OLSH BASEBALL
Fall baseball practice will begin on Monday, August 12. We will again be playing in the Western PA Fall Baseball League. The games will be begin on Saturday Aug 24 and run through Sept 31. Playoffs would follow, should we qualify. We will practice on Mondays and Wednesdays at YT. There will be a small fee in order to help offset the cost of: league entry fee, umpires, game balls, jerseys/hats, etc. Players will need their own white game baseball pants, a purple or black belt and batting helmet (catchers need their own gear). (I will have old white game pants, still in decent shape, available for purchase for $10) Attire for practice will be baseball pants (any color) with belt, shirt tucked in and a baseball hat.
Players who plan on playing OLSH Baseball in the spring, and are not playing an OLSH fall sport, should be participating in our fall program and not a AAU program (unless there is a discussion with Coach McCarren). If interested in playing please email Coach McCarren asap.
Upcoming Schedule:
Mon 8/12 - First Practice 5:30-7:30 YT
Wed 8/14 - Practice 5:30-7:30 YT
Mon 8/19 - Practice 5:30-7:30 YT
Wed 8/21 - Practice 5:30-7:30 YT
Sat 8/24 - Double Header vs. TBD, time and location TBB
**Good book on the mental game of baseball (recommended by Coach Craig): Heads-Up Baseball 2.0; 5 Skills for Competing One Pitch at a Time. By Ken Ravizza and Tom Hansen.
https://headsupbaseball2.com/
**Good article on hitting...players must read....
https://www.beabetterhitter.com/lost-secrets-of-hitting/
OLSH Baseball apparel and gear:
Catchers chest protectors: NFHS/PIAA regulations on chest protectors state that all chest protectors must be NOCSAE certified with proper heart protection. The other option is a special undershirt with padding that is NOCSAE certified is permitted. https://www. .org/articles/high-school-baseball-rules-changes-focus-on-player-safety/
A PLAYER WHO WANTS TO BE GREAT CANNOT ONLY PRACTICE AND PLAY THE GAME ITSELF, BUT HAS TO BE A TRUE STUDENT OF THE GAME!
(Otherwise it's just a hobby, and the player will never achieve greatness.)
**Video by Alex Rodriguez on hitting. [Very good except I would explain that the hands do go to the ball, but they need to level off and get on the plane of the ball and go through the ball for square contact. He is correct in saying that a "launch angle" approach is not correct for the high school player. But chopping down to "get backspin" I don't agree with either (at least as far as the high school game is concerned - the pitcher's velocity and batspeed are not high enough to generate the desired effect). The truth lies more in the middle.]
**Excellent article on a great hitting book (The Mike Schmidt Study), pointing out some of the key takeaways:
The book is out of print but can be bought used if interested:
Other great timeless hitting books:
The Science of Hitting (by Ted Williams):
Rod Carew's Art and Science of Hitting
Great book on the mental approach to baseball
The Mental Game of Baseball
Pitching:
Nolan Ryan's Pitchers Bible
https://www.amazon.com/Nolan-Ryans-Pitchers-Bible-Performance/dp/0671705814/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19VEFBWWD224Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Uz-Sbr8tF_A-GqzCz8zIgG9QbPVFOuc3bt9vkJGLHM3NUX4iUE5W0ZxPjNMkLm06hzB-J0Dq57Wi5BUwFx6abWgcEIa8i2sj9tijYKPWDFIdQ-sR0qT0hDa4QTxlsbkX94pvghRgbRHAnrxo7glozuUYThxEl-c5hOMmbaQ7lKwnHxcvCDFev7BWsRfkk7su94jcGl2OqXuJKiHrwJm-aBauMkINtlQ5Z2s9_hAuUq4.8is9g-0uMcsmoJmDmOyx7BxL31xSSjmy8bc5jj7LZsU&dib_tag=se&keywords=nolan+ryan+pitchers+bible&qid=1710263280&sprefix=nolan+ryans+pi%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-1