Tournament Committee Notes for February 2, 2015
District and Tournament Teams The Summer Ball District and Tournament Teams are selected to develop advanced skills and a deeper knowledge of the game of baseball. They participate in a highly competitive environment, while maintaining good sportsmanship and upholding the values of Sacred Heart CYO at all times. The Summer Ball program is not a continuation of the Spring Recreational League. Baseball District and Tournament teams are selected for 8, 9, and 10 year old age groups. The 11 and 12 year olds have 2 District Teams each, one playing on a 50’/70’ field and the other on a 46’/60’ field. The 7 year olds have 2 Tournament teams. Coaches The coaches for the summer teams are selected by the league from the list of volunteer candidates. The candidate list will be published on the SH website. Candidates must first be spring league coaches. Coach selection is based on multiple factors; including the past end-of-season survey results, observations made during the spring and summer seasons, and knowledge of baseball for skills and game management. The league board votes and decides the head coach and 1st assistant and then the head coach picks the other 2 assistants subject to league approval. Coaches are expected to further the skillset of the players and give equal attention to the development of each player. Though the summer program is highly competitive, the coaches should demonstrate the values of the CYO regarding fair playing time and position rotation. Players Players selected for the summer teams are expected to commit to attend the scheduled practices and games and bring their best attitude and effort at each practice and game. Each player should expect to play in the tournament games but should also realize he must earn his way into the top positions for the District games. Parents The summer program requires commitment from the player’s parents of both time and money. The cost of uniforms and Tournament/District entry fees are defrayed by the player parents and is not part of the spring league registration. The program runs until about the end of July with multiple practices per week and 3 games or more weekend tournaments. Parents should expect to see their sons play in the games but should also realize the team is expected to field the best 9 or 10 player team for the District games. Assessments The assessments for the 8’s, 9’s, 10’s and 11’s to establish summer program player selection will transpire over a 2 week period. This period will include the ‘by the numbers’ Day 1 skillset assessment,
a make-up session, and a ‘game situation’ Day 2 assessment. The 7 year old age group will have a 1 day skillset assessment and player selection. Every player seeking a summer program team roster spot must be publicly assessed at the Day 1 assessment or the Make-up assessment. The Make-up assessment date will be scheduled at least 7 days subsequent to the Day 1 assessment to reconcile family vacations or other hardships preventing availability of the Day 1 assessment. Any injured player must attend the assessment to be eligible for selection. If an injured player is unable to participate in the assessment, previous playing experience will be considered. Any player selected for a summer team program must attend a minimum of 50% of the regular spring recreational season games, otherwise will forfeit his spot. A game is defined by a minimum of 2 innings in the field. This rule will be monitored by the league board. No coach for any team or any age group shall be selected prior to the Day 1 assessments. Day 1 Assessment Players will be objectively assessed on batting and fielding skills. A numeric scoring system shall be used and a blank example assessor’s sheet shall be posted in advance on the SH website. Players in attendance are required to wear their recreational uniform (hat, shirt, and pants). No previous SH summer program apparel, AAU, or external club team apparel will be permitted. Each player in attendance will be assigned a number which will be pinned to the front of the T-shirt. The league board will try to reach out to neutral independent assessors (college coaches/players, high school coaches/players, coaches from present or past 12 year old players). It is requested that each team of each division for the 8’s, 9’s, 10’s and 11’s present 2 coaches for the Day 1 assessment. At least one non-vested league board member (no son in that division) will also assess. Each new skill evaluation will rearrange the starting player number in order to help remove a ‘first up’ comparison bias. Pitching machines and placement nets will we employed where possible to provide equal calibration for skillset evaluation. All players in attendance shall be assessed and have their scores tabulated. At the conclusion of the assessment each assessor will sign and submit their scoring sheet to the league coordinator for that division. The league coordinator for that division shall record the assessor’s scores of the individual players and determine the ranking via the highest average score to the lowest. Make-up Assessments A single day make-up assessment date will be scheduled at least one week subsequent to the Day 1 assessments. This make-up date is for all age groups. Any player unavailable for Day 1 assessment must
express his intention via email to the league regarding attending the make-up session and the reason for the Day 1 absence. It is requested that the same list of assessors per age group attend the single make-up session. At a minimum the league board member without a son vying for a roster spot will be in attendance to assess. All players in attendance at the make-up session will be assessed and the resulting numeric scores tabulated with the Day 1 rankings. At the conclusion of the Make-up assessments and final rankings, the top 24 ranked players will be invited to the Day 2 assessment and notified via posting on the SH website. Any tie in the 24th position will be resolved by the league board member. Any player invited to the Day 2 assessments will be guaranteed a position on either the District or Tournament teams. The Head Coach and first assistant for the District team to be voted by the league at the conclusion of the make-up session assessments must both have players in the top 9 ranking. The Head Coach and first assistant for Tournament team to be voted by the league post the Day 1 assessments must both have players in the top 18 ranking. Day 2 Assessments The Day 2 assessments will consist of game situation drills. These drills will be designed to evaluate player understanding of the correct defensive plays. The drills for this evaluation will be designed by the designated coaches. Upon completion of the assessment, the players will be ranked from 1 to 24 by the 4 league selected coaches. The top 8 rankings will receive an invitation to the District team with the balance of the roster chosen by the coaches from the remaining 16 players.
