Want to Play Youth Baseball this Fall?

There are two really important messages that Ralph Verrilli, President of Concord-Carlisle Youth Baseball and Softball, wants you to know: first, CCYB’s fall baseball program is very focused on educating players about the sport; and second, Verrilli is not trying to compete with other fall sports.

“One big thing is that our goal is not to compete with lacrosse or soccer,” Verrilli said, "It’s a really important message to get out. Some kids really do want to play baseball all year round and we just developed this program to provide them that opportunity."

A former baseball player himself, from little league up through the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Verrilli, along with Carlisle parent Rick West, realized three years ago that many Concord and Carlisle kids wanted to continue playing baseball after the hot days of summer. So, CCYB created the fall program, which, according to its website, “offers our youth the opportunity to play organized baseball throughout the fall in a relaxed, fun and instructional environment.”

Players break up into different age bracket leagues: 9-10-year-olds, 11-12-year-olds, 13-year-olds, 14-16-year-olds and high schoolers, where two parent-coaches teach a team of approximately 12 players, with seven or eight groups expected this fall, Verrilli explained.

Most, if not all, of the parent coaches have played baseball at some level. The coaches have also been engaged in coaching clinics to further educate them. The coaches in the leagues for ages 13 and up “have been coaching for some time,” said Verrilli, who, himself, has been coaching in Concord Youth Baseball for seven years.

For players ages 9-12, an emphasis is put on fun and player development. Team records are not kept and playoffs are not a part of the schedule, the website stated.

“We do two different things,” Verrilli said, “We do a recreational program for the younger kids that really want to play baseball all year long and then we do a step-up league [for the older kids].”

Each age group focuses on different techniques.

The 9-10 and 11-12-year-old leagues offer in-town, skill development sessions every Monday, from Sept. 5 through Oct. 24, from 5-6:30 p.m. at Rideout Field in Concord. Special guest instructors may participate in a few sessions, and games are played on Sunday afternoons from Sept. 11 through Oct. 30, weather permitting. The games are meant to be low-key and for the purpose of developing skills, with some travel to neighboring towns, such as Belmont, Bedford, Natick, Wayland, Lexington, Wellesley and Arlington.

In the 13-year-old league, coaches will help players transition from the small diamond to the larger diamond, and all that change entails.

“Baseball goes from a 60-foot baseball diamond to 90-feet in Babe Ruth and it's a big jump,” Verrilli said. “We do a migration, a step-up, meaning we introduce kids to the bigger diamond and we compete against other towns.”

Rosters are open and just as with the younger players, no scores or standings are kept. Their first game is the weekend of Sept. 10.

For the two oldest groups, the 14-16-year-olds and the high school players, development is a little more rigorous.

In the 14-16-year-old league, players have to have previously played a season on the 90-foot diamond, in the Patriot of Minuteman League. For the high school league, players have to have either played on their 2011 high school team or played Legion, Senior Babe Ruth, Lou Tompkins or AAU baseball in 2011.

Both leagues begin the weekend of Sept. 10, with double-header games being played on Saturday for the 14-16-year-old league and on Sundays for the high school league.

“We really want for them to really understand the game better,” Verrilli said. “It being in the Northeast, we're at a disadvantage where we don’t get to play baseball as much as Florida, Texas.”

But with CCYB’s fall baseball program, players have more of an opportunity to play baseball and to learn the details of the game.

“We really do a lot of education,” Verrilli said. “In some levels we do one practice and one game. We really try and provide a deeper level of education for the players.”

That education includes the introduction to the larger baseball diamond, different league rules in age step-ups, and injury prevention and caution, among other things.

“We take it pretty seriously,” Verrilli said of injury education. “Kids have to wear a helmet during batting and on the bases, during practice as well.”

The older kids play with wooden bats, which Verrilli said is a controversial topic — the dilemma of wooden bats vs. metal bats.

“There’s a lot of controversy about whether metal bats go faster, which can increase injuries,” he said.

Young players start the game using metal bats, but once they’re older and stronger, around the age of 11 or 12, they switch to wood. Around 13-years-old, players go back to metal, as the bats are lighter and players are able to swing faster.

Although CCYB’s fall baseball program is only entering its third season, Verrilli said he’s pleased with the program and the participation he’s seen from both Concord and Carlisle players and encouraging parents, which makes him excited for the 2011 season.

“The feedback that we've gotten is overwhelmingly positive,” Verrilli said. “There’s a lot of kids out there that really like baseball.”

For more information on CCYB’s fall baseball program and to sign up, visit them online.