WHO ARE WE?

South Orange Maplewood Baseball (SOM Baseball) is a recreation baseball program jointly sponsored by the South Orange and Maplewood Departments of Recreation for the children of the two towns. All age-eligible children (ages 5-15 as of April 30) within Maplewood, NJ and South Orange, NJ are invited to register and participate in the spring baseball season. After registration, teams are formed in each league as determined by age and a full season of baseball practices and/or games are scheduled to include age-appropriate play and participation. Nearly 800 children played last season across more than 60 teams, at age-specific levels.

SOM Baseball is administered by the South Orange Department of Recreation and operates with the assistance of an active parent volunteer organization (the SOM Baseball Committee). Recreation staff and volunteers work together year-round to provide the best possible baseball experience for community children. The goal of SOM Baseball