The Huntingburg Youth Baseball League was established in January of 2002. Started by a group of parents who went on to become the founding board members. What began as a dream of only a field, dugouts, and a small concession stand has grown into much more. We’ve added bleachers, a batting cage, restrooms, a shelter house, and another storage building which allowed us to expand our concession area.
During the summer of 2001, a group of Huntingburg 7 & 8 year olds traveled to local tournaments. That group included Bryce Benningfield, Kyle Bieker, Philip Buening, Brandon Gasser, Andrew Heldman, Cory Ingram, Clay McConnell, Lukas Messmer, Calvin Miller, Luke Mundy, Drake Neal, Blake Nordhoff, Kyle Seger, and Zach Stetter. Manager was Jeff Greenwell and coaches Joe Buening, Tim Heldman, and John Mundy. It took only one tournament and we realized our children were fundamentally behind the children of other communities. We set out to better prepare our kids for competitive baseball and to teach them the game the way it should be played. We established two age groups - the T-Ball League for 5-6 year olds and the Rookie League for 7-8 year olds.
T-Ball League - The focus of this league is to teach the proper mechanics of throwing, fielding, hitting, and base running in a non-competitive environment. There will always be critics to using the tee. Some think it is too “babyish”. However, the tee is a training tool. It’s used in high school and even Major League Baseball to refine hitting technique. It’s important for young children to develop a proper swing. Another important aspect of T-Ball is base running. This league is when children first learn to over run 1st base, round 1st base, or try for a double. Good coaches are a must at this level, particularly those that are encouraging to young children and have a knack for making practices fun.
Rookie League - The focus of this league is to put a greater emphasis on competition, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Pitching machines are used in tournament play so we decided to use it during our league play. We found that the consistency of the pitches “equaled” the hitting chances for all players. From the start of any season to the end, you will see a tremendous improvement in overall hitting. Rookie League is preparation for Little League through aggressive base running, defensive skills, and proper batting stance. In addition to encouraging players, it is beneficial for the coaches to have an understanding of baseball and, if not, be willing to learn proper techniques for throwing, hitting, and fielding, in order to teach their players.
Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, or just a baseball fan watching that special player get his or her first hit, we welcome you to the Huntingburg Youth Baseball League field. Sit back, have a hotdog, and enjoy the game!
Sincerely,
The founders of the Huntingburg Youth Baseball League and 2002 Board of Directors,
Karen Nordhoff, President
Stan Messmer, Vice-President
Lori Mundy, Secretary
John Mundy, Treasurer
Jeff Greenwell
Tim Heldman
Brad Stetter