Mahtomedi Youth Baseball In-House Program Overview

Program Philosophy Mahtomedi Youth Baseball Incorporated (“MYBI”) was organized and incorporated with the following purposes: To support and promote the development of youth baseball activities in the Mahtomedi area. To be concerned with the moral and physical welfare of the children of the community and to help, along with the City of Mahtomedi and School District, to provide facilities, materials, and equipment for the children’s benefit and enjoyment. To promote activities through which funds may be raised to assist in the finances of MYBI. To gain the support of persons in the community and to involve them as members of MYBI. To ensure that no child is denied participation in Mahtomedi youth baseball on the basis of race, creed, religion, national origin, gender or the inability to pay the fees.

The MYBI Community MYBI is an all volunteer organization that is run by volunteer board members and volunteer coaches. MYBI is supported through registration fees, donations, sponsorships, and through the revenue generated at its baseball tournaments.

Mahtomedi Youth Baseball Program Overview Grade Currently Enrolled In Travel In-House Additional Information Kindergarten Not available Kindergarten Clinic Contests, drills, games and activities culminating games at the end of camp 1st 1st grade 2nd 2nd grade 3rd 9U 3rd / 4th grade One tournament team will be created at the 3rd/4th grade level where players play on an in-house team, but also play in a 2-3 competitive weekend tournaments. Players interested in the tournament team need to try out for the 9U or 10U travel team. 4th 10U 5th 11U 5th/6th grade 6th 12U 7th 13U 7th/8th grade 8th 14U 9th 15U

In-House Program Actual schedules will be available by mid-April. Evaluations are typically done in March to help form teams. Check the website for details and actual dates and times. Grade Currently Enrolled In Practices & Games (Subject to change) Practice and Game Season Length (Depending on Weather) Additional Information Kindergarten 2 week camp that will meet twice a week and end with a scrimmage Mid-July Contests, drills, games and activities culminating games at the end of camp 1st Monday and Wednesday. One practice and one game a week. May through first week of July Coach pitch 2nd Tuesday and Thursday. One practice and one game a week. 3rd/4th Monday through Thursday. One practice and one game a week. Mid-April through Mid-July First year of player pitch. Player/coach pitch. 5th/6th Practice TBD. Game nights Thursday-Friday. One practice and one game a week. Player pitch. 7th/8th Practice TBD. Game nights Monday-Thursday. One practice and one game a week. 9th Schedule TBD. One practice and one game a week. Player pitch

In-House Evaluations Players from 1st grade through 9th grade are evaluated in the spring to help form fair and competitive teams. Players are evaluated on one day in the spring on fielding, throwing, and hitting Players will need to supply their own bat, glove and helmet are needed for the season, so please plan to bring their equipment to the evaluation. Players are evaluated by volunteers (board members and coaches) Scores from evaluations are used to draft fair teams with coaches at each age level

Kindergarten Description: For kindergartners in their rookie season that are new to baseball this camp is a fun way for them to get more exposure to the game and begin developing their skills. If your kindergartner can already catch a ball, play at the average level of a 1st grader, and is a good listener then you should consider signing them up for the 1st grade season. If another year of maturity would benefit your child or they are brand new to the sport then the kindergarten camp is a very fun camp to introduce them to the game. If you don’t know what to do then reach out to Rod O’Connor, In-house Director, at oconnor.rod@gmail.com. Guidelines: There are no evaluations at this age. This is all about fun and skill development. 4 evenings of skill development over a two week period and games followed by a Saturday morning game to put all of their new skills to work. Equipment: At a minimum the players should have a glove and can borrow a bat and helmet. Having your own bat and helmet is preferred, but we understand it’s a two week camp, so no need to have it all if your child is unsure of their interest in baseball. We’ll have extra stuff to share. We’ll be using tennis balls, squishy baseballs Uniforms: Each player will be given a t-shirt and hat. Volunteer Opportunities: We will need some parents to help with the drills. No baseball experience necessary. Please contact Rod O’Connor @ oconnor.rod@gmail.com if you are able to help.

