and Field Cleanup As of now, the dates for player assessments will be Saturday March 5 th with first games to be played on Saturday March 26 th. The assessments are conducted in all divisions except T-Ball and Instructional, solely for the purpose of establishing some sort of competitive balance when the teams are drafted. We will send out an when the time gets closer and will post any updates to the league website. FINANCIAL RESULTS / BUDGET 2011 The league s board has prepared the budget for the coming year, including registration costs and fund raising programs that will help finance everything from uniforms, umpires, trophies, and baseballs, to field maintenance, backstops, and snack bar repairs. Thank you to those individuals that came to our general membership meetings and contributed to this process. Your thoughts and insight are very important to the league s operations. Feel free to make your recommendations known as to how we can continue improving things at Sacred Heart. We d love to hear from you, at our monthly meetings or by dropping us a note, through regular mail c/o Sacred Heart CYO, PO Box 515, Hainesport, NJ 08036, or at shcyobaseball@yahoo.com SPONSORS Sponsorships provide a great opportunity to get the word out about businesses in our local communities. Please get involved and help us fill our sponsorship requirements as early as possible. Sponsorship helps reduce the cost of registration by subsidizing uniform costs. If you have any questions about sponsoring a team, or any of other sponsorship opportunities, please contact our Business Manager, Patrick White, through our general at shcyobaseball@yahoo.com or download the sponsorship forms at the league s website. 6

7 MEETING DATES AND TIMES Below are the general membership meeting dates and times for All league members are welcome. In order to be eligible to vote at the league s election of board members in June, individuals must have attended at least two other general membership meetings in the year since the last election. It is also important to note that individuals seeking a coaching or assistant coaching position should attend the meetings. Updates to the schedule of meetings will be posted to the calendar of events at the league s website as they become known. GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING DATES Westampton Municipal Building 710 Rancocas Road, Westampton, NJ 4 January 8:00pm 7 July 8:00pm 1 February 8:00pm August No Meeting 1 March 8:00pm September No Meeting 5 April 8:00pm 3 May 8:30pm 7 June 8:30pm OUTLOOK FOR 2011 As we prepare for the upcoming season, I challenge each of you to remember what we are trying to accomplish in our League. We want to provide a safe, fun, learning experience for all the boys and girls that participate in the Sacred Heart program. We all like to win, but first and foremost, we are to provide an environment where players can continue to develop their fundamental skills while promoting sportsmanship and respect. We have a tremendous pool of resources that contributes to the success of our organization, and we ll continue to look within to come up with ways to keep our programs improving. Registration is just around the corner, and I look forward to catching up with everyone and hearing their ideas and thoughts for the upcoming season. We ll need your help again this season, and we re looking forward to sharing this experience and building memories for our ballplayers during Happy Holidays to all, Ken Zeng President, Sacred Heart Baseball and Softball Association 7