Archive for the ‘Bret’s Blog’ Category

10/18/2017

It’s been a whirlwind trying to get all of our indoor facility improvements done.  We are hoping to have them all done before Thanksgiving.  We appreciate everyone’s patience as we have our projects going.  It’s a very exciting time to know all of the enhancements will make for a greater experience for our families, players and coaches.

09/20/2017

The new LED lighting is now up in the facility and it is amazing how much brighter it is in there.  The light is more of a true white light too which will only help our athletes and coaches.  More upgrades coming soon!

09/07/2017

Our Labor Day Weekend Tournament went extremely well with our teams winning over 65% of their games.  The competition was solid as a lot of California teams made the trip up.

The new LED lights should be arriving soon and will be installed soon there after.  Our Under uniform tops were really well received by our customers and the other Under Armour gear has been rolling in.

Recruiting is also going well as we are receiving interest at all age levels.  It helps that we have our strongest coaching staff, top to bottom, in the history of the organization.

8/12/2017

We are excited to announce that with the signing of our five-year lease extension that our indoor facility will undergoe $100,000 in upgrades that will all be installed over the next five months.

New LED lightning will replace the current lighting system, and brand new field turf will be installed in the infield area, batting cages and pitching lanes. Stay tuned for more exciting news in regards to facilty improvements.

7/25/2017

What an incredible summer we had with our 17U and 19U teams.  It was a terrific blend of competitiveness and development, as we helped moved nineteen kids on to play in college programs.  Our 17U team played a fierce schedule and finished with almost 40 wins.  Our 19U team won four tournaments and won 53 games.

We are now entering our fall season with our 9U-18U teams.  Signing a deal with Under Armour for all of our uniforms and gear has been huge.  We renewed our lease with our indoor facility and have new LED lighting going in this fall, and will be installing brand new field turf throughout the entire facility in late fall.  A buzz in the air, families, kids and coaches are excited.  Stay tuned.

5/15/2017

This weekend our 9U-13U teams will be traveling to the Central Valley to play in a highly competitive tournament.  We are excited to see how our boys do, and always relish the chance to play top level competition.

Our 17U and 19U teams start their respective seasons on Thursday with the Red and Black Dawg Fight.  Teams have been chosen for this highly competitive, inter-organizational event.  Looking forward to another fun weekend of baseball.

2/22/2017

We were able to battle the weather and some quality baseball teams this past weekend, going 21-6 as an organization and winning the 9U, 10U, 11U and 14U age divisions.

There is no time for us to rest on our laurels, as we have an NYBC Qualifier Tournament coming up in less than three weeks.  These tournaments attract high level competition.  We will need to work hard to prepare.

2/9/2017

We are excited to be playing again next weekend and are hopeful that the weather will hold up. Our teams have been getting after it and travel rosters are strong. Looking forward to a good weekend of baseball.

1/21/2016

Fortunately we were able to get ahead of the weather that was coming in the weekend and we were able to move the tournament for our 9U-13U teams to next weekend.  It was nice that the tournament directors at NCTB and that the management at Hampton Inn Salida were understanding of our situation.  Looking forward to some better weather and some good baseball next weekend.

12/31/2016

2016 was an great year for the organization.  Thank you to all families and players who do such a great job supporting us.  Happy New Year.

12/7/2016

We just completed a huge weekend with all ten teams traveling.  Our 9U-14U teams were in the Central Valley and our 16U-18U teams were in San Jose.  The talent level we played against this weekend was as good as I can ever remember playing against, top to bottom.

Sometimes it’s difficult to get our customer base to understand that part, truly how good the talent we are playing against is.  Unlike a lot of teams that trophy hunt in the AA division, our motto is “anyone, anywhere anytime”.  Sometimes it can lead to some humbling games and weekends, but when I see our guys signing Division One Letter of Intents at good schools like Cal Poly SLO, I know it’s worth the short term sacrifice that will pay long term dividends.

11/9/2016

This past weekend we played in a very competitive event in the Elk Grove, Galt and Manteca areas.  Other than two of our clubs having to commute 45 minutes each day, it was a pretty enjoyable weekend.  The weather was perfect and the tournament was well-run.  I was particularly pleased with the improvement of both our 11U and 12U clubs.  We have less than four weeks before our next tournament in the Central Valley.  Time to get back to work.