1st grade Description: Typically we field about 5 to 6 teams of 1st graders that will play each other through the course of the season. One practice and one game each week. Objective is to have fun, foster sportsmanship, promote team unity, and develop baseball skills that include: Basic base running - running past 1st and home, stopping or rounding at 2nd and 3rd, basic sliding Throwing - hold the ball correctly, step toward your target and follow thru, no short arming Catching - don't be afraid of the ball. Hitting - work with batting tee at practices and before games Guidelines: Fair and equal playing time (see Fair Play Policy for details). Batter will receive approximately six pitches from the coach.  If contact is not made in those six pitches, a batting tee will be used. Additional information on the program and the rules can be found on the MYBI website. Equipment: Players will need to provide their own glove, bat, and helmet. We’ll use squishy baseballs. Hard baseballs are used beginning in 3rd grade. Uniforms: Each player will be given a t-shirt and hat. Players need to supply their own pants (grey is recommended). Volunteer Opportunities: Head and assistant coaches will be needed for each team. Please contact Rod O’Connor @ oconnor.rod@gmail.com if you are able to help.

2nd grade Description: Typically we field about 5 to 6 teams of 2nd graders that will play each other through the course of the season. One practice and one game each week. Objective is to continue building on what was learned in 1st grade: Basic base running - running past 1st and home, stopping or rounding at 2nd and 3rd, basic sliding Throwing - hold the ball correctly, step toward your target and follow thru, no short arming Catching - don't be afraid of the ball. Hitting - work with batting tee at practices and before games Guidelines: Fair and equal playing time (see Fair Play Policy for details). Batter will receive approximately six pitches from the coach.  If contact is not made in those six pitches then the player is out. Additional information on the program and the rules can be found on the MYBI website. Equipment: Players will need to provide their own glove, bat, and helmet. We’ll use squishy baseballs. Hard baseballs are used beginning in 3rd grade. Uniforms: Each player will be given a t-shirt and hat. Players need to supply their own pants (grey is recommended). Volunteer Opportunities: Head and assistant coaches will be needed for each team. Please contact Rod O’Connor @ oconnor.rod@gmail.com if you are able to help.

3rd/4th grade Overview: 3rd grade is the first year that players can try out for the 9U travel team. For players and families that are not interested in travel baseball or for players that do not make the 9U or 10U travel team they will play in our 3rd/4th grade in-house program. 3rd/4th Tournament Team. The 3rd/4th grade tournament team allows players to play community baseball, but still get some exposure to the more competitive baseball that includes stealing. For players that do tryout for the 9U or 10U travel team, but are not selected for one of those teams they have the opportunity to be placed on the 3rd/4th grade Tournament Team. All players that tryout for 9U or 10U are not guaranteed to make the Tournament Team. MYBI will select the top remaining 4th graders and 3rd graders based on their travel evaluation scores. MYBI will select up to 6 4th graders on the team and up to 12 3rd graders based on their scores. Players on the Tournament Team will play on different 3rd/4th grade in-house teams. They will also meet separately (usually on weekends) for some tournament team practices. They will then play in 2-3 weekend tournaments in the metro against 10A teams. Description: Typically we field about 5 to 6 teams of 3rd/4th graders that will play each other through the course of the season. This is the first year that umpires will be used to call the game. One practice and one game each week. There will be a season end tournament in July. Objective is to have fun, foster sportsmanship, promote team unity, and develop baseball skills that include: Basic base running - running past 1st and home, stopping or rounding at 2nd and 3rd, sliding Throwing - hold the ball correctly, step toward your target and follow thru, no short arming, and developing the correct pitching mechanics (this is first year of player pitch) Catching – proper foot work on bases and continuing to learn how to back up players defensively based on the game situation Hitting - work with batting tee and soft toss at practices and before games, being aggressive at the plate to be a hitter Guidelines: Fair and equal playing time (see Fair Play Policy for details). Batter will receive six pitches from the player pitcher.  If the batter has not put the ball in play or has not struck out then a coach will throw 4 balls to the batter to allow them to put the ball in play. This helps to transition the players to pitching on their own while still keeping the game moving. During the season we will switch the rules to player pitch only. Additional information on the program and the rules can be found on the MYBI website. Equipment: Players will need to provide their own glove, bat, and helmet. We’ll use regular hard baseballs. Uniforms: Each player will be given a t-shirt and hat. Players need to supply their own pants (grey is recommended). Volunteer Opportunities: Head and assistant coaches will be needed for each team. Please contact Rod O’Connor @ oconnor.rod@gmail.com if you are able to help.

