Baseball & softball for kids: Ready for the spring

Matt is a senior at Claremont McKenna this spring...he played his youth baseball & high school ball here on the island.

Our baseball & softball programs here on the island have turned out some amazing success stories – Matthew Rothisberger is wrapping up his senior year of college ball, while Richie Ochoa begins his sophomore year at WSU, the FHHS basball & softball teams are regular playoff contenders, and Fletcher Vynne just wrapped up his job coaching minor league ball in Wenatchee (he’s in the Navy, now.) And all of them started on the back fields of our elementary school.

So now it’s time to look at the coming youth season, which promises both growth and some new programs – here’s more from Kris Brown:

Richie has a good first year last spring with the Cougs....

After last year’s record registrations, Friday Harbor Baseball & Softball is looking forward to another year which includes “upping” the level of play at older levels. Junior baseball is starting a month earlier and has scheduled games mainly with off-island Babe Ruth teams. “The minor and major boy’s baseball and girl’s softball will be moving to Pony rules which adds a new excitement to the game,” according to new FHBSA president, Joel Arnold.

What is different about PONY ball? The field size increases gradually, starting at 60′ between the bases for ages 9 & 10 – then 70′ for ages 11- 13, 80′ for ages 13 & 14 and 90′ for ages 15-18. The pitching distance increases also. By contrast, Little League keeps the 60′ distance through age 12, then jumps up to 90′ at age 13. Starting at age 9, PONY leagues play “real baseball” – players may lead off their bases (instead of waiting until the ball is pitched) and pitchers learn pickoff moves. “As a result the game moves faster, and everyone has to stay on their toes,” said Arnold.

With the new level of play, age groupings become key: The try-out session on Sunday March 13th will assess playing abilities so that 3-4 teams of equal abilities can be drafted into two levels for boys and girls.

Boy’s baseball minors are for all 9-10 year olds and very athletic 8 year olds.  Majors will be for ages 11-13 (Juniors have already tried out). All games will be kid pitch with stealing; no pitching machines for minors unlike the last three years.

Softball will be divided into U11 for 3rd-5th graders who focus on building pitching (limited use of pitching machine), hitting and fielding skills and with the U14 for 6th-8th graders expanding those skills with more rigorous play.

Rookies (coed baseball) will bridge the gap between T-ball and the higher level of play as kids learn to hit by coach or machine pitch. “Last year we found this was a good way for kids who’d already played two years of T-ball to transition into the higher expectations of baseball and softball,” Arnold explained.

After leaving Little League in favor of  “self-ruled” on-island play in 2008, FHBSA has created a “spring fever” that has expanded the program by 20%, involving nearly 300 kids ages 5-14.  An informal inter-island league with Orcas and Lopez, culminated in an Island-wide tournament to end the 2010 season.

Early bird registration ends March 2nd and full-price continues until March 13th. For information on registration go to www.fhball.org and either register on-line or print out registration forms.

Kris Brown, kbcbrown (at) centurytel.net
home 360-378-3432

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