It’s been a while since I’ve checked in, and I want to thank everyone for the remarkable participation in practices and our first tournament. Great job Guys!
TURKEY BASH REVIEW
The boys exceeded expectations in their debut tournament, earning a Gold Bracket placement and a strong state ranking.
As coaches, we gained valuable insights into the USSSA process, rules, and future planning.
Everyone got a solid introduction to “travel ball life,” and based on the post-game chatter, there’s plenty of enthusiasm for more tournaments soon.
I’ll post a “Save the Date” interest check in GameChanger for the Snowball Classic, December 13-14. If we can get a viable team, lets do it!
RSVP if you can join—most importantly, reply if your family can’t make it.
PRACTICE REVIEW
TUESDAYS: Main practice at Dover Field continues indefinitely.
THURSDAYS: Unofficially, I’ve heard the boys are gathering at Dover for extra reps—keep it up!
FRIDAYS: Alternating between Dodgers Training Academy (DTA) and D-Bat. I was really impressed with DTA, so I propose securing bi-weekly sessions every other Friday through spring. It’ll cost $25 per player per session (plus occasional fees for guest instructors). This gives us a reliable, rain-proof venue for quality practices, keeps the team together, and locks in our DTA slot starting now.
Committing to DTA means upfront monthly payments—no “a la carte” options. I don’t want to chase payments after each practice, so Adam will collect funds early in the month.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
After our first tournament, it’s evident we have a competitive squad that can hold its own against top teams. That said, we’ll focus on building pitching, defense, hitting, and baserunning skills.
I saw a noticeable skill bump with Gold Brackets top teams—it’ll require honest assessments and dedicated work to claim a gold bracket ring. We’ve shown the organizers we can compete, so expect tougher pool play matchups next time; they won’t make it easy for us.
ULTRA-COMPETITIVE VS. DEVELOPING: MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
Traveling light clearly helped—key hitters rotated in quickly, with little bench time. Honestly, for maximum competitiveness, we should aim for 10 or 11 players.
Do we need to go ultra-competitive every time? No, but managing expectations upfront is key. With 12 kids, Silver Bracket is a realistic target. I am personally not opposed to this; I’m happy to get reps however they come. When its time to tighten up, we tighten up.
I spoke with other coaches and researched—it’s common to use Saturdays (pool play) for development, then shift to ultra-competitive on Sundays (elimination). It’s not required, but an option worth considering, Coaches will discuss how we should approach this.
We will define goals before each tournament. Our aim is to develop more than 10 players overall, so let’s build a strategy that supports that, and allows us to compete at the highest levels when wanted.
One key takeaway: At this level, players must produce at the plate. Opposing pitching is a step up from rec-ball. We need to cultivate a hitting culture and avoid relying on walks. Travel ball kids stand out by hitting harder and more often than in Little League. The defense was better but not drastically so compared to All-Stars. The best thing families can do is encourage hitting practice at home or in cages.
SOMETHING FUN
Let’s surprise the kids with something fun very soon, maybe an impromptu ice cream party at a practice and/or a kickball game.
Thank you again. I am very optimistic about this team and all of the kids involved.
WORD ON THE STREET
I ran into a Rattlesnakes parent at Trader Joes yesterday “Your team is very very good, to come out and do what you guys did, against us and Bolt is unbelievable! you should be really proud of those kids… You guys already made a name for yourselves.”
Thank you, Parents and Kids, you all did what you had to do.
Johnny.