Sleepy Hollow 11U Summer Ball Team Finds Success As Cohesive Unit

Every coach wishes to inherit a group of young men who collectively subscribe to the notion that the whole outweighs the sum of its parts.

Managing 12 different personalities and forging them into a unit could be a daunting task on every level.

And so having the luxury of an ego-free group that embraces the team concept from the jump-start is every coach's dream.

For Sleepy Hollow 11U summer baseball coaches Bill Smith and Rob Bischof (both key figures of TNT Baseball Softball Association), that dream has come reality this spring.

The young Horsemen play a mindful brand of baseball. The coaches have helped instill the "we-before-me" mindset in their players, creating an atmosphere that avoids the hype and hyperbole that comes with posting batting averages, RBI leaders, and run totals.

"You rarely hear the word 'I' when the kids are recapping the game," said Smith, who has helped pilot Sleepy Hollow to a smoking 12-1 start on the travel team circuit.

"Our recipe is simple. We are a team and we play as a team. They all have had big hits and made plays on the field. They all believe in one another and know if they make a mistake, one of their teammates will pick them up. We don't keep stats or individualize the team."

The young summer ball squad has developed an understanding of the game in its purest, most appreciable form. Both Smith and Bischof have challenged their team to play at a high level, to keep errors at a minimum, and to make opponents pay for their mistakes.

The kids have adopted the mentality to hit first, ask questions later. They want the opponent to remember playing against Sleepy Hollow.

Sleepy's 11U team has separated itself from others in the league because of their late-game composure. There is a certain resolve this team seems to develop when they fall behind. This has been evident through several victories, as the torrent of young talent has stormed back from early deficits.

Clutch hitting has become a pattern of potency. Sleepy has incorporated that never-say-die toughness, making game-altering plays when the pressure is ratcheted up a notch.

The Horsemen's lone loss of the season occurred on opening day, when they faltered in extra innings to Lewisboro. Since then, Sleepy has ripped off a whopping 11 straight. They've been a different team, mindful of when to flip the switch.

"We just had a game at home last night where we were down 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth," explained Smith.

"We pulled the kids aside and told them, 'it's getting late in the game. We need to turn it up.' They responded with six runs in the bottom of that inning."

Smith and the fundamentals-first preaching Bischof have helped these players develop tools for the trade from the moment they first picked up a bat as greenhorns.

There's a reason this on-field team's chemistry experiement was solved without difficulty. These group of kids compete together throughout the seasons. They block for each other on the gridiron, representing the local Wolfpack. They whip around passes to each other while playing lacrosse.

In baseball, the players have a feel for each other's style of play. This awareness gives them an edge over other programs in larger communities, most of which aren't as tight-knit.

While the core of 10 and 11-year-olds are off to a sizzling summer, the coaches make sure they take everything one game at a time. They make sure to keep the championship talk, high expectations, and hype out of the locker room.

"We would love to win a championship and if that happens, that would be great," said Smith. "But, that's not everything. The goal is to teach them how to play the game at a very high level and respect the game, their teammates, and the team's they play."