a make-up session, and a ‘game situation’ Day 2 assessment. The 7 year old age group will have a 1 day skillset assessment and player selection. Every player seeking a summer program team roster spot must be publicly assessed at the Day 1 assessment or the Make-up assessment. The Make-up assessment date will be scheduled at least 7 days subsequent to the Day 1 assessment to reconcile family vacations or other hardships preventing availability of the Day 1 assessment. Any injured player must attend the assessment to be eligible for selection. If an injured player is unable to participate in the assessment, previous playing experience will be considered. Any player selected for a summer team program must attend a minimum of 50% of the regular spring recreational season games, otherwise will forfeit his spot. A game is defined by a minimum of 2 innings in the field. This rule will be monitored by the league board. No coach for any team or any age group shall be selected prior to the Day 1 assessments. Day 1 Assessment Players will be objectively assessed on batting and fielding skills. A numeric scoring system shall be used and a blank example assessor’s sheet shall be posted in advance on the SH website. Players in attendance are required to wear their recreational uniform (hat, shirt, and pants). No previous SH summer program apparel, AAU, or external club team apparel will be permitted. Each player in attendance will be assigned a number which will be pinned to the front of the T-shirt. The league board will try to reach out to neutral independent assessors (college coaches/players, high school coaches/players, coaches from present or past 12 year old players). It is requested that each team of each division for the 8’s, 9’s, 10’s and 11’s present 2 coaches for the Day 1 assessment. At least one non-vested league board member (no son in that division) will also assess. Each new skill evaluation will rearrange the starting player number in order to help remove a ‘first up’ comparison bias. Pitching machines and placement nets will we employed where possible to provide equal calibration for skillset evaluation. All players in attendance shall be assessed and have their scores tabulated. At the conclusion of the assessment each assessor will sign and submit their scoring sheet to the league coordinator for that division. The league coordinator for that division shall record the assessor’s scores of the individual players and determine the ranking via the highest average score to the lowest. Make-up Assessments A single day make-up assessment date will be scheduled at least one week subsequent to the Day 1 assessments. This make-up date is for all age groups. Any player unavailable for Day 1 assessment must
express his intention via email to the league regarding attending the make-up session and the reason for the Day 1 absence. It is requested that the same list of assessors per age group attend the single make-up session. At a minimum the league board member without a son vying for a roster spot will be in attendance to assess. All players in attendance at the make-up session will be assessed and the resulting numeric scores tabulated with the Day 1 rankings. At the conclusion of the Make-up assessments and final rankings, the top 24 ranked players will be invited to the Day 2 assessment and notified via posting on the SH website. Any tie in the 24th position will be resolved by the league board member. Any player invited to the Day 2 assessments will be guaranteed a position on either the District or Tournament teams. The Head Coach and first assistant for the District team to be voted by the league at the conclusion of the make-up session assessments must both have players in the top 9 ranking. The Head Coach and first assistant for Tournament team to be voted by the league post the Day 1 assessments must both have players in the top 18 ranking. Day 2 Assessments The Day 2 assessments will consist of game situation drills. These drills will be designed to evaluate player understanding of the correct defensive plays. The drills for this evaluation will be designed by the designated coaches. Upon completion of the assessment, the players will be ranked from 1 to 24 by the 4 league selected coaches. The top 8 rankings will receive an invitation to the District team with the balance of the roster chosen by the coaches from the remaining 16 players.
