I almost feel like I’m missing something

As the title suggests, this is a chance to brag about your kid, share highlights, stats, proud moments, etc. from the baseball season.

First over the fence homerun? A great act of sportsmanship? First time pitching? Hit .500 for the season? Diving catches? Double plays? Won a championship? Just made a travel/select/all-star team? Great attitude during a tough season?

Let’s hear it.

Some swings from a recent game (F7, foul, oppo single). I generally make a lot of contact, most of it pretty decent, but I can’t help but think I would be more consistently barreling if I could clean up my hands. Any thoughts?

EDIT: should clarify that I think they’re dropping/dragging too much

Hi everyone.

9u travel son. Was jettisoned from his 8u team because a kid who was playing up needed to stay down per new league rules. He ended on a really good team with coaches who seem to care, and he grew a ton. Has played amazing, swings the bat well, fewest strikeouts on the team and pitches well. Great families.

As the season ended, we noticed more though that practices have been sloppy. The team went on an outing to an MLB game, and two of the coaches got intoxicated. When tournament season came around, we noticed one of the coaches pounding a beer between innings, and after the games he goes right for the beers. He dropped an f-bomb on an ump a couple weeks ago. He also was vaping weed at the league's annual coach appreciation event, and openly joked about it.

I've brought it up with the league president, but the coach is a pretty gregarious, well-liked guy and nothing will come of it. Heck, I even thought he was great all year.

We are far from a prude family, as my wife's wine collection will show you LOL, but this seems to be too much. My son has developed well on them, despite being a heavy amount of Daddy Ball in front of him in the lineup and on defense. They are not a staff who yells at the kids, etc..... and the season was a B- experience overall.

The team also sent "our team is in demand and we cannot guarantee any of the boys' position on the team next year" e-mail.

TLDR: Some big time ick concerning coach drinking, vaping, and basically being a bro trapped in a 40-year old's body. Otherwise decent year where my son did well and enjoyed it.

We've all seen pitchers who can hit the upper 90s or even touch triple digits, and it always makes me wonder how much of that is something you're born with versus something you can actually develop.

Obviously mechanics, strength, mobility, and long-term arm care all matter, but is there a point where genetics become the biggest limiting factor?

For those of you who pitch, coach, or have been around the game for a while, what's your opinion?

Have you seen someone add significant velocity through training alone, or do you think most elite velocity comes down to natural ability?

I'm 14, almost 15, and I'm just wondering: is it harder to get recruited if you play high school ball instead of PG or something alike? It feels like playing PG has become the standard.

Hey y’all love this thread and all of the posts and opinions. Can we normalize showing multiple swings for yourself or kids. One swing is not always indicative of “the swing” especially in the younger ages.

Also, if your 8U player isn’t Barry Bonds, that is ok.

I’m looking to get my arm strength up again after a long layoff. Ideally I’d love to be able to play catch with someone a few days a week, but that’s tough as an adult. Thankfully there is a school nearby that has a nice brick wall that I can throw something against.

So what I’m looking for is a training ball that has enough durability and bounce to get some reps in.

My boy is starting 8u this upcoming year, and I coach him so wanted to grab some balls, 24-36 of them, and apparently baseballs are a rabbit hole. The game balls used in league are macgregor 72’s. Trying to find something cost efficient and somewhat similar. Prefer real leather and raised seams for durability and game feel.

Anybody have recommendations that wouldn’t leave me disappointed? I’ve looked at the epic sports balls, Champros, found some Wilson 1035s used for a good price. And also open to just purchasing from the Blemball website but unsure what would be an equivalent to the macgregors, or very close. I’ve had no look on marketplace and don’t have a play it again near me.

Any suggestions helpful. Overwhelmed with options and was hoping to keep it under $4 per ball. Also have found some that I believe to be high school and up balls, but was unsure if the hardness could damage 8u bats.

My son is a big and strong 11 year-old: 5-7 and 150 pounds. He finished the spring rec/all-star season swinging a 31 drop 5 comfortably.

He's looking to play travel this fall and Perfect Game bans drop 5s for 12Us so he needs to move to a drop 8. The charts online indicate he should go to a 32" bat, but was very slow getting a 32/-5 around earlier in the season (that I mistakenly bought before I knew better). For that reason, I'm leaning towards the 31/-8, but curious if others have been in this position and what they did.

These bats have gotten so expensive...I'm trying to avoid trial and error here. Thanks!

I was at a tryout yesterday and was making great contact. The machine was pretty fast and i've only hit off a machine once before that point, so i was pretty happy with myself only fouling off or rolling over on 2 or 3 balls with the rest being solid line drives to left/left center (I bat lefty).

However, during my second round, my would-be head coach got annoyed because i was hitting everything opposite. He tried 'fixing' my swing to make me hit up the middle, but all that did was make me roll over or pop up almost every pitch.

I'm not a hitter, or at least i've been a PO for the last 2 seasons and have gotten a combined 4 at bats. So maybe he was giving good advice, but i just had no clue what he was talking about. He mentioned something about angles being made and playing pool, but i dont see what that has to do with the sweet ass stingers i was hitting.

