Fall Baseball Program Highlights Instructional Clinics: Our fall baseball program is centered on providing ballplayers with an opportunity to hone their baseball skills during the "off-season" by offering 2 instructional clinics during the week and inter-squad scrimmage games on Saturdays. The instructional clinics will last 1 ½ - 2 hours. The clinics will be focused on teaching players sound, age-appropriate FUNdamentals by running them through fun-filled “Skills & Drills” that provide them with the multiple repetitions they need to further develop their mechanics. These sessions will be fairly informal in that players can attend as many of the clinics as they like during the week. Of course we would encourage all these players to make as many of the clinics as they can....but no "coach" or "team" pressure to attend them all. Clinics will be held at local town and church fields. Scrimmages: In the fall, we intentionally scale-down the number of games for the younger players as we feel strongly that the fall is a time for players to really fine-tune their skills. Of course, we also recognize that ballplayers love to play. So, to keep the competitive juices flowing, Saturdays will be Game Day for the 5-8 year-old players. Teams will be formed on the spot on Saturdays for fun-filled scrimmages. Based on the registration numbers, we will likely hold separate Saturday scrimmages for the 5/6 T-ballers and the 7/8 Rookies. If you're looking for an opportunity for you son or daughter to develop their skills and cultivate their love for the game, we would encourage you to sign 'em up for Stewards of the Game Fall Baseball.
AGES 9-18 (Players Move-up in the Fall Based on Age Next April 30) League Play: We will field official teams for the Minors (Rising 9-10 year-olds), Majors (rising 11-12 year-olds) and Babe Ruth Division (rising 13-18 year-olds). Our fall teams will compete against one another, and possibly other neighboring leagues. Should be some great fun...and some great competition. Clinic Option: If you have a rising 9 year-old that is better suited for participating in the instructional clinics rather than our Fall League, that is also an option. This might be a preferable option for your child if they are involved in a number of other fall activities or somewhat deficient in their fundamental skills relative to their peers. The Fall Instructional Clinics are a terrific means for players to work on improving their skills. Challenge Play: Challenge team(s) will be assembled early in the fall season, most likely at the Minors (9-10) and Majors (11-12) age divisions, to provide the more advanced players with the opportunity to compete with other teams either in the North Mecklenburg area, or possibly fellow Cal Ripken leagues in the Charlotte area. We may also enter these teams in various Challenge tournaments and scrimmages during the fall season. We have a great deal of flexibility in tailoring tournament play to fit the particular interests and skill level of our various Challenge Teams. All fall players are eligible for fall challenge play consideration based on advanced abilities. In addition, in the fall, players that have played in the previous spring challenge and/or all-star programs are eligible for fall challenge consideration regardless of their fall baseball registration status. Babe Ruth Program: AP (Advanced Play) teams at the Babe Ruth level practice as a unit throughout the fall and spring regular season and may involve a tryout process. They may complete in a separate "Division" in the Queen City Babe Ruth league designated for advanced level play, or may be involved in other advanced play opportunities. Players not on an AP team will be placed on a Babe Ruth team that will still compete in the regular season "league" with our partnering Babe Ruth leagues in Charlotte. Also, in the fall there are sometimes opportunities for 13-16 level play with teams in the North Meck area. Play opportunities for each fall season will be communicated as known. Teams at each age division will be formed as numbers allow. Playing Up/Down: As a general rule, Stewards of the Game does not allow players to "play-up" or “play down” in an age division above or below their actual age. The only exception to “playing up” will be those rare instances where a player's skill level is so advanced that they would clearly dominate the game at their age level or put their peers in harm's way on the field. The only exception for “playing down” will be instances where there is a high probability of a player being severely injured or embarrassed if they were to play with kids their own age. |
***If you are interested in coaching a team, or helping with the Instructional Clinics, please contact me as soon as possible at the number below. We will need a lot of help with the Instructional Clinics. We will hold a Coaches Clinics to help you brush up on your knowledge of the game before you take the field. 