10/19/2016

It’s nice to be in town for a late fall tournament, and it looks like the weather will be brisk but playable. Our guys are pumped, practices have been going well. We have been getting a ton of calls from interested recruits. We will continue to focus on the process of coaching our players up and teaching the game. This is the strongest our coaching staff has been, top to bottom, in the organization. Lots of excitement as we head over the hill again in November.

9/3/2016

Our first tournament of the new season is upon us and there is a lot of excitement about where the organization is headed.  Very pleased with the buy-in we are getting from our customers and our coaching staff is as strong as it has been, top to bottom, in its history.  Looking forward to a good weekend of baseball!

7/18/2016

The last day of the World Series was eventful for our 9U team.  I was fortunate enough to be able to coach in two of the last three games they played yesterday, with the team winning all three games.  I’m extremely proud of this group of players for working so hard and being so mentally tough.  Also very pleased to have such a great group of parents.  Lastly, my assistants did a great job yesterday, particularly in the last two games.  Now there is more work to be done! #workharder

6/16/2016

Haven’t been able to write much lately due to a hectic schedule.  Things with the 17U and 19U teams are going well.  We have all of our 19U players who are age eligible placed at colleges, save four, who we will help get signed somewhere soon.

The 9U team continues their incredible run, winning last weekend’s tournament in impressive fashion.  Our 9U coaching staff did a great job and is continuing to do a good job with our “Recruits” class for next year.

The July World Series is approaching, which should be an exciting culminating event to the 2015-2016 season.  Stay tuned.

5/7/2016

It’s been an incredible season with our 9U club.  What a great group of kids and parents, they have bought in and are so supportive of the organization.  Looking forward to seeing how they all develop in the organization.  Next weekend will be a lot of fun.

4/5/2016

We are working every day to get better, to look for new talent and to take the organization to the next level.  Watching one of our former players on Sunday get the save for University of Washington against Oregon State this weekend really pumped me up.

We have started making sure coaches sub for each other at practices so we can always ensure there will be at least two coaches at each practice.  This also gives our players a chance to be viewed by different coaches, which ultimately helps us in the evaluation process of each player.  Lots of positive things happening as we prepare for the next weekend.

3/28/2016

Was a great weekend for our organization.  Sometimes we lose families to organizations who promise them the world.  The funny thing is the families that can really see how we do things gravitate towards being a part of the organization, so it always ends up working out.  Very proud of our current group of families and coaches for doing such a good job representing the organization.

3/16/2016

This past weekend was a very tough decision to not to down to the tournament that eventually got the second day rained out.  We had to look out for the safety of all of our families with the pass being so bad throughout the weekend.  At the end of the day even though baseball is important, being safe and making sound decisions is more important.

3/11/2016

Making the decision for us not to travel over the hill this weekend for the tournament was not an easy one for me and our management team.  However, at the end of the day we have to look out for the safety of all of our families.  We always relish the opportunity to play in tournaments, just not at the expense of being safe.  Everyone has been extremely supportive of the decision which I appreciate.

3/3/2016

Every organization has flaws, including ours.  People a lot of times think by changing the color of their uniform that all of their problems will be solved.  I’ve been doing this long enough to tell you that isn’t always the answer.  We will continue to work better to improve the way we run the organization and appreciate the loyalty shown by our customer base.  #getbetter #workharder #grassisgreenwhereyouwaterit

2/13/2016

Lots of noise this week from areas besides ours. We do our talking on the field. Enjoy the silence this weekend. #workharder #doyourjob

02/04/2016

The snow is melting and the heater is keeping us as warm as possible in the facility.  We are excited for next weekend to be on turf again and be able to play a three day, local tournament.  Weather forecast as of now looks good.  Will be good to get back on the field again and shake off some of the rust.  Practices have been productive of late and our coaches have been pleased.  Need to keep working hard the next week and a half and then we can head into the tournament with some steam.  Looking forward to it.

01/22/2016

Well it has been an interesting week to say the least battling the weather, sick players, logistical issues and other adversity.  The good news is the weather looks good for the weekend and as always during this time of year we are playing on turf fields.  Our older teams will be playing in San Jose at Twin Creeks Sports Complex and our 9U-14U teams will be at BLD Manteca.  Both events are being hosted by Norcal Travel Ball, one of the premiere tournament directors we play with.  Our players will be challenged this weekend as the brackets are loaded.  We will grow and get better through the experience this weekend, looking forward to getting after it.