HCYP Recreational Baseball Program

HCYP Recreational Baseball Program

The Howard County Youth Program (HCYP) first began with recreational baseball. While 50+ years have passed, the Rec. baseball program continues to be the standard by which baseball programs in Maryland are measured. Our program allows children ages 7 to 18 to participate in a safe, clean environment where fair competition is used to grow character and build friendships for a lifetime. This document provides a detailed overview of the HCYP Rec. Baseball program.

The Rec. program is based on a set of principles that has been established by the American Sport Education Program (asep.com). These principles, in order of importance, are:

• Safety – No experience, no trophy, no action is ever acceptable when a child’s safety is put at risk. All leaders associated with the Rec. program are trained and educated on how to lead a safe program. The league commissioners are always looking to improve the safety of participating in baseball in every possible way. We realize that all physical activities have associated risks that come with participation. However, from manager background checks to the use of batting vests, minimizing safety risks is THE top priority of our Rec. program.
• Fun – Nothing imprints a lifetime memory in the mind of a child better than a smile. Baseball is a wonderful and exciting sport. Providing a fun environment where the players just can’t wait to come to our park is extremely important. Whether the activity is a practice or a game, ensuring that players have fun creates the best environment for learning and improving.
• Learning – While HCYP has yet to produce a Major League star, our league has done an excellent job of improving our players’ skills. From fundamentals to advanced techniques, improving each player’s skill level on every team is an important goal in the Rec. program. All players can improve and teaching the proper techniques benefits both the player and his/her team. From beginners to kids who have made their high school teams, improving their play almost always improves a player’s enjoyment of the game.
• Winning – Very few players come to a game hoping to lose. Helping our players improve and work towards winning is a reasonable goal. Life is full of activities where striving towards a goal is important. Competition, in a clean and managed environment, is a healthy activity for growing children. Working to win a baseball game is important as long as the right guidelines are put in place. Being a good winner as well as handling a defeat with class are important ideas taught in our program. With the proper perspective and guidance by our leaders, all people associated with HCYP Rec. baseball are winners regardless of a game’s score.

Leagues

At HCYP, the large size of our Rec. program (1,100+ players in spring 2005) allows us to provide a unique playing experience for our kids. We are able to offer leagues that provide as much parity as possible due to our flexible structure. League ages are currently based upon a child’s age on August 1st of the current, playing season.

Instructional

Instructional is our coach pitch league and is geared for 7-8 year olds. For many of our kids, it is their first introduction to organized sports. The players are encouraged to try as many positions as possible, given that safety is not an issue. Team standings are not kept so winning is not a highlighted goal in this league. The teams practice once a week and play one game each week. Fundamentals and the basic rules of the game are introduced in this league. As of 2006, Reduced Injury Factor balls (RIF 5) are used to improve the confidence of our newest players. Besides learning the basics of baseball, this league is a great introduction to participating as a part of a team. While these guys and gals may be little, their games can be a real treat to watch. Check one out sometime!

Little League: International, Minor, Major

One of the coolest and most unique features of HCYP Rec. baseball is the flexibility we have with our Little League program. Kids who are ages 9-12 participate in this program for four years. This program has three leagues which means a child who plays all four years in this program will get to play in one league for two years. International is set for kids ages 9-10; Minor is set for kids ages 10-11; and Major is set for kids ages 11-12. Well, which league does a particular player spend two years in? The answer is the ultimate manager’s answer to every question under the sun: “It depends!”

When a player who is new to Little League first comes to HCYP or is new to International, they are evaluated and “drafted” into an organization (e.g. Cubs). That child will stay in that organization throughout his/her time in Little League. Note, parents can request to have their child redrafted to a new organization if desired. If the player is 9 years old, then he/she will be placed onto an organization’s International team. If a player is 12 years old, he/she will be placed onto the Major league team. The 10 and 11 year olds are placed onto their respective teams based upon two factors: the age makeup of all kids in an organization and the particular kid’s skill level. For example, if a 10 year old is brand new to baseball, then he/she should be placed on the International team. An 11 year old who has played a lot of ball and has a high skill level will most likely be placed on the Major league team. All three teams are part of the same organization and work together to assign kids to the appropriate league based on the age makeup of all the kids as well as the kids’ skill levels.

Another great aspect of this setup is that siblings are by default placed into the same organization. The majority of an organization’s games are played at the same time. So whether siblings are on an International, Minor, or Major league team, they will play many of their games at the same time. This benefit of HCYP makes many parents very happy!

In the three leagues that makeup our Little League, pitchers may only pitch in 2 innings at most per game. Not only does this help reduce arm injuries, it helps develop many more pitchers on a team. The International and Minor league bases are 60 feet apart. The pitching mound is 44 feet from home for International, 46 for Minor. There is no leading off in both of these leagues, however stealing is allowed once the pitched ball crosses the plate. Stealing home is NOT allowed in International. Our Major league plays full MLB rules except that the base paths are set at 70 feet. The pitching rubber is 50 feet from home plate. All Little League games are 6 innings long. No pitches that require a twisting motion are allowed (no curves, sliders, etc.) in Little League.

