Please See Bulletin Board
Overall Record
14 wins
14 losses
3 ties
Finalists in 2 tournaments for 2007
BBH Columbus Day Tournament
Fri 5pm Long Island Whales
4-1 win
4 innings of no-hit baseball by B-Ben, followed by 3 innings of 1 hit pitching by Jacob helped to seal this win. The entire team contributed. TMurph came up with a bases loaded, on-the-run catch in the gap, with 1 out, to stop a big rally. We manufactured the first run with timely hitting by Joey and broke things open by a suicide squeeze executed perfectly by B-Ben, scoring 2 runs.
Sat 10:15am Bristol County Warriors
0-0 tie
An outstanding pitching performance by Zach who took a perfect game into the 6th inning before giving up his first and only walk. On 89 pitches Zach pitched 8 innings of no-hit ball against an accomplished AAU travel team. Great job. Defense kept us alive with nearly flawless fielding. A diving (almost) catch by Bobby on a sinking linedrive stopped a potential 3rd inning threat. The iceman cometh (Jacob). Effortless plays at shortstop combined with a 7-pitch inning of relief held off our opponent for a 9 inning tie.
Sun 12:30pm NY Blue Knights
11-0 win
The bats finally woke up. Frankie pitched 4 strong innings and RJ went 2 for 3, both fresh off the football field. We set the table for ourselves hoping for a stong win in our second game of the day.
Sun 2:45pm LI Baymen Red Sox
9-6 loss
A few well placed ground balls by our opponents led to an early lead. After the realization that we were out of playoff contention we simply ran out of gas. Strong pitching by RJ and again by Jacob helped. We threatened late in the game but could not overcome the early lead.
Baseball Heaven Labor Day Tournament
Congratulations
A second place finish to an always tough team from Merrick. Eleven baseball players contributed in our road to the championship game. The coaches are proud of all of our players. You should be proud of yourselves.
In our semi-final game, the LI Mariners had us notched in their hats as a win, sort of an after-thought. NOT SO FAST!!! Clutch hitting, hitting behind runners, sacrificing ourselves, aggressive baserunning and good pitching sealed a victory.
Merrick (LI Storm), is always a tough team to beat. They have 10 tough outs in their lineup. There is a reason they went to the state championship (Williamsport) 2 years in a row. We'll get'em next time.
Great Job Boys
Tournament Results
Baseball Heaven Labor Day Tournament
Second Place
Sachem Ed Rall Tournament
Second Place
Tough championship game loss to LI Storm (Merrick)
A performance the coaches and players should be proud of, an appearance in the finals.
Private batting is still always available. So far we have had 15 phone calls requesting extra hitting.
Extra Batting Available
Anyone who would like extra batting practice contact coach CM via cellphone 766-4851. A convenient time will be made for you at the cages. Best days are Monday and Tuesday evenings. When school is not in session certain days are available as well. These sessions are outside of regular practice and must be initiated by the ballplayer
Hitting Discipline
Lets now focus on making good swing decisions and having discipline when ahead in the count.
0-0, 1-1, 1-0, 2-1, 2-0, 3-0 are situations where IF you swing you should be good enough to DRIVE the ball. Do NOT swing with a favorable count if you cannot handle the pitch very very well. Think of it as batting practice. You have many more pitches to select. Why choose a pitch that you can't hit well and make yourself into an easy out? Baseball 101 dictates to never swing at a first strike curve unless it is hanging or a well placed fastball unless you can turn them both into doubles in the gap. Think about your ability. Can you hit a curve or a low/outside fastball consistently for a double? NO. Can you hit a fastball down the middle or slightly inside into the gap consistently? Probably! In batting practice all of you hit well, pitch after pitch. We almost never see anyone swing and miss. Can you remember ever missing a pitch in batting practice? Think of the first swing, while up in the count, as being in the cage, and you shouldn't miss the ball. Obviously pitchers will try to make unhittable pitches with every pitch. If this happens.....thats baseball. Make the best of the situation but don't make yourself an easy 1 pitch out.
A 2 Strike Situation Changes Things
With 2 strikes protect the plate. Shorten up your swing and put the ball in play. The pitcher is trying to make a good pitch. It might not be an easy pitch for you to handle but you have a chance of getting on base by touching the ball. If you have the same swing with 2 strikes as you do with No strikes you will not consistenly make contact. You will walk back to the bench, never giving yourself a chance at reaching base.
