“Is winning important? Yes, it's important. Kids know the score. They get disappointed when they lose and they're happy when they win. They often see greater pride and acceptance from parents and coaches when the team wins and they perform well. That desire can place a great amount of pressure on the player. As a coach and parent it's important that you put winning and losing in the proper perspective. Make sure goals are achievable and tied to effort not results. If you focus on creating a positive and productive practice environment, your players will flourish and the wins will come.” (QC Baseball 2003)

We strive to have a productive practice with each practice that is scheduled. Following a strict schedule and time frame our practice is very organized. Resting during practice does not happen, and because of this you should have a player that comes home tired and hungry.
Building a winning tradition starts with building practice that allows players to grow and also gives them a feeling of success. I recently watched our player participate in a homerun derby. They celebrated the success of the players on their team after each homerun. We carried that same celebration to the field as we succeed there. These team building exercises have built a stronger team.

Our confidence has increased this year, so to have our wins on the field. Building this confidence has not always been an easy task, but one that is well worth the effort. Our JV team has felt success and has improved their record. Younger players are building their confidence and contributing to the success of the overall program. The future is looking bright for Kathleen Baseball.

Defensively our team has made plenty of growth. Our amount of errors per game is down dramatically from last year. Our focus for our pitchers is the amount of strikes to balls, a 70/30 ratio. We are working on this and as a focus that we will achieve, it has improved our pitching. Less errors and better pitching equals a strong team.

Offensively we are working on putting the ball into play as often as we can. Striking out less and making contact more is a goal. That might mean the dreaded bunt word. We saw the success of a bunt against Haines City and against Ridge. Our bats are coming to life as we learn the strike zone and become aggressive at the plate. Over all our offense is filled with speed and a little pop. Combined at the right times and we become a very successful ball club.

Building on the Rule of 110 we are giving our best effort every time we step foot on the field. Giving more than is required results in better success. This not only helps on the field but in the classroom and further into the future. A life lesson learned on the field. Baseball provides many lessons that we take with us and learn from