BABE RUTH ONLINE REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Welcome to the start of the 2012 Babe Ruth Baseball season.

Please CLICK HERE
to register online today
DEADLINE 2/25/12

Full Spring Season Begins in March and ends late June
is $275 per player.

Regular Spring Season for Rostered High School players
who start Babe Ruth at the end of the high school season
is $175 per player.  

 

For planning purposes we need to find out how many boys will play Babe Ruth this Spring so we can let the League know how many teams we will field at each level. Practice won't commence until March as soon as we have access to fields. Games will begin shortly thereafter. The Schedule has not yet been set. Traditionally we have one game during the week and two games on the weekend. There is at least one regularly scheduled practice during the week.
 

Background

 

We compete in the Fairfield County Babe Ruth District (District II) which is made up of teams from Westport, Wilton, Fairfield, Darien, New Canaan, and Stratford.
 

We will field teams in two brackets Prep and Majors.

 

Prep teams are for those making the move up from Little League to the major league-sized baseball diamond and those players who played on a Prep team in the Spring or Fall of 2011 and want to remain with a Prep Team.  These teams compete against similarly-aged and experienced players, primarily 7th and 8th Graders. For most 7th Graders this will be their first experience playing on the bigger field with Big League Rules. It is meant to be a competitive program but there is a greater allowance for teaching/coaching.

 

Majors Teams are for 14 and 15-year old boys (older 8th graders, freshman, and some sophomores) with at least one season playing Babe Ruth.  These teams play with older, more experienced players. These are competitive teams playing in a competitive league.

 

The Majors’ season is divided into two segments. The pre-season, referred to as the Dogwood Season, and the Regular Season which begins at the conclusion of the High School season. Rostered High School players are not permitted to play or practice with any other team while the High School season is still open, inclusive of playoffs, if any. At the end of the High School season we add the eligible High School players who want to play Babe Ruth and redraft to create even teams.  

 

Comments:

 

For those who have already played Babe Ruth this is not news. For those coming into Babe Ruth and for those who played for the Prep teams last year some of this is new news.

 

For the Prep Teams our objective is to create an instructional league with competitive play. If there are enough players we will have more than one team and will do our best to "balance" teams in terms of ability. The focus is on improving basic baseball skills and adjusting to play on the larger field.

 

In the Majors there is less focus on basic technique and greater focus on developing situational awareness - the role of each player at each position in game conditions. We try to instruct the boys who have not yet played Weston HS Baseball to cover their positions the way the High School coaches will expect them to. During the Regular Season at the Majors level many of the boys will have already played one season on a WHS team and all of the players will face teams in the Regular Spring Season where a significant number of the opposing players played high school baseball.

 

We do not make cuts - our goal is to field competitive teams and most of all help the kids get better at a game they love and prepare them for High School baseball.

 

Your sons are entering the stage in their Baseball careers where some position specialization will start to occur, especially in the Majors. Skills an outfielder works on - from throwing to situational awareness - are different than the skills a first basemen works on.  Usually by the end of the season each boy has a primary position that he plays regularly and a secondary position that he plays occasionally.  There are no rules dictating that a player needs to play a minimum number of innings in the infield. Some boys because of their abilities will become natural outfielders and may not play a single inning in the infield during the entire season.

 

As a heads up, playing time throughout the season becomes more meritocratic as well.  All kids who show up for practices and games will get a chance to play, however you may start to see that on a team with 13 boys - 5 of them play the whole game while 4 play the first half of the game and 4 play the second half.  The league plays with real baseball rules - including substitution rules - so kids cannot play every other inning as in Little League.

 

At the Prep level we use a continuous batting order so all boys who show up for the game will bat, provided they have met each coach’s requirements for attendance at practice and on-time arrival on game days.  

 

In the Majors the batting order is 9 plus an Extra Hitter, at the coach’s discretion. Batting as the Extra Hitter is considered an important role and in is considered playing time. Substitution in the field also means substitution in the batting order.

 

It has been our experience that when the kids (and parents) understand this up front, it is not an issue.  We will make sure that the coaches know that communication is the key.

 

Revson Update:
 

There are only two fields in Weston that have the proper dimensions to accommodate Babe Ruth Baseball and both are on Revson. At this point the hope is to have the JV field ready for play in the Spring but there are no guarantees. As we did in the Fall we will have to improvise to accommodate team practices. In all likelihood all of our games will be played in other towns.

 

Fees: 

Fees cover the cost of uniforms, umpires, baseballs, insurance, league fees and team equipment. Fees for the Full Spring Season (commencing in March and ending late June) are $275 per player. Fees for the Regular Spring Season only (this applies only to Rostered High School players who start Babe Ruth at the end of the high school season) are $175 per player.  

 

PLEASE NOTE:  If your son is planning on playing High School Baseball and then Babe Ruth for Regular Season, please sign up for Babe Ruth NOW.  If your son ends up not playing High School Baseball he can still play the Full Spring Season of Babe Ruth.

 

Who is eligible?  

Any player born after 5/1/96 but before 4/30/99 is eligible for the 2012 Spring Junior Babe Ruth baseball program. (Official Babe Ruth Age Calculator: http://www.baberuthleague.org/resources/league-age-calculator.html )

 

What do I need to send?  

A copy of your son’s birth certificate is required. This is not necessary if your son registered and played Babe Ruth in Weston during the last 12 months and has already provided a copy. Should any team go into post-season District play ALL of this paperwork must be in the hands of the coach on any given game day and can be requested by an opposing coach.

 

Tryouts:

There are NO try-outs. Depending on how many boys sign up for the Prep Team we may have an evaluation clinic so the coaches can get a look at the boys they don’t already know. Teams will be selected by the Board and coaches.  More details will be sent once we know how many boys will be playing and at what level.

 

Spring Season:

The full season runs from late March through mid June. There is post season play both within the Fairfield County League and the potential for District play depending on how each team does during the Regular Season.

 

Registration:

CLICK HERE to complete the registration form. Send your check (payable to Weston Babe Ruth) in the amount of $275 ($175 for those Rostered High School players playing just the Regular Season). Include a copy of your child's birth certificate if necessary.

Completed documents should be sent to:

Weston Babe Ruth
c/o Isabelle Alvarado
4 Farrell Road
Weston CT 06883

Registrations must be received no later than Saturday, February 25, 2012. For insurance reasons we need completed paperwork before your son takes the field even for practice.

 

NO PAPERWORK, NO CHECK, NO BASEBALL.

 

We would like all eligible kids who want to play to be able to play.  If the registration fees pose some difficulty please let us know privately and we will work something out.

 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY:

We are an all volunteer program and are always are in need of volunteers to help coach. Please do not be shy. We are attempting to put together a training program for coaches which will be a pre-requisite to coaching in Babe Ruth. In order to do this we will have to indentify the coaches well before the first team practice.

We look forward to another successful Babe Ruth baseball season. If you have any questions feel free to send me an email or give me a call.

Thanks and have a great day, John Jepsen

Home:         (203) 227-1823  

Cell:            (203) 788-3092

Email:          jrjepsen19@yahoo.com