Greetings Sellwood Coaches!

Registration proceeds apace and assessments draw closer. Armed with assessment information, the club will undertake the task of assembling teams for the 2012 season.

For the moment, we would like a show of hands from those interested in coaching a Sellwood team this coming season. Please e.mail ty@sellwoodbaseball.com with the level of play (T-Ball, Farm, Softball, SNL, Midget, Junior, or Senior) and level of coaching (head or assistant) that interests you.

We plan to convene, before assessments, a meeting of those who express such interest, at which we will describe what the club expects of coaches and what coaches can expect of the club. Each coach will need to agree to a code of conduct, mandatory background check, and photo for a coaches directory.  The club also plans to require attendance at some coach training sessions.

Please also check the website for coaching clinics. If you go on to coach an SJB team this season, the club will reimburse your cost to attend.

Mandatory assessments for players who register at the SNL, Midget, Junior, and Senior levels:

Date: Saturday, February 4th

Location: Cleveland High School’s turf field at the corner of SE Powell Blvd and SE 31st Ave. In order to get the best possible sense of each player’s skill level, SJB is committed to conducting assessments outdoors on artificial turf.  Mother nature, of course, may have other plans.  Accordingly, we have made contingency arrangements.

On the evening of Friday, February 3, we will post this website with a confirmation of the location of assessments.

Times:

o   SNL and Midget level players with last names beginning with A-H = 9:00am – 11:00am (south side of field)

o   SNL and Midget level players with last names beginning with I-Z = 11:15am – 1:15pm (south side of field)

o   Junior level players with last names beginning with A-H = 9:00am – 11:00am (north side of field)

o   Junior level players with last names beginning with I-Z = 11:15am – 1:15pm (north side of field)

o   Senior level players = 1:30pm – 3:30pm (north side of field)

What to Wear: Metal cleats are not allowed on turf. So, for an outdoor assessment, players should wear rubber cleats or tennis shoes.  Players should wear layers and be prepared to play in light rain. For any indoor assessment, players must wear tennis shoes.

What to Bring: Players will need to bring their own fielding glove. They may bring their own bats, balls, and batting helmets, though SJB will provide that equipment.  Lastly, players interested in the catcher position may bring their own equipment, though SJB will provide that as well.

What to Expect: At the start time for each session, after a few minutes of warm-up, the club will divide the group into equal numbers to attend stations at which each player will be tested in a basic element of the game, i.e., baserunning, batting, fielding ground balls, fielding fly balls, and pitching. Each player will pitch, even if he or she has no intention of playing that position. Lastly, we plan to assess those interested in playing catcher.

As assessment day draws closer, we will provide more information about the assessment process, the attributes we evaluate at each station and the role that assessments play in constructing teams. If you have questions in the meantime, please ask.

Thank you again for choosing Sellwood Junior Baseball!

Happy New Year! Registration for the 2012 is now officially open! Kids ages 5-14 can sign up for Sellwood Baseball and Softball.

Click here to go to our Registration Page and start the process.

Helpful items to have on hand when you register:

Your player

A measuring tape

Any uniform bits from prior seasons

A credit card

Sellwood Junior Baseball is committed to making baseball accessible for all kids. Scholarships are available through our Sweat Equity program. Please contact the league directly to apply.

The calendar says winter holidays, but the Sellwood Junior Baseball Association is planning for spring baseball and softball in our community. Who are we? Sellwood JBA is a non-profit organization made up of all-volunteer organizers and coaches committed to making baseball and softball a vital part of springtime in Sellwood and surrounding neighborhoods.

Sellwood JBA supports co-ed baseball and girls softball for youth aged 4-14. Younger aged kids participate on “Town” teams (T-Ball & Farm) that play on local school and park fields under rules established by Sellwood JBA. Starting typically in 3rd grade (and required by 5th grade), kids begin to play “County” baseball under rules and schedules established by our parent organization Clackamas County Junior Baseball Association (CCJBA).  At this level our teams will travel to play games against other teams in Clackamas County, e.g., Tualatin and Oregon City.  Sellwood JBA also maintains a transitional, local/non-travel baseball league for 3rd and 4th graders and has recently had coaches willing to develop several girls softball teams in this age range.

The 2012 Sellwood JBA season will progress through six discrete stages.

(1) Registration – Online registration will open soon and end on January 31, 2012.  Note that CCJBA has specific age/grade eligibility requirements that govern when a player must move to the next level of play. Once we have a pool of registrants then we can begin to identify the number of prospective teams we will field at the various age levels.

(2) Assessments – All registrants 3rd grade and higher are required to participate in a skills assessment that will be used to determine team placement. These assessments are tentatively scheduled for Saturday February 4 at the Cleveland High football field.  A registrant might receive an additional “callback” assessment, if he is a candidate for one of the more competitive teams.

(3) Team Construction – As soon as assessments are completed Sellwood JBA will begin building teams, starting with the older-aged teams and the highest skill level. We expect to begin extending offers to registrants to join teams on Sunday, February 12. These offers will require a quick response, as we need all teams to be constructed by February 26. Depending on our overall numbers of volunteer coaches and player registrants, some registrants may not receive an offer to play on any team (though this has occurred very  rarely in the past). The website contains additional information on the various types of teams and competition/skill levels.

(4) Preseason – This is practice season and the level of activity during March and April will vary by age and competitive level. Some coaches will start practicing immediately; others will wait ‘til the end of Spring Break.

(5) Regular Season – We kick the regular season off with picture day (tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 28). Then, through May and June, teams will play one or two league games each week.

(6) County & State Playoffs – CCJBA playoffs (a possibility for 3rd – 8th graders) have always begun the weekend after Independence Day. Teams that stay in to the end will play through July. We expect this schedule to hold again this year.

This is meant to serve as a quick summary of the major stages ahead for the 2012 season. Please continue to monitor this website for updates and feel free to contact us (ty@sellwoodbaseball.com or dawn@sellwoodbaseball.com), if you have any questions or concerns.