As a bridge to our highly competitive Big Train travel baseball program beginning at 10u, we introduced a less intense transition level for 8u and 9u eligible athletes in 2022 with extremely positive results. The development program is designed for young ball players who truly enjoy playing baseball, want professional coaching and are looking to take a step up from rec baseball - without necessarily going all-in solely on baseball at such a young age if they are not prepared to do so. It provides a test drive of sorts for players/parents to evaluate where they stand and decide what their best next move may be.
“Coach Al” Bidwick oversees and coaches the 8u and 9u teams. With over 30 years of experience coaching youth baseball from t-ball to high school, he is fully committed to developing players both in the fundamentals of the game and as individuals – the building blocks to success on the baseball field and in life.
Here are Coach Al’s fundamental coaching principles that provide the foundation of the program (in no particular order):
Academics are the primary priority – whatever it takes to succeed in the classroom always trumps scheduled baseball activities.
At 8u and 9u, kids should enjoy playing the game. Baseball is hard enough on its own, with plenty of failure inherently built into it without having to deal with pressure and unreasonable expectations from coaches and parents.
Winning baseball games takes a back seat to player development. While winning is certainly a goal, it is a by-product of good coaching and player development.
Defense – throwing and catching the baseball are the most critical keys to success for a youth player. Kids love to hit, but the team that collectively plays catch the best typically wins.
If we pick ‘em, we play ’em. Every player on the team bats and plays in the field – most will also pitch. Better players will play more frequently in the field. But, as a general rule no player sits on the bench two innings in a row.
Kids develop and mature at different rates, physically and athletically. Young kids are highly encouraged to play multiple sports (especially in the off-season) – you just never know how things are going to turn out for a young child – keep the options open as long as you can. Increased athleticism, improved motor skills, balance, endurance, speed and agility are just a few examples of the many benefits of multi-sport participation. Who knows what sport a player may ultimately fall in love with?
In order to truly improve as baseball players, kids need to play with and against better competition whenever possible.
Tryouts:
For 8u and 9u, tryouts are conducted at the end of each season for the succeeding season – in the summer for the fall season and in late fall for the spring/summer season. You do not have to make a full-year commitment to this program. If you make a team and try it for a season and it’s not for you, easy out.
For the SPRING/SUMMER 2025 season (March thru early/mid-July 2025):
Tryout schedule:
Saturday, October 19th at the Whitman High School Softball FIeld
Players are evaluated in the 5-Tools of the game at tryouts: throwing, fielding, speed, hitting for contact and hitting for power. Parents are welcome to observe the tryouts. At the end of the day players (and parents) will get a read on where they stand in relation to other players in attendance at the same age level.
Life lesson – if a player has confidence in his/her abilities, try out. It takes courage for a child to try out and it is often more stressful for a parent than the player. A player will learn from the experience one way or the other. Everyone worries about trying out and not making the team. As almost everyone knows, Michael Jordan famously got cut from his varsity basketball team – he didn’t give up…and the rest is history!
Player evaluations and selections for the 8u and 9u teams are conducted by Coach Al and independent coaches/evaluators. Selected players receive professional instruction in all phases of the game. On average, players will practice 2 days per week and play games 2 days a week in the spring/summer season. Over the winter months (January and February) players will practice for 2 hours every Saturday at the BCC Baseball Indoor Training Facility – and flex scheduling is provided around winter sport commitments (e.g. basketball, wrestling, swimming, hockey, etc.).
If you have any questions about the 8u and 9u development program – contact Coach Al at coachbidwick@5toolbaseball.net or 301-325-0955.
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