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Sandlot Hitting Leagues / Tournaments
(updated 8/16/08)
2008 Sandlot Summer Hitting League - July 2 thru August 20, 2008
The Summer 2008 Hitting League is in full swing with 13 participants; 6 girls and 7 boys. we've created three divisions; GIRLS 12U; BOYS 11U, and BOYS 15U.
The cost is $6 per week per player or $48 per player for the entire league. Individual competition will be the format of this inaugural league (no need to gather a team to play). The league meets every Wednesday morning between 9AM and Noon. If an individual can't make a week due to a scheduled family vacation or other commitment, the player can arrange to "pre-hit" that week's game at any convenient time prior to the scheduled game. Games take about 1 hour to complete. The Hitting Leagues are a great way to keep sharp as we move toward Fall Ball season. It's also fun and competitive.
STANDINGS and LEAGUE STATS will be posted HERE after the completion of each week.
CLICK ON THIS LINK FOR CURRENT STANDINGS => STANDINGS
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2008 Sandlot Fall Hitting League - September 11, 2008 FREE HIT Sign-Up Night
The Fall Hitting League will commence on Thursday, September 11, 2008, at 6PM with a FREE HITTING Night for everyone that shows up and enters a team. The FREE HITTING night will run from 6PM to 8PM and feature OPEN TUNNEL format where everyone takes turns at the machine appropriate for their age/division. During the two hour event, Sandlot Staff members will be present to explain how the hitting league works and how games are conducted. If anyone has any questions about the Hitting League before September 11th, please feel free to call us at (410) 590-3224.
The Fall League will meet every Thursday evening between 6PM and 9PM and run through early December. Each (2 person) team will be scheduled for a game during a one-hour portion of that time (i.e. either a 6PM, 7PM, or 8PM start time). As always, if a player has a prior commitment on a scheduled Thursday and knows in advance that he/she cannot make it, he/she can make arrangements to come in and "pre-hit" at any available time PRIOR TO their scheduled game.
Teams are welcome (and encouraged) to pre-register before September 11th to ensure your team's spot in the league. The league size IS LIMITED by space and time considerations. We will try to accomodate as many players as we can. It is always best to register early.
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Sandlot Hitting Tournaments:
The Sandlot-BWI will be conducting a series of "walk-in" single-day Hitting Tournaments throughout the year on dates to be announced. The Hitting Tournaments will be held (usually) on Saturday mornings starting at 9:30 AM. They will be available in BOTH baseball and softball formats. Individual competition (rather than a team event) will be the format of these single-day tournaments. Each tournament will structured with multiple rounds, similar to that of the MLB All-Star-Game Home Run Derby competition. A qualifying round will be held and a pre-determined percentage of the top scorers from the qualifying round will move to the subsequent round. The total number of rounds in each tournament will be determined by the number of participants in each age group. Tournament entry fee will be $10 per person and will guarantee a minimum of five cycles (18 pitches per cycles) of hitting for baseball (90 pitches) or three cycles (30 pitches per cycle) of hitting for softball (90 pitches).
Inexpensive hitting practice time in a competitive environment will be available to all participants. Awards will be given to the top finishers in each age group.
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SANDLOT HITTING LEAGUES:
Hitting Leagues will be scheduled for 6 to 10-week durations at times that will be announced throughout the year. Hitting leagues will be organized by age similar to the age divisions of youth baseball programs. Teams will consist of 1 to 3 members per team (with an option to designate 1 substitute) and will compete on a weekly basis against other teams in their age bracket.
Teams will rotate batters through their line-up and compete in a game style atmosphere. Singles (1 point), Doubles (2 points), Triples (3 points), Homeruns (4 points), and Outs (0 points) will be determined by the hitter's success at hitting targets marked within the hitting tunnels. An umpire will be assigned to each game to make judgement calls as to the actual result of the hit. The league schedule (which is determined AFTER sign-ups are completed) will state which team is home team and which team is visitor. Each team will decide on their own lineup. For example, a three member team would bat as follows; Batter 1 will hit in innings 1, 4, and 7. Batter 2 will hit in innings 2, 5, and 8. Batter 3 will hit in innings 3, 6, and 9. The batter who will represent his/her team each inning (based on the team lineup) is given one cycle (18 pitches) which constitutes their team's half of the inning. Games consist of 9 innings (as in regular baseball/softball) and are decided by total points scored. In case of a tie, extra innings will be played until a winner is decided (just like regular baseball). The batting lineup will remain the same as the team enters extra innings.
The object of these leagues is to provide a regularly scheduled practice opportunity in a competitive environment. This will serve the athlete in his/her development of their baseball/softball skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship.
Awards and trophies will be available for winning teams. A Hitting League Record Book will also be maintained to keep track of outstanding performances (i.e. most points per game by a team, most points scored in an inning by a batter, etc.). However, the emphasis will still be placed on participation, sportsmanship, and improvement.
Hitting League FAQs:
Q: What happens if my son/daughter misses a week due to illness or vacation?
A: As the league progresses, each player will develop an "per game average", similar to that calculated in a bowling league. If a player is absent, a few points are deducted from their average and their team uses that "blind" score during their game that week. In the case where an absence is planned (i.e. vacation), the player (or entire team) may arrange to "pre-hit" and their scores will be used for that week's game. This can often be achieved by staying a little later during the week prior to a scheduled vacation week or making other arrangements with the league coordinator.
Q: How long does a game take?
A: A typical game (without extra innings) will take about 50-60 minutes.
Q: How many pitches will each player get?
A: Each player will bat a minimum of three innings per game. For baseball, that's 54 pitches per game and for softball that's 45 pitches per game. In the case of a game going in to extra innings, more pitches will result but it may not be evenly distributed among all teammates.
Q: Does the batting order matter?
A: Maybe. Some teams may want to put their best hitter up in the last inning so that hitter would bat in innings 3, 6, and 9. However, if the game goes in to extra innings, hitter #1 (the hitter that batted in the 1st, 4th, and 7th) would be up in the 10th inning. Hence, a little strategy may be needed in putting together your batting line-up.
Q: Why do the softball hitters get less pitches than the baseball hitters?
A: The AccuFire II pitching machines (for softball) take a little longer between pitches than the Iron Mike pitching machines (for baseball). Also, since the AccuFire II machines hold 30 softballs, 15 seemed to be a good number of pitches to use for the softball games. In all, the softball games will take a bit longer than the baseball games due to the number of times the balls must be reloaded into the machines during a game. |
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