9U

Summary

At the 9U level, formerly known as "Rookie", the basic fundamentals of baseball continue to be the focus. Kids learn to hit a thrown ball, however, they do not pitch or catch (these positions are covered by the PMB staff). A soft, but firm, baseball is used. The basics of catching, throwing, fielding, batting, base running, and general baseball knowledge continue to be reinforced. Our focus continues on outdoor fun and exercise.

Details

Age Group: 8 - 9 years old (in the current calendar year)
Session Length: 105 Minutes
Roster Size: Approximately 12 players
Schedule: Usually Monday through Thursday evenings (6:30-8:15). *

* Subject to change. Final schedule and time slots are dependent on field availability from the Town of Paradise and final registration numbers.

Equipment

Required: Glove, Batting Helmet, Bat, Hat (supplied), Jersey (supplied)
Recommended: Athletic Support (i.e. jock or jill), Long Pants
Optional: Cleats, Baseball Pants, Batting Gloves

NOTE: Baseball hats and jerseys should be worn to each practice or game.

Session Structure

Warm-up (15 Minutes)

Stretching (5 mins)
Sprints (3 mins)
Warm-up Catch and Throw (7 mins)

Skill Drill (15 minutes)

A skill drill will be practiced each session which will cover the basic fundamental skills of baseball: catching & receiving, throwing mechanics, ground balls, fly balls, hitting, base running, basic positioning, sliding, bunting, and the basics of pitching.

NOTE: After August 1st, the nights are usually getting shorter and as a result, the Skill Drill portion will be eliminated to allow the game to start after the warm-up and to try and completed all 5 innings.

Game (90 Minutes)

Rules of Play

5 innings or 90 minutes (whichever comes first).
Each half inning will end after 3 outs by the fielding team or 5 runs scored by the hitting team (whichever comes first). There is NO open inning.
No new inning will start after 1 hour, 45 minutes.
NO strikeouts or walks.
NO bunting, lead-offs or stealing.
PMB staff will pitch, catch, and umpire.
A batter shall receive a maximum of 6 good overhand pitches as determined by the pitcher. After 6 pitches, the ball shall either be thrown underhand or placed on a tee and hit until the ball is in play.
The distance between the bases shall be 60 feet.
All hits within the infield are SINGLES ONLY! If a ball goes past the infield, either on the ground or in the air, the batter can attempt a double. However, they can still be thrown out at 2nd base per normal rules.
There is a MAXIMUM of two bases on any hit unless the hit is a home run over the outfield fence.
All players are in the batting lineup and the order will continue after the last batter from the previous inning.
All batters MUST wear helmets when on deck, at bat, or on base.
Regular fielding positions should be attempted (except for catcher).
Coaches must rotate players throughout the defensive line-up to ensure fair play.
Score shall be kept by the coaches and confirmed with the home plate umpire at the end of each inning.
The distance from the point of home plate to the front of the pitching rubber shall be determined by the PMB staff to allow for a soft overhand or underhand toss.

Coaches

There will be two coaches per team (1 Head Coach, 1 Assistant) if the number of parent volunteers allow. There will also be two PMB staff present to facilitate game play and run the warm-ups and practice drills.