Yes it is a difficult game but it is a fun game. The other teams are trying to do the same things as we are. Other teams get very deep into the counts against our pitchers. They take "bad" strikes and swing at good strikes. Lets even the playing field by doing what you were taught to do.
Pitching Stategies
One thing that we have noticed in the tournaments this year is the type of pitches thrown to us from the good teams. When we hit popups or soft grounders with the first pitch, those are usually low and outside pitches that we are trying to pull. Most of the opposing catchers set up on the outside corner early in the count. This is in an effort to get YOU to swing at an unhittable pitch. Think about it for a second. If you were pitching to YOURSELF, and you could get YOURSELF to swing at the first pitch, low and outside to hit a dribbler or popup, where would you consistently pitch the ball? If you miss your target you are 2 or 3 inches outside, still difficult to hit. You wouldn't pitch yourself over the plate so why would an opposing pitcher? Lets use this for our benefit as well. Work with your catcher on setup. The outside part of the plate is where you should be early in the count. A smart batter (most of our opponents) will leave it alone giving you a free strike one. You now have some room for changing speeds or throwing a breaking pitch. If you fall behind you should have a well-practiced a "2-0" pitch to get yourself a strike. Its all baseball. Thats what makes this game so great.
Obviously strike 1 means alot but it doesn't always have to be down the heart of the plate. Eventually good hitters will learn that you serve meatballs for strike 1 and start to launch rockets to distant parts of the field. Make good pitches. Learn to battle when behind in the count. Learn your best "out" pitch. Sometimes a curve is not the best pitch on 0-2. A shoulder-high fastball can sometimes get a guy to chase and miss or hit a popup. If he lets it go, a nasty curve with the next pitch can buckle his knees
Last Tournament Results
Thursday 6/28 6pm vs LI Ducks Field: Seneca Middle School
Good win guys. We came to hit. Excellent sacrifice bunts and hitting behind the runner
Strong pitching performance by TC with BBen supporting in a very familiar role
Strong performance behind the dish by Bobby V, throwing out the first steal attempt
Sat 6/30 10:30am vs Levittown Cardinals Field: Smith Road Complex
Tough loss. Lots of second chances but we came up a little short.
We can consider this to be a good loss
Saturday 6/30 6pm vs Ronkonkoma Cardinals Field: Oregon Ave.
A gutsy pitching performance by Frankie
A tough as nails performance behind the plate by Bobby, saving a run
Excellent 2 strike hitting by KP and Jake and giving themselves up to advance runners
Clutch, timely hitting by Joe, Frankie and Matt to bring home a win
Lets stay hot!!!
Sunday July 1
Seeded 4th Vs. Long Island (Massapequa) Braves
8am Samoset Middle School
Another strong pitching performance by TC.
Hitting proved to help us in a comeback that fell a little short
Overall a good effort against a solid team.
Private batting is still always available. So far we have had no phone calls requesting extra hitting.
June 11th
Pitching Practice
Pitching practice went well today. As we said earlier, pitchers who pitched alot over the weekend were exempt from practice. 3 current pitchers as well as a pitcher trying out for the team arrived on time and went through a simulated drill of pitching to 3 batters at a time (1 inning). We worked on control first, then pitch location and changing speeds. We pitched from the windup and from the stretch. We worked on taking a quick step from the stretch as well a full stretch motion. After 3 sets of 15-20 pitches each, we worked on pick-off moves to first base. Keeping runners close and giving the catcher a fair chance is just as important as keeping them OFF the bases from the start.
Throw over a few times.
Never show your best move with the first move.
Don't become predictable.
We ended up with an impromptu batting practice at the cages. A great effort by all participants.
It is important to remember that to become game ready means to practice. Pitching practice is just as important as fielding and batting practice. Pitching involves muscle memory which is learned by repetition. Practice makes permanent. Even without a formal practice, you can practice by throwing to a particular target while playing catch. Train yourself to throw to your partner's waist for every throw. Do it every time, when nobody is looking. Muscle Memory.
At Practice, look like a baseball player
Dress Code For Practice:
Cleats
Socks & Baseball Pants (no shorts)
Angels Hat
Shirt tucked in, preferably a red or grey shirt
Bring Water
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