Around the Horn Volume 9

…but Spring (Baseball) is coming. Hurry up and register while there are still spots!

Step 1. Pre-register your teams to make it easier on the parents. No teams are automatically carried over from the Fall. Each and every team must be preregistered. If you do not see your team as an option in the registration drop-down, that means it has not yet been pre-registered. Use the following link to get your team listed:

Step 2. Each player must register using the link below. If your team is not pre-registered, register as a free agent in the correct age division and email jeremy@dallashardball.com with your team placement. Your player will be added to the team once team is pre-registered and roster spot confirmed by the coach. If your player does not have a Spring team, feel free to register as a free agent. They will be placed once registration wraps up.

The Spring Season will sell out. Once all team spots have been filled, no further teams will be pre-registered.

Those that have been with Hardball since the beginning know how devoted we are to improving not just competitive baseball in Dallas, but the overall experience for the players, coaches, and families. Each season we focus on gameplay improvements, as well as the facilities and equipment.

New this season:

– Digital scoreboard (sponsorship opportunity reply to this email for details)

– More games – 14+ for all divisions 7U+

– Games will be longer with minimum innings

For those playing 8U, we have received a lot of questions regarding whether the Warriors division will be coach pitch or machine pitch. We are considering a professional pitcher to improve the overall quality of the pitching and to make it as evenly matched as possible. The Scouts division would remain coach pitch. As always, feedback is welcomed and is a valuable part of building this baseball community.

9U will be player pitch in the Warriors division and modified player pitch in the Scouts division.

We are also adding several more Jr. Hack Attack pitching machines for teams to reserve during their batting practices throughout the week. The batting cages have been repaired so they will be back for Opening Day.

Please remember that every team will be required to attend Opening Day this Spring. This is something that your players (and parents) do not want to miss anyway. Teams will be placed in divisions based on their performance in the team events and the exhibitions. Also, do not forget that trading pins will need to be designed and ordered at least 10 business days before opening day. Hardball does not organize this for you and does not have a preference on your chosen vendor. We can provide sample photos, designs, and links to online vendors. If you are not familiar with this process, don’t hesitate to ask. We recommend using an online vendor that provides free online proofs. There are several that we have used in the past that do an excellent job.

There will be pitcher’s clinics and catcher’s clinics coming up this month and through February to get ready for the Spring Season coached by a former professional pitcher that played D1 (Texas Tech) and minor league ball for the Texas Rangers and assisted by a current NCAA player. The camps will run 1.5 hours for each individual time slot, and will be $60 each, per player. Max 10 players per time slot. See the attached schedule (total of 6 pitching camps and 6 catching camps). Please reply via email with all dates/times preferences according to the schedule. Venmo @jeremycade to reserve your slot. First come first served. Reply here with questions.

1/14

9:00-10:30 am – Pitchers

10:30-12:00 pm – Catchers

1/15

2:00-3:30 pm – Pitchers

3:30-5:00 pm – Catchers