Dear FYBA family,
Spring is around the corner, and another exciting season of baseball is on the way!
We are currently holding winter baseball clinics, with FHS Coach Ray Cosenza, at the Doug Grutchfield Fieldhouse, on Sundays from 4-6pm. Coach Cosenza, and assistant coach Craig Antocci, have been invaluable to our young players with the teaching of baseball fundamentals. Each week, several of our FYBA coaches have also been donating their time to assist Coach Cosenza & Coach Antocci in teaching these young players the skills they need to be successful in the future. If you haven’t attended one of the Sunday clinics, we encourage you to take part in 2 hours of hitting and fielding instruction. All ages, from tee ball to high school, are welcome. For a $5 donation to the FHS Baseball Boosters, kids get some great instruction and a jumpstart to the upcoming season.
This year is shaping up to be a big year for FYBA. Last year our league grew nearly 25%, and we are hoping for another solid year of registrations. The first week of February will open online & mail-in registrations, with several in-person dates to follow. Our target for league-wide skills assessment is for the third week of March. Information will be posted on the league website, Facebook and league generated emails (as it becomes available.)
In some more league news, we are proud to have long time Little League & Central Mass Baseball coach, Dana English, on board to direct our Babe Ruth program. Dana brings several coaches with him, and they all share a passion for baseball instruction and a commitment to helping FYBA become one of the best youth baseball programs in the area. Dana has big plans for the future, and we are excited to have him on board!
Thanks to past president, Bob Mundie, and all he does at Ansin Park, we have one of the best youth baseball parks in New England. In order to give our kids the best baseball experience we can, though, our other playing fields need attention.
With a growing league, it is a priority to make upgrades to long neglected fields at Herman Bourque, Gus Johnson and Park Hill. We have much to do, such as concession stand repairs, beverage coolers & fridges, field maintenance tools, backstop & fence repairs, foul poles and flag poles, expansion & new roofs for dugouts, infield clay & outfield grass maintenance, irrigation system repairs/installation, landscaping, tree removal, scoreboards and much needed baseball equipment.
This past summer we were very lucky to have the help of Bob & Scott Mundie and FOREVER GREEN LANDSCAPING, who donated a new clay infield at Herman Bourque Field! There’s a lot of history at the former Fitchburg East home. This is a great first step to bringing baseball back to that part of the city.
To make these goals a reality, we find it necessary to slightly increase the cost of registration. To offset any further increases, we need the help of our parents and players to participate in several exciting fundraising programs this Spring. Business sponsorships, concession stand sales, canning weekends, calendar raffles and field clean up days are going to be crucial to realizing our goals and making Fitchburg Youth Baseball one of the best baseball organizations in the area.
If you can donate your time, know of a business interested in a sponsorship, or have a skill set that can help with a much needed upgrade, please don’t hesitate to reach out to myself or another board member. Volunteers are critical to the health of our organization. Without you, we cannot give all of our young players the baseball memories they deserve.
We hope you are looking forward to baseball season as much as we are. Let’s make it a great one!
Yours Truly,
Lenny Cooper Justin Downing
President Vice President
