USSSA States - 6/25 & 6/26

This tournament is also has a little bit different format than the standard 3 pool/single elimination games.  We’ll only be playing two pool play games early on Saturday, and then Saturday afternoon and Sunday is a true double elimination bracket that would allow a team to come all the way back and win the tournament with one loss.  Here’s what the schedule look like so far:

Saturday 6/25

8:00 am – PA Poison 12U

11:00 am – PA Poison 11U

2:00 pm or 3:30 pm – first bracket game depending on seed, opponent and time TBD

Sunday 6/26

Second bracket game, with Sat afternoon loss start time is 8:00 am, with Sat afternoon win start time is 9:30 am

We are playing at the Guilford Sports Complex in Chambersburg.  Here is a link with the address and directions from to the complex:

191 Sunny Lane Chambersburg, PA 17201

Uniforms for this weekend will be:

Saturday – white jersey, navy pants, light blue socks

Sunday – navy jersey, white pants, navy socks

4/16 - 4/17 Spring Shower Tournament Details

This weekend’s tournament schedule is now posted.  USSSA is trying a new tournament format this year.  They’re moving away from the three pools play games into single elimination bracket play and into a format of 2 pool play games and double elimination bracket play.  In the new format, we will still play three games on Saturday, and we’re still guaranteed to play on Sunday.  The third game on Saturday evening is not yet scheduled because it will be our first game in bracket play and will be determined by the results of our first two games.  To make a long story short, here is Saturday’s schedule:

Schedule

Meeting time: 8:15 am

Game 1: PA Ball Hawks – 9:30 am

Game 2: Cumberland Heat – 2:00 pm

Game 3: TBD

We had some families arriving very late (30 min+) for warm ups on Sunday of the last tournament.  Let’s make sure we all plan our mornings to make sure we’re on time.  We normally allow a significant amount of time for warm ups, especially in the early season to make sure your daughters don’t injured because of cutting corners during warm ups.  Arriving late on game day is one of those items that fall in the unacceptable category.  Players will not be able to start games if they haven’t properly warmed up, and we won’t hold up the rest of the team waiting for a few late arrivals.  Meeting time for Saturday morning is 8:15 am at the Crist Fields complex (directions below).  Sorry for the soapbox, but this is one thing we need to tighten up as a group.

Directions to Crist Fields

The tournament is being held north of York, PA near Emigsville.  The fields aren’t far off of I-83 and you can use either exit 22 or 24 depending on whether you’re traveling south or north on I-83.  For those of you with a GPS, the address of the fields is 441 Emig Road, York, PA.  Attached is a link for directions from Dauphin.

http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=40.19294&lon=-76.831175&zoom=11&q1=25%20utley%20dr%2C%20dauphin%2C%20pa&q2=441%20Emig%20Road%2C%20York%2C%20PA

Weather

The current weather forecast is showing nice weather on Thursday and Friday, but rain on Saturday.  If we play on Saturday, it looks like it may be in the slop again, especially if the rain starts later in the day and they try to play through it.  Looks like it won’t be quite as cold as our last tournament, but you’ll still want to dress warm to stay comfortable.  Morning temps will still be in the mid 40’s and highs may get to 60, but if it’s damp, it’ll be uncomfortable regardless of the temp.  We’ll keep an eye on the weather as the week progresses and update everyone if there’s a change in to the tournament schedule.  More than likely they won’t make any decisions until the last minute, so please be patient.  There’s a good chance I won’t hear anything until late Friday night or even early Saturday morning.  I’ll start calling as soon as I’m told about any changes that affect us.

Uniforms

Saturday – Dark blue jerseys, dark blue pants, dark blue socks (in case we play in the mud)

Sunday – Light blue jerseys, white pants, light blue socks

Miscellaneous Items

-          If anyone has a pop up canopy, I’d appreciate you having it along.  If I have room, I’ll bring one, but we can always use an extra one or two in case we have to wait out bad weather.

-          Spiritwear orders from Shenk are complete, and I will have them along this weekend.  If you’d prefer to pick up your order early, please get in touch with me and we can make arrangements.  Just an FYI, this is not the Under Armour from the Gallagher’s.  John is still working to get some backordered items for that one.

