Announcement

Coach Pitch & Rookie wait lists forming

Posted by BPV on Mar 30 2022 at 03:25AM PDT in 2021
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Registration for the two youngest divisions in Bettendorf-Pleasant Valley Youth Baseball are now CLOSED and wait lists are forming for the spring/summer season.

Both the Coach Pitch (grades K-3) and Rookie/Kid Pitch (grades 2-3) divisions are at a maximum number of participants for available coaches.

In fact, the Coach Pitch division could use another group of volunteer coaches from the current crop of registrations to reduce the number of players on each roster from 13-14 down to a more desirable 12 on each team to ensure kids play as many innings as possible defensively. (Currently 3-4 kids are sitting on the bench each inning).

For Coach Pitch to work properly, every parent/family needs to be involved in sharing the on-field duties for the team to ensure a great experience for your child!

For example, when your team is batting, there has to be: 1) a coach to pitch; 2) a coach at first base to help any base runners; 3) a coach at third base to help any base runners; 4) a volunteer from either team to serve as the “home plate umpire” helping shag the balls and keeping track of the number of pitches; 5) a volunteer from either team to serve as the “base umpire” to make any calls on the bases; 6) a coach at the front of the dugout helping batters prepare for their turn at the plate; 7) a coach at the end of the dugout to keep players engaged (and not wandering off!); and 8) a scorekeeper to help keep everybody on track for the batting lineup and defensive rotation.

If you are able to volunteer your time to head up another team as a coach — and help make this the best possible season for kids — please contact Coach Pitch director Bob Jurkowski at rjurkows03@gmail.com or 563-940-3935.

A Coach Pitch Coaches Meeting is Thursday night (6-7:30 p.m.) at the Bettendorf Public Library (Malmros Room). Coaches should be in contact with their teams this weekend.

For those that missed the sign-up deadline in Coach Pitch or Rookie/Kid Pitch, please send an email to Steve Tappa at tappasteve@gmail.com. NOTE: If there are enough late registrants and new coaches, additional teams can form. Otherwise, the wait list is at the mercy of any openings in the program (injuries or withdrawals).

OTHER DIVISIONS

Registration remains open in the other four divisions — Minors (Grades 4-5), Majors (Grades 6-7), Juniors (Grades 8-9) and Seniors (High School & up; ages 15-20).

The registration link is: https://active.leagueone.com/Olr/Pages/Welcome.aspx?ClubId=14196

Except for Seniors — which starts and finishes roughly a month later than the other divisions — the clock is ticking and roster spots are going fast!

Tryouts/evaluations for Majors and Minors is Monday, April 4 and Wednesday, April 6.

Both sessions are 6:30-8:30 p.m. indoors at the TBK Bank Sports Complex in Bettendorf to avoid any problems with the weather.

Participants only need to attend one of those nights — whichever is most convenient for the player and his family.

If unable to attend either night, players will still end up on a team.

Players are asked to bring their glove, favorite bat and dress for a baseball practice (example: baseball hat, t-shirt and baseball pants or sweat pants). There will be a number of skill stations, including hitting, pitching, fielding and running.

All players registered are placed on a team! The tryouts/evaluations simply are used by coaches to measure a player’s current skill level. Coaches draft their team’s for the season, with the entire process helping to strike a competitive balance to make everyone better.

No extra sign-up is necessary for tryouts/evaluations. If you are registered for Majors or Minors, just report on one of those days.

Check-in will open at 6:15 p.m. on both days. Please check-in at tryouts/evaluations by 6:30 p.m. if possible. Participants showing up late can still be added to one of the rotating tryout groups, but from an organizational standpoint — and to avoid the risk of your player missing a drill — it is easier if all the players are there at the start before breaking them into the groups.

The Majors (grades 6-7) and Minors (grades 4-5) are the only divisions where a tryout is planned.

Juniors teams (grades 8-9) will begin forming during a coaches meeting next week.

Seniors teams (ages 15 & up) begin forming during a player meeting in mid-to-late April (TBA), with players urged to play with friends and form their own teams for the summer

For those planning to coach in any division, please contact the appropriate division director:

— Coach Pitch (Grades K-3): Bob Jurkowski (rjurkows03@gmail.com or 563-940-3935)
— Intro to Kid Pitch (2nd/3rd Grade): Ron Johns (johnsronald2020@gmail.com or 251-533-1858)
— Minors (Grades 4-5): Matt Wood (mcw1205@aol.com or 563-340-5917)
— Majors (Grades 6-7): Matt Wood (mcw1205@aol.com or 563-340-5917)
— Juniors (Grades 8-9): Steve Tappa (tappasteve@gmail.com or 563-676-8111)
— Seniors (Ages 15-20): Steve Tappa (tappasteve@gmail.com or 563-676-8111)

For more details about BPV and the 2022 baseball season, please visit: TeamPages: Bettendorf/Pleasant Valley Youth Baseball – BPV 2022 spring/summer registration open!