Hello CV families!!!
It’s about that time! All-Stars is wrapping up this year, and fall ball options are right around the corner.
I want to congratulate all of you and your kids on another awesome All-Star season! I can’t believe how much the kids have grown, both personally and as a team. I have never been more proud of these boys than I have this All-Star season. They are growing up so fast, and they truly care about and support one another.
Next spring season, most of our team will qualify to “play up” on Field 2, Fiore’s largest field. It’s not guaranteed, nor is it mandatory that they play on Field 2 next year, but it is customary for the top 8U All-Star-caliber kids (who will be 9U next season) to move up and play with the big boys—mostly 10- and 11-year-olds.
There are some major differences on Field 2. Obviously, the age and size of the players is the first. We will be the young kids on that field. The pitching distance is also a significant jump: 46 feet instead of 42 feet. Field 2 is pure baseball from Game 1—there’s no coach pitch and no safety net, so the kids have to be ready right out of the gate.
It should be a great year with our boys mixing it up and competing alongside our friends on the current 9U squad. Field 2 is going to be a lot of fun and very competitive this year!
With that being said, it’s customary for our All-Star teams to form a USSSA fall ball team and compete in the USSSA Sunday Fall League, where the competition is tougher than CVLL fall ball. The league supports this temporary departure, and nearly all of our All-Star opponents will be forming these supplemental teams and competing in the same or similar fall and winter programs.
We all deserve a break, and one of the great things about the USSSA fall league is that instead of running for eight consecutive Sundays like CVLL fall ball, it’s broken into four alternating-week doubleheaders. (All major holidays are off.) It’s four Sundays spread across about 10 weeks. We can request certain weeks off, and USSSA does its best to accommodate those requests.
The team itself already exists—we rolled over last year’s team, and all of the paperwork is already done.
I hope to have one weekly, clinic-style practice during the fall, and like last year, I plan on bringing in dedicated coaches to teach the kids new skills.
So, if you receive an email and would like to participate in the fall league—even if it’s only for part of the season—please follow through with the email and join the 27 Conejo Kings!
Later, we’ll also have the option to play tournaments whenever we want. I also hope to bring in a few other kids from CV who may have missed All-Star opportunities or simply want the extra practice.
All in all, I know the kids love baseball, and this is a great way to keep them together, having fun and playing ball—even around busy schedules, other sports, and the holidays. If you’re worried about not being able to fully commit, I completely understand. I don’t think we’ll have any trouble filling in a few spots if you’re only going to miss a couple of games. There are a lot of CV kids who would love the opportunity for the extra experience.
We learned a lot running this program last year. I’ll take everything we learned and make it even better—and even more fun—this year.
Be on the lookout for an invite to the GameChanger and the the USSSA Kings registration.
– Johnny
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