We made it through the first week of games… mostly.
I know there’s been a lot of chatter — talk about teams, games, shifts… oh my! So let me start by addressing a couple of things right off the bat:
-
Yes, there are shifts happening within the League and its divisions.
-
No, this is not a punishment or a reflection of lost faith in our kids.
As your League President, my job is to ensure that our players have a SAFE and FUN season. That’s the priority, always.
Let’s Start at the Beginning: Assessments
As many of you know, weather has not been our friend this season — and to make things more challenging, we also lost access to our field below the snow line due to condemnation. Because of these circumstances, our assessment period was limited. While the Board was able to evaluate some aspects of player development, there were key areas we just couldn’t get to — things like fielding, safe batting techniques (yes, including whether a player knows to duck a rogue ball), pitching, and catching.
Based on what we were able to see — along with limited carryover knowledge from previous seasons — the Board drafted one team in each division, as that was our starting plan.
But here’s where things changed.
What I’ve Seen So Far
Over the past few weeks, I’ve made it a point to check in — not just on our teams, but on our competition too. While we often joke about the teams “down the hill” being light years ahead of us, this season, that joke hit closer to home.
Roughly 70%+ of the kids our upper division teams are scheduled to play are in their off-season. Why? Because they play travel ball year-round. So yes, some of these AAA and Majors players are throwing 60-70 mph fastballs.
Now, I believe in our kids. I believe they’re talented, coachable, and full of heart. But I won’t put them in situations that could lead to injury — or make them feel defeated, when in reality, they’re just not at the same experience level yet.
What’s Changing
In order to prioritize both safety and fun, we’ve shifted all of our upper division teams down one division. Here's what our updated team matrix looks like:
-
Minors AAA – Coach Martin (previously Majors)
-
Minors AA – Coach Williams (previously AAA)
-
Minors A – Coach Adams (previously AA)
-
Minors A – Coach Chapman
T-Ball remains the same, with four teams continuing as scheduled.
What About the Games?
The only games affected by this shift are this weekend’s games. Your coaches will be reaching out directly to confirm whether or not your team is playing.
During Spring Break, the President of Hangtown and I will be working closely together to realign the schedule and get that out to you as soon as possible. In fact, some Hangtown teams are looking to play over break, so your coach may be in touch with opportunities to schedule those matchups.
For Minors A, now that we have two teams, we’ll also have the option to play against each other, if both coaches are interested in adding games.