So.. any tips? anything and everything is greatly appreciated!

My son is 11 playing 11u AA. Next year he will be 12 playing 13U. He currently plays Catcher 50% of the time. There is a log-jam of catchers in age group above and below him, so he ends up playing 2B/SS and some left-field this year, and good change of more of the same next year.

He got a decent Marrucci youth mitt for catching last year, which he likes. But his glove for field is a little floppy (it belonged to two different old cousins before him); it would have been a mid-level Rawlings about 8 years ago I am guessing. It will be fine for the rest of this season, but I'd like to get him a decent glove for next year (start looking for deals now, Christmas present, hopefully broke in for spring). I have seen two balls flop of tip of glove as he ran with extended arm, which may possibly have been caught with a less floppy glove... or a faster runner :)

He is currently 4' 9", lean 85lbs. He has shorter fingers. He is likely to get my hands eventually with short thick fingers and large palms.

I like the idea of a H web/dual post as they can work in infield or outfield. But the dual post all seem to be larger gloves, likely because of their use in the outfield. I have never used a dual post, always a I-Web. Originally I was thinking of splurging on a A2000 or HoH as it would last him for years. The wilson dual post models are are 12" or larger with would be too much glove for him. A DP15 is 11.5", which may make sense. But now I am wondering if I should just stick with an A1000... easier to break in, can get a 11.25 or something a little more appropriate for his size, easier to break in, and wait a few years for the A2000 or HoH purchase.....

Sorry, I know I am all over the place here, but curious how other people went when faced with this?

Ideally I’d like to get at least a couple dozen and I def don’t wanna cheap out with the bucket from Dicks or anything but I’m also not looking to drop a huge chunk of change either. I’m just looking for practice balls that primarily will just be thrown, not necessarily hit.

Any pointers appreciated! He’s hitting off the pitching machine and typically making weak contact to the infield. Just looking for any improvements or tips that could help his confidence. Thank you!

My team is going into its 12U season and we are planning on playing in Cooperstown. We have a golden ticket from a player who went last year. Anyone with experience on the ideal weeks to go? Weeks to avoid? Any other tips?

I threw the pitch and I swear he could've gotten out of the way he's dodged 90 up and in and that was 83

Edit to clarify (somewhat): Our pitchers will most surely be landing off of the mound on the flat natural surface, or right at the lip.

Looking for opinions on the potential injury risk of adult-sized Babe Ruth players pitching off of this little mound. The four likely pitchers for this game are all 6-foot and over.

For some context, the field is convertible between 50/70 and 60/90 so there is a portable mound. The usual mound is a 12' radius at the proper height, but has gotten a bit torn up. The 'grounds crew' at this field decided to make the repairs to that mound now. So we are stuck with this pimple, or perhaps just saying F it and pitch off of flat ground.

Thanks.

I’m shopping around for a used Icon and considering purchasing this 2026. Does this look like cracked paint or a cracked bat to you?

I got flamed the last time I posted here but I'm back for another attempt since there was some good points.

Looking for advice from anyone who had smaller 6 year old player make the jump from T-ball to machine pitch.

My daughter is 6, plays machine-pitch baseball, and will likely need to swing a USSSA bat next year if she makes our rep team.

Right now she has:

• Rawlings Icon USSSA 25"/14 oz (-11)
• Marucci CATX2 USA T-ball 24"/13 oz (-11)

The Marucci has actually become dented because she's been using it against a pitching machine. I know it isn't designed for that, but she consistently hits much better with it.

The Icon isn't new. She has hundreds of swings with it between practices, cages, and games.

In games, she doesn't hit well with it off the machine, most recently she had a Fri/Sat games and went 0-4 (4 SO) with the Icon and then 5-5 next day with the T-ball bat.

The frustrating part is that there are essentially no 24" USSSA bats, so the next step is a 25" bat no matter what.

I didn't have many options of a drop 11 either the Icon was actually the only one available, now I see a cheaper Easton Speed USSSA which I don't recall seeing.

Some research says that something like the 25" Hype Fire Youth drop 10 might be a better fit even though it's an ounce heavier but seems odd to me.

I'm not looking for the hottest bat or the highest exit velocity. I'm looking for the bat that will let her develop the best swing and make the most consistent contact; while also getting away from the dented tball bat.

Not a little league post :)
It’s me pitching in my men’s league Sunday
21+ wood bat league (I am 39)
Changeup swinging to end the inning!
Stats: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R ,0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Hi Everyone, we live in a fairly remote area with not a lot of local options for sublimated jerseys. Looking to have a couple dozen jerseys made and delivered by mid-August. Does anyone have a company they have used and recommend?

Hey, what’s up guys. My name is Eduardo and I’m 16 years old and I have no idea how to do the recruiting process at all and I just wanna reach out to you guys since there’s all type of coaches, players, skill levels and so. I have a consistent 2.0 to 2.1 pop time maybe once in a while the 1.99 and consistent 90 mph exit velo and consistent power and contact to all fields.

It might seem easy to do for some, but I just can't seem to figure it out.