-          I’m still pushing Schutt for the few helmets that needed to be resized.  I was told 10 days about 2 weeks ago so I’m being a pain trying to get them to us for the weekend.  I can’t get any definitive answers at the moment, but I’ll keep on them.

-          I handed out player account updates to anyone that requested it at the last practice.  If you missed hearing my announcement, or just weren’t there, and you would like a copy, please let me know and I’ll email it to you.

Hopefully you’re all having a good week, and I’ll see you all on Saturday morning.

TNT Early Bird Tournament Weekend Information

Game Schedule: We play three pool play games back-to-back-to-back on Saturday morning starting at 8:00 am.  Game times are 8:00 am, 9:30 am, and 11:00 am with a time limit of 1 hr 15 min for each game.  These games will all be played on the same field so we won’t have to move anything out of a dugout on Saturday.  Players will need to be at the field by 6:45 am.  With the cooler temps we’ll need plenty of time to warm up, especially the pitchers that need to be warm for the first game.  Obviously our pool play record will determine Sunday’s seeding and game times. 

Directions:  We’ll be playing at the same complex we played at in the fall tournament.  The address is 145 East Pumping Station Road, Quakertown, PA for those of you that own a GPS.  Here is a link to a map and directions from Dauphin.

http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=40.441566&lon=-75.63803&zoom=10&q1=25%20utley%20drive%2C%20dauphin%2C%20pa%2017018&q2=145%20e.%20pumping%20station%20rd%2C%20quakertown%2C%20pa

Uniforms:  Saturday’s uniforms will be light blue jerseys, white pants, and light blue socks.  Sunday’s uniforms will be white jerseys, dark blue pants, and dark blue socks.  Have your dark blue jerseys along both days in case we need a spare!  Your never know when someone tears a jersey or gets extra muddy.  We always want the option of changing jerseys to keep everyone comfortable. 

Extra Clothing:  I’d highly recommend a white undershirt both days because early spring weather is awfully chilly, especially in the early morning.  Not to push any certain brand of clothing, but the Under Armour Cold Gear is very effective and very comfortable in these types of conditions.  I know these shirts are about $50+ each, but I’ll honestly say the one shirt I own, I get a ton of use out of it because of the how warm and comfortable it is.  If anyone has a similar type of shirt in a different brand that may be cheaper, but similarly effective, please pass that info on to the entire group.  Another recommendation would be to have a warm headband that covers your ears to wear on the field, and small pair of fleece gloves for in between innings to warm up your hands while on the bench.

Food:  Unfortunately there won’t be much time for eating in between games.  Please make sure you have a good breakfast that won’t weigh you down.  Bring along plenty of snacks for on the bench during and between games.  Fruit, granola bars, dried fruits, nuts, and cereals make great grab-n-go items during pool play.  I’d recommend waiting until the conclusion of the third game to eat a main meal.  I’ll have a cooler along with water for anyone on the team to pull from. 

Weather:  As it stands right now,  the long range weather forecast for late in the week is not looking too promising.  Most forecasts are calling for cool weather and precipitation starting Wednesday and running through early Saturday.  It’s still a bit early for these to be totally accurate, but if Saturday’s pool play is cancelled due to the weather, we’ll more than likely play the pool games on Sunday and not have any bracket play.

Saturday Post Game:  Just a reminder that Kelly and I will be heading to Bethlehem after our games to watch Moravian College play a double header.  The college is about 15 miles north of Quakertown, and should be under a half hour ride with traffic.  Everyone is welcome to join us, and after the games I’m sure we’ll go for dinner at a local restaurant.   It would definitely be nice to get the girls together after the games for a bit of team bonding since these opportunities are always limited.  For those parents that typically sit through our practices, Cassie Ernst whose helped out a few times over her Christmas break, plays for Moravian and has been having a great start to her freshman season.  This is a great opportunity for the girls to see the game played at a higher level.  Here are directions from the Quakertown fields to Moravian’s field:

http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=40.543705&lon=-75.37264&zoom=12&q1=145%20E%20Pumping%20Station%20Rd%2C%20Quakertown%2C%20PA%2C%2018951&q2=1025%20center%20st%2C%20bethlehem%2C%20pa

Returned Equipment:  I’m hoping to have the batting gloves back in time for this weekend’s tournament.  The returned helmets that were too small probably won’t here in time.  The extra padding for the helmets that were too large should be here though.