Opening Day Ceremony - Stonington Little League

Date and Time

Sunday May 21, 2023
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM EDT

Sunday, May 21, 2023

11:00 am

Location

Stonington Little League
43 North Anguilla Road
Pawcatuck CT 06379

Fees/Admission

Free Admission

Website

https://www.stoningtonlittleleague.com

Contact Information

Will Morrissey 860-984-6762
Send Email

Description

STONINGTON LITTLE LEAGUE

The Opening Day Ceremony gives the players a chance to parade from left field to the diamond behind a color guard provided by the Stonington Police Department. Families and friends line the field to cheer on their sons and daughters.

Hartford HealthCare is on hand to present tips to keep the athletes healthy. A benediction is given and recognition awards are presented to deserving volunteers.

In order to fully develop the athlete physically, socially, and emotionally for the current level of play, the following skills have been organized to simply guide coaches in their instruction during practices and games. Furthermore, these skills have been identified as being necessary to master to be prepared for the next level of play. They are not meant to restrict a coach if athletes are ready to move on to more advanced skills.

Hitting

Appropriate bat choice in terms of length and weight
Wear a helmet (NOCSAE certified)
Proper grip (index fingers test)
Stance – feet shoulder width, hands at back shoulder and top of strike zone, elbows below knob, level head, both eyes on pitcher, athletic knees, chin over toes, chest slightly forward, knob to box
Stance – experiment with normal, closed, or open
Plate coverage
Proper load (before stride), stride (after load), hands move back (during stride), swing (knob to ball), and finish (roll hands over after contact, hands on bat at top of front arm, stay balanced)
Emphasize a pivot on back foot to rotate hips on level plane (“show cleats to catcher”)
See ball from release to contact (“Ike to Mike”)
Bat head takes straight path to ball with aggressiveness and quick bat speed
Strike Zone
Getting hit by pitch – turn in towards catcher, back to ball
Bunting – sacrifice and bunt for a hit
Situational hitting
Basic approach of hitting it where it’s pitched with no one on
Recognizing the pitch
Getting signs from base coach
T-work, soft toss, batting practice, cage work
No on deck batter

Fielding

Proper glove choice and equipment
Proper positioning of fielders depending on count, baserunners, outs, and inning
Pre-pitch preparation
Infielder ground balls – direct, to forehand, backhand, and slow rollers
Outfielder fly balls – to the right, left, overhead, shallow, diving, near fence
Outfielder ground balls – no one on, runner on, do or die
Cuts and relays (Player is either fielding, covering a base, backing up a base, backing up a fielder)
Run downs
Double plays
Bunt defenses
Fly ball priority
Situations and mental awareness (1^st and 3rds, bases loaded, etc…)
Proper 1B mechanics – heels to bag, stretch w/glove side leg, non-glove foot on bag, chest to ball
Infielders taking throws from catcher at bag (pickoffs and stolen bases)
Tagging runners
Pitchers covering first
Communicating on defense
Proper warm up in between innings
Hustling on and off the field

Throwing

Grip – two to three fingers across horseshoe seams, thumb underneath, pinky on side
More advanced throwing progression with a partner
- One knee – wrist flips (throwing elbow in glove, only wrist moves back and then forward)
- One knee – turn front shoulder to target, eyes on target, throwing C-motion, elbow up
- T-position (standing like a skateboarder)
- Step and throw (hard throws)
- Long toss (rainbow arch, at least 90ft)
- Move gradually back in to about 20ft
- Quick toss
- Increase distances with progression, emphasize accuracy, and throw to the chest
Make sure receiver is looking and focus on quality throws

Baserunning

How to be ready as a baserunner before, during, and after pitch
Getting signs from the base coach
Home to first – three looks, touch front part of first base, run through, break down
Home to 2^nd, 1^st to 3^rd, 2^nd to home, 3^rd to home
Rounding a bag
Straight steal
Sliding – bent leg and pop up
Proper reads – see the bunt down, freeze on line drives, wild pitches/passed balls, ground/fly balls
Tagging up or drawing a throw
Baseline and running lane

Pitching

Proper uniform
Proper grip
Two and four seam fastball, change-up
Stretch and windup positions
Lower body and upper body mechanics
Fielding as a pitcher especially covering first base and home plate
Communicating with middle infielders on double play balls
Getting signs from the catcher
Helping catcher locate passed balls and wild pitches
First pitch strikes
Moving the ball in and out, up and down
Intentional walks
Pitcher and catcher relationship
Proper warm up before game and in between innings as a starter
Mental approach, composure, and mound presence

Catching

See the ball and get in a position to catch with feet and hands ready
Use two hands when appropriate
The catcher:
- Using proper equipment
- Stances – signal, primary, and secondary
- Receiving, framing, blocking, throwing, taking mask off
- Fielding the position – bunts/balls in front of plate, retrieving passed balls/wild pitches, popups, dropped third strikes, backing up first base
- Always running to the position at beginning of inning
- Tag plays and force plays at the plate
- Intentional walks
- Communication
- Warming up the pitcher
- Pitcher/catcher relationship
- Catcher/umpire relationship

Rules of the Game

Wear uniform properly

Equipment
Strike zone
Dropped third strike
Batting out of order
Infield fly
Advancing and returning to base
Baseline and running lane
Legal/illegal slides (Emphasis on no head first sliding when advancing)
Pitch counts
Interference/Obstruction
Charged conferences
Substitutions
Leaving early – runner(s) can leave when ball “reaches the batter”
“Poof Rule” – bases loaded and runner leaves early on infield hit, run disappears
Sportsmanship and dugout behavior
Thunder and/or lightening
No on deck batter

Character

Respectful
Responsible
Caring
Integrity
Teamwork
Good Citizen
Have Fun