Pony

This league is setup for players who are 13 or 14 years old. The base paths are set at 80 feet and the pitching rubber is 54 feet from home plate. In Pony, players are re-drafted each year allowing the players the opportunity to make many different friends. The manager is allowed to keep his/her own kid(s) as well as one assistant’s child, but everyone else is re-drafted each year. Full MLB rules are followed and all MLB pitches are allowed (curves, etc.). One pitcher may go 3 innings, but each team still needs to develop a number of pitchers as Pony games are 7 innings long.

Colt

This league is setup for players 15-18 years old. Some of our Colt players play on high school teams as well. HCYP participates in the Howard County Consortium for Colt play as the number of teams drops off significantly at this age for all leagues (HCYP offers more Colt teams to the consortium than any other league). Home games are still at our park while away games are located throughout Howard County. Full MLB rules apply including the base paths (90 feet) and pitching rubber distance (60 feet).

The Park

Unlike other programs in Howard County, HCYP has our own park to enjoy (Kiwanis-Wallis Park). This is where all regular and playoff games are played. We provide all the maintenance and upkeep for our baseball and softball fields. While this is a lot of work, the benefits just cannot be touched. We have 8 baseball fields with 4 of these having lights. Our baseball fields all have grass infields providing a high quality game experience for our kids. Each International and Minor league team has at least one scheduled night game. All Major and Pony teams have numerous night games. HCYP fields are maintained at a very high level and are still the best in the county at the end of the season. New, black fences surround almost all fields and covered dugouts are part of each field offering.

Besides our fields, our park also has two baseball batting cages. All teams, both Rec. and travel, have equal opportunity to sign-up to use these cages. Whether it be for an extra practice or just a warm up before a game, the benefit of having these cages available at our park is wonderful.

Our park also offers clean restrooms and a snack bar that is open during most games. The pavilion next to the snack bar provides a shady place to enjoy a meal and just relax. Coming to the park is great experience not only for the players but all family members as well.

The Spring Season

For our International through Colt teams, the spring season is divided into three parts: pre-season, regular season, and the playoffs. The pre-season begins once the drafts are over and our spring maintenance day has prepared the fields for play. This 3 to 4 week time frame is when the players come to know each other, fundamentals are reviewed, and the dust is knocked off both gloves and skills. The regular season consists of 15 games with one during the weekdays and one on Saturdays (Instructional teams play 10 games in a season, no playoffs). Makeup games are played on Sunday afternoons or during the week if possible. The league commissioners work very hard to re-schedule as many games as possible. A double elimination tournament is scheduled for each league at the end of the season. For International through Pony, the end of season playoffs are broken into two brackets. The top teams (based on regular season records) play in the A bracket and the others play in the B bracket. This allows yet another opportunity for all teams to enjoy a successful year by viewing the playoffs as another season.

A huge benefit to our Rec. program is that our league officials make the call on whether or not we play our games at the park on our fields. No league comes close to HCYP in getting their games in. When inclement weather passes through, volunteers are quick to work hard in getting the fields ready to play. Whenever it is possible that games may be played, we work our tails off on our fields. That may mean that people wait around until a game is cancelled, but our focus is allowing our kids to play as many games as possible. Note: we have a very stringent lightning and thunder policy that we adhere to at all times. We recently had an expensive lightning detection system installed at the park. Safety is always our top priority.

Special Events

The Rec. program participates in a number of exciting activities outside the regular season. These include:

• Hits-For-Kids (HFK) HFK is our primary fundraiser. Given that the participating families have funded all baseball aspects of the park, it is easy to see the significance of HFK. Each team is assigned a 45-minute time slot on a field. Each player is given a set number of pitches and is given points for the distance of each hit (foul ball 1 point, home run 5 points). Players obtain sponsors who donate a specific amount per point earned (e.g. $.50) or just a set amount (e.g. $20). The event is a lot of fun and gives the children the opportunity to be responsible for the upkeep and improvements of their park.
• Baseball Olympics: Each team assigns three players to represent their team in skill-based competition. All teams in a particular league participate against each other on a specific field. This is a really enjoyable time of unique competition that is fun for all participants and spectators.
• Special Olympics: One Sunday in May the park is turned over to the Howard County chapter of the Special Olympics. A softball tournament is held for teams with special needs players. Our baseball teams are highly encouraged to come out and cheer for a specific team. This experience is not only great for the Special Olympic players, but it also is a great teaching point for our HCYP kids. Those who attend always tell how awesome their experience was.
• Memorial Day Tournament: For the International through Pony leagues, a tournament is held of the Memorial Day weekend. Teams are selected by managers in each league and play a round robin format. The top two teams play in a championship game. This fun event showcases the top talent in the Rec. program and is played in a fun, festival atmosphere.

HCYP Rec. baseball allows kids to participate in a fun, exciting, and enjoyable environment. A kid’s baseball skill level is not important because one’s baseball skill level in life is not important. What is important is to be an active participant in life’s offerings. Our program is ran by committed volunteers who strive to provide lifetime memories for the participating kids. More information can be found on our baseball web site starting at Come be a part of our wonderful family and make some memories for yourself!