Good day.  My name is Matt King and I’ll be managing your child’s baseball team this Spring along with Coach Allan McCullough in the Minors.  We both have sons who played last season in the Fall.   

There are four teams in the Minors, each consisting of 12 players. Our team’s name is the “Red Wings”.  Our team consists of:

Jesse Carpenter, Amar Cohen, Ryan Danatzko, Alex Foti, Max Friedman, Robert Gill, Avery Graham, James King, Clark Lamoureux, Leland McCullough, AJ Norman, and Beckett Risner.

The pertinent information is below:

1. Schedule:
   1. Season starts the week of 20 March 2023 (next week).  We will have three practice session prior to our first game.  For the first two weeks of the season, we will only meet twice a week. 
   2. The first game is on 1 April 2023. After that first game, we will then meet three times a week.  We will continue to have practice on Mondays.  We will continue to have games on Saturdays.  We will also have games on Tuesdays.  Below is the overall schedule. 

2. Location: 
   1. Practice:  Please note the locations for practice and games noted above.  Except for 3/25 where practice will be at Dranesville Elementary School, all other practices will be held at Herndon Middle School (Field #2).  The best way to access Field #2 is to park behind the McDonalds on Elden St.  There is a break in the fence that allows you to walk to the field. 
   2. Games:  Our games are either at Haley Smith or Alabama Drive Park. We have one Away Game to Alexandria, VA (Clermont Park Field). That away game is on 4/15. 
3. Times: 
   1. Practice:  All practices on Monday will be from 7pm until 8:30pm. The only exception is on 3/25 (Saturday) where practice will be from 12pm-2pm.
   2. Games.  Times vary so please note the times above and on the HRYB website. 

Much like this past Fall season, we have the pleasure of playing a sister league, the Pioneer Youth Baseball League from Alexandria for two of those Saturdays (4/15; 4/29).  On 4/15 we will go to their field and on 4/29 they will come to ours.  Playing a sister league is a great way to vary the competition.  We also have the pleasure of playing The St. James from Springfield on 4/22.  They will come play against us in Herndon. 

Info to Know: 

Equipment – We have league equipment to share.  Helmets, Bats and Catchers gear. At a minimum – players need their own regular fielding glove.  If your child has their own bats/helmets – please remember that the bats must be USABats and the Helmets must have a full cage protection mask on it (no ‘C-Flap).   If you don’t have a bat, but are looking to buy one, please remember that they are a lot like shoes – they have to fit.  If the bat is too big or too small, it won’t be effective – and bigger can be worse if they lack the strength to control it.  A bat that is about hip-high is right. Don’t buy a bat to ‘grow in to’

Uniform – TBD on the jerseys and hats.  But you need to provide baseball pants (grey) and cleats (no metal).  And please have your child wear baseball pants TO PRACTICE. For the first three practice sessions, please ensure the boys wear their protective support cups.  This way we can rotate kids through the Catchers position. 

Note that on game days jewelry is prohibited except medical and religious bracelets or necklaces. For those that pitch on game day, they are also not permitted to wear “white” on their forearms or wrists (i.e.: long sleeve shirts or wristbands).

Practice Plans – Generally, we’ll do team warmups and throwing at the beginning, break-up into stations for a while, and then come back together for in-game style work or a fun competition based on baseball skills.  We’ll do our best to accommodate the weather and not exceed 90min on our practice nights. 

Game plans – We use a constant rotating batting order – which means EVERYONE is in the lineup.  We will mix and match positions as much as possible. 

Volunteers – I am sure families have preexisting conflicts and will not be able to attend every practice and game.  The same apply to Allan and I but we will coordinate coverage.  Moreover, we will need all of your help.  Here’s a few additional roles that we will need help with: 

1. Additional Assistant Coaches – During our scrimmages we will need 1-2 additional adults to help on the field, whether that be a base coach, etc.
2. Dugout Coordinator – To help manage the kids on the bench while we’re batting – VERY IMPORTANT and DOES NOT require ‘baseball’ experience.
3. Practice Coaches – As stated above we will need help running the drills at the various stations we try to set up.   

Communication – I will post messages via the HRYB website.  In turn, parents should receive the posted message via email you noted on your HRYB profile. I will do my best to post updates and/or cancellations as soon as I can. You can access posted message at the following location:

Herndon Reston Youth Baseball (herndonbaseball.com)

http://www.herndonbaseball.com/?nomobile=true&org=HOYBaseball.com

Select:  “Teams” / “Choose a Team” / “Minors” / “Minors Red Wings”

If anyone has any questions just email mkk121975@hotmail.com or text 254-319-2826.  Introduce yourself with the first text so I know who you are.  I look forward to meeting everyone next week. This will be an exciting season.

Respectfully,

Coach Matt