5th/6th grade Description: Typically we field about 1 to 2 teams of 5th/6th graders that will play other community baseball teams in the surrounding community. For the last couple of years our 5th/6th grade and our 6th/7th grade players had a great season playing in the St. Croix Valley Athletic Association (SCVAA) league based in Stillwater. It has been a great match in terms of competitive balance and philosophy toward recreational youth baseball. Your son/daughter will be considered a player within SCVAA not an addition to SCVAA. One practice and one game each week. The season will end with a tournament in the middle of July. Mahtomedi Baseball is required to pay for field use, insurance, game prep, assoc. web site, and other expenses, so our costs exceed the cost of signing up for SCVAA baseball directly. Practices will be held in Mahtomedi. Games will be in Mahtomedi and Stillwater. You will be expected to cheer for the name on the jersey, not Mahtomedi, just as the other fans will not cheer for Stillwater or another community. You will receive a uniform through SCVAA which includes pants. Pants will be sized at one of the practices. Additional information on the program and the rules can be found on the MYBI website. Volunteer Opportunities: Head and assistant coaches will be needed for each team. Please contact Rod O’Connor @ oconnor.rod@gmail.com if you are able to help.

7th/8th grade Description: Typically we field about 1 to 2 teams of 6th/7th graders that will play other community baseball teams in the surrounding community. For the last couple of years our 5th/6th grade and our 6th/7th grade players had a great season playing in the St. Croix Valley Athletic Association (SCVAA) league based in Stillwater. It has been a great match in terms of competitive balance and philosophy toward recreational youth baseball. Your son/daughter will be considered a player within SCVAA not an addition to SCVAA. One practice and one game each week. The season will end with a tournament in the middle of July. Mahtomedi Baseball is required to pay for field use, insurance, game prep, assoc. web site, and other expenses, so our costs exceed the cost of signing up for SCVAA baseball directly. Practices will be held in Mahtomedi. Games will be in Mahtomedi and Stillwater. You will be expected to cheer for the name on the jersey, not Mahtomedi, just as the other fans will not cheer for Stillwater or another community. You will receive a uniform through SCVAA which includes pants. Pants will be sized at one of the practices. Additional information on the program and the rules can be found on the MYBI website. Volunteer Opportunities: Head and assistant coaches will be needed for each team. Please contact Rod O’Connor @ oconnor.rod@gmail.com if you are able to help.

9th grade Description: 9th graders will play within the Maplewood Athletic Association (MAA). It has been a great match in terms of competitive balance and philosophy toward recreational youth baseball. Your son/daughter will be considered a player within MAA not an addition to MAA. One practice and one game each week. The season will end with a tournament in the middle of July. Mahtomedi Baseball is required to pay for field use, insurance, game prep, assoc. web site, and other expenses, so our costs exceed the cost of signing up for MAA baseball directly. Practices will be held in Mahtomedi. Games will be in Mahtomedi and Maplewood. You will be expected to cheer for the name on the jersey, not Mahtomedi, just as the other fans will not cheer for Maplewood or another community. You will receive a uniform through Maplewood which includes pants. Pants will be sized at one of the practices. Additional information on the program and the rules can be found on the MYBI website. Volunteer Opportunities: Head and assistant coaches will be needed for each team. Please contact Rod O’Connor @ oconnor.rod@gmail.com if you are able to help.