My name is Matt Reid, assistant baseball coach at FGCU. I just wanted to email you our summer youth baseball camp dates and information. We would love to have you share these with any families interested. I have had a lot of requests for more information from families in the SWFL area and trying to reach as many people as I can. We would love to make this the best youth camp in SWFL!
Again, thank you very much to those of you that are already registered for one or more camps this summer. For all others, this is just a friendly reminder that the JRBC starts in two weeks from today. Hope to see you at a park in the near future!
THE 2018 JUAN ROMERO BASEBALL CAMP DATES:
*JUNE 4-6 HITTING CAMP
*JUNE 11-14 ALL SKILLS CAMP
*JUNE 18-20 HITTING CAMP
*JULY 23-25 HITTING CAMP
*JULY 30-AUGUST 2 ALL SKILLS CAMP
*AUGUST 6-8 HITTING CAMP
*DECEMBER 27-29 (THURS-SAT) WINTER SUPER CAMP
To register, please visit the JRBC website at: JuanRomeroBaseball.com print and mail us the registration form.
Our staff will again feature coaches with professional, college and/or HS experience. Our student to coach ratio will remain 8:1 or better, for a great learning environment. As always, our goal will be to have fun and learn about baseball, self-discipline, proper nutrition, respecting others, and much more.
LOCATION: FLEISCHMANN PARK
TIME: 8:45 AM – 1 PM (all camps)
AGES: 6-16 (boys and girls will be divided by age and ability)
COST: Hitting Camps - $155 each; All Skills and Winter Super Camps - $190 each. Pay in advance for all six summer camps and receive a $150 discount. Also, we have a 10% discount for additional siblings attending the same camp.
Little League Important Helmet Modification Information
Dear Little League Parents and Volunteers,
The safety of all our participants is our utmost concern, and, like the vast majority of youth organizations, Little League requires our batters to wear helmets that meet National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) specifications and bear the NOCSAE stamp.
As the popularity of helmet attachments (c-flap, etc.) increase throughout baseball and softball, Little League® International has begun to receive inquiries from our families, players, and volunteers as to whether or not they're permitted in Little League play.
Altering a helmet in anyway (drilling holes, removing padding, etc.) may cause a manufacturer to void the NOCSAE certification of that helmet, making it illegal to use in Little League play. If you have altered your helmet or intend to, please contact the helmet manufacturer to determine if altering the helmet will void the NOCSAE certification.
Little League International has issued a letter to all youth batting helmet manufacturers for clarification on whether or not adding to their helmets voids their NOCSAE certification. We will post all manufacturer responses at LittleLeague.org/HelmetAdditions, where you can also find more information about helmet attachments, NOCSAE, and
As always, we thank you for your support, and hope that you continue to have a great Little League season.
Sincerely,
Patrick Wilson
Senior Vice President, Little League Baseball and Softball
Receiving a notice that a bat has been decertified, especially in the middle of the season, is challenging, inconvenient, and disappointing for everyone. On Thursday, May 3, USA Baseball informed Little League and other youth organizations about the decertification of the Easton Ghost X 30/20 5/8. We are committed to sharing that information with all of you as soon as we received it. According to the official notice from USA Baseball, "official compliance testing determined that the Ghost X 30/20 exceeds the performance limit set by the USABat Standard. Per the USA Baseball Youth Bat Performance Test Protocol as well as (USA Baseball's) contracts with Easton, these results constitute a non-compliant bat that must be decertified."
For any family or league that is impacted by USA Baseball's decertification of the Easton Ghost X 30/20 5/8, we strongly urge you to read Easton's release, which includes information about how to return your bat to receive a $500 voucher for Easton.com.
How Certification and Decertification Works
For the USABat Standard, bat manufacturers are required by USA Baseball to have their bats certified by following the protocols set out by the standard. Once a bat is certified, additional compliance testing is done to make sure that the bats remain complaint with that standard. Little League® International has no role in bat testing or compliance testing.
Once a bat that is currently in the marketplace and available for purchase fails to meet the performance standard, it is decertified, and pursuant to Rule 1.10, is an illegal bat.
What Little League® Parents and Volunteers Need to Know
Little League does not decide whether a bat meets, doesn't meet, or no longer meets the performance standard. Bats used for Little League play in all divisions must remain compliant to the applicable bat standards, as explained in the current year's rulebook (Rule 1.10).
Through LittleLeague.org/BatInfo, as well as Little League's social media and email efforts, we are committed to sharing any information about the decertification of bats as soon as possible, so that all our families and volunteers know which bats are permitted and which bats that may have already been sold are no longer approved for play.
What are the Standards?
There are three bat performance standards that Little League International uses for its various divisions of play:
BASEBALL:
USABat: Overseen by USA Baseball and used by most youth baseball organizations, USABat Standard bats must be used at the Little League Baseball® Tee Ball, Coach/Machine Pitch, Minor League, and Major League (Little League) divisions. USABat Standard or BBCOR bats must be used at the Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball Division and Junior League Baseball Division. USA Baseball reserves the right to select any USABat product for compliance testing. At that time, the bat is sent to Washington State University for additional testing. If the bat is found to be out of compliance with the standards set forth in the USA Baseball Performance Test Protocol, the bat becomes decertified.
BBCOR: BBCOR-approved bats must be used in the Senior League Baseball Division. Either BBCOR or USABat Standard bats must be used at the Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball Division and Junior League Baseball Division.
SOFTBALL:
BPF: For all divisions of Little League Softball®, all non-wood bats must be printed with a BPF of 1.20.
Again, we apologize for any inconvenience, and we strongly encourage you to visit LittleLeague.org/BatInfo for complete information about how bat standards impact all divisions of Little League and resources on which bats are approved for Little League use. For all information pertaining to the USABat Standard, visit USABat.com.
For those parents and leagues who purchased the Easton Ghost X, 30" -10 USA Baseball bat (model #'s YBB18GX10 30/20 & LL18GHX 30/20 Japan model), we, again, encourage you to read Easton's release and contact them as soon as possible at 1-844-531-7079, or ghostreturn@easton.com, to return your bat and receive your $500 electronic voucher.
Sincerely,
Patrick W. Wilson
Senior Vice President, Little League Baseball and Softball
This email was sent by: Little League International
539 US Highway 15 S. Williamsport, PA, 17702, US
Little League decertifies Easton Ghost X YBB18GX10
Dear Little League Parents and Volunteers,
On Thursday, May 3, USA Baseball informed youth organizations, including Little League, that effective immediately, the bat identified as the Easton Ghost X YBB18GX10 30/20 2 5/8" (or the "Easton Ghost X 30/20 5/8" at retail) has been decertified by USA Baseball and is no longer an approved bat under the USABat Standard. This applies to the 30-inch drop 10 variation of the Easton Ghost X only. Pursuant to Rule 1.10, this is now an illegal bat. At the time of this decertification notice, all other lengths and drops of the Easton Ghost X bat remain approved for play.
All parents, coaches, and umpires must check their bats and remove these bats from play if they are in possession of these bats.
Any questions regarding returns, refunds, or warranty claims for the Easton Ghost X 30/20 should be directed to Easton at ghostreturn@easton.com.
Youth baseball: GGNLL enters state of transition in solid shape shape after efforts of outgoing leaders
Dawn Bricco, treasurer of Golden Gate National Little League, throws out the ceremonial first pitch during the league's Opening Day ceremonies Saturday morning at Golden Gate Community Park. Bricco and league president Sherrad Reites will be leaving their posts at the end of this season. GREGG HARDY/CSI
BY GREGG HARDY CSI EDITOR
When Sherrad Reites and Dawn Bricco stepped in five years ago to take charge of Golden Gate National Little League, there was a grand total of 17 players registered.
Ages notwithstanding, that wasn’t even enough to field two full teams.
Oh, and there was little to no money to upgrade facilities, equipment and such.
Fast forward to an unseasonably hot, sunny late Saturday morning at Golden Gate Community Park, and Reites — perched in the dark but spacious announcer’s booth — announced that the end of an era at GGNLL was approaching.
With teams neatly lined up in the outfield after each player and coach were introduced to those in attendance, and just before Bricco walked out to throw the ceremonial first pitch, Reites announced that he and Bricco were stepping down as league’s president and treasurer, respectively, at season’s end.
Reites said he and Bricco will stay involved in an advisory capacity next season to help the incoming leadership make a smooth transition.
A Cubs coach high-fives his players as they get ready to be introduced during GGNLL’s Opening Day ceremonies. GREGG HARDY/CSI
With a great amount of pride welling up in his voice, Reites gave all the credit for the league’s strong standing to Bricco — “I’m just the president,” he humbly said, citing Bricco’s work securing funds and ensuring that all team uniform needs were met, among her other responsibilities.
“We’re leaving behind a good amount of financial aid that was not there for us to start with,” said Reites, who noted that the league’s registration jumped up to 60 in his second year, then 100 in Year 3 (numbers for last year and this year weren’t mentioned). “We got a lot of sponsors involved, and we continue to keep them involved, and we’ll introduce them to the new board so that they can continue to keep them involved.”
Among the recent — and, in some cases, brand-new — upgrades that GGNLL has made include refurbished batting cages, new pitching screens and some fencing. Reites said due to a new rule forcing players to use a USA Baseball-stamped bat, the league bought each team two compliant bats to ease the financial burden on some parents.
Another development for GGNLL, Reites said, is the creation of a 60/90 team for older players. That team, called the Hammerheads, will play against teams from other leagues — on Saturday, they hosted the Mets from Naples Cal Ripken. Reites gave a special mention of gratitude to Cal Ripken for sending over some teams to play in GGNLL divisions that have an odd number of teams.
The brand-new Hammerheads 60/90 team is introduced during GGNLL’s Opening Day ceremonies at Golden Gate Community Park. GREGG HARDY/CSI
“(Collier County’s different leagues) are all here for the kids to play baseball,” said Reites, who plans to continue serving as a GGNLL coach next season. “Everybody’s got to work together. It’s a lot more fun for everybody that way.”
Reites also gave some credit to Collier County’s Parks and Recreation Department for getting fields ready following the damage inflicted by Hurricane Irma in September. Golden Gate Community Park still needs some lingering repairs — scoreboards and a flagpole need to be replaced; and a couple of fences are down.
“They did a really good job getting it ready … throughout the whole county,” Reites said. “Parks and Recreation really stepped it up to make sure they could get the kids out. And not just baseball — soccer, football, everything that’s going on in the parks.”
Reites said plans are in the works for GGNLL to hold a black-tie sports banquet at the end of the season. He’s hoping to get a big-name guest speaker to address the players. Stay tuned.
Email Gregg Hardy at editor@colliersportsinsider.com. Follow CSI on Twitter at @239CSI or like CSI on Facebook at facebook.com/CollierSportsInsider.
