Hello Baseball Families,

Can you believe we are only three months away from the 2019 Wilsonville Little League Spring Season?  I know that seems like a long time, but it will be here before you know it and there is a lot to get done between now and then.  I wanted to introduce myself and explain some things that are going to be happening this season in the T-Ball and Coast divisions.

My name is Adam Cunningham and I am the Vice President of T-Ball and Coast Divisions.  This is my third year serving on the Wilsonville Little League Board and I think I am starting to get the hang of it.  My first year I served as VP of T-Ball and Farm Divisions and last year as VP of Minors and Majors.  I have transitioned back to T-Ball and Coast as my older son, Caden, is entering the Minors division this season and my younger son, Kyle, is playing his second year of T-Ball this season.  I have also head coached two Spring Farm teams, a Fall farm team, and a Fall Minors team.

Last season, we created the Coast Division to nestle between T-Ball and Farm (machine pitch) because we saw a steep transition between those two divisions.  Coast is a coach pitch division designed to introduce more rules and structure of the game while keeping the speed of the game manageable.  It also allowed us to design each division for ages/grades where, generally, Pre-K and Kinders play T-Ball, 1st graders play Coast, and 2nd graders play Farm.

This season we are making some adjustments to the T-Ball and Coast Divisions based on feedback and ideas from the community and coaches.  

• First, we are making some changes to the way that T-Ball teams practice and play.  This is going to reduce the number of days each week families have to wrestle the cleats onto their four and five year olds without sacrificing practice and play time.  To do this, we are going to create larger teams with co-coaches.  The team will practice together before splitting in half.  Each half will then immediately go and play a game against another split team where the skills just practiced can be used.  This will bring the weekly commitment down from three days to just two for our youngest families.
• Second, I am going to ask everyone with a child in T-Ball and Coast to be prepared to help out on the field during practice.  If you ever watched two T-Ball players practice throwing a ball back and forth, you will quickly realize there is not a lot of skill being developed.  Most of the practice is spent chasing the ball and throwing it in an unpredictable direction - often while the player on the receiving end is not looking.  By Coast Division it is improving, but could often use some help as well.  I am asking that each young player have a parent or older sibling present at practices who will actively assist in practice at the coach’s direction.
• Third, we are completely removing the pitching machine from Coast Division.  Last year we tried to introduce the pitching machine later in the season in a reasonable manner for kids who were ready for it.  It created more issues than it solved and, based on feedback, we decided to take it out of the equation.

Finally, we need coaches - and we need them soon.  Coach interviews are a few weeks away.  T-Ball is always the hardest division to find coaches for and Coast is the second hardest.  The main reason is that so many families with kids in these divisions are brand new to the organization and we don’t know you yet.  A major secondary reason for that is because people are worried about whether or not they have the skills to coach.  I want to tell you that if you have the smallest inkling that you might want to coach, you should go for it.  Coaching has been one of the most rewarding personal experiences I have ever had.  Your kids will never forget when their mom or dad was their baseball coach.  As the VP of T-Ball and Coast, one of my jobs is to support the coaches.  I have been a big proponent this off season of offering more coaching clinics in order to develop coaches in our organization and we are going to have them.  We will help with practice planning, productive drills, and ensuring that you get the support you need as a coach.  So, please, if you have or have had any inclination to coach jump on in - it’s fun and rewarding.

Thank you all for reading this far.  I want to make this a season full of fun and development for all the players in our league and I am passionate about making baseball an experience our kids will value for the rest of their lives.  If you have any questions or you just want to say hello and introduce yourself, please feel free to reach out by phone, text, or email.  If you see me out on the fields when the season starts (or walking the halls of Boones Ferry), please come say hello.

Sincerely,

Adam Cunningham

Vice President of T-Ball and Coast

Wilsonville Little League

[email protected]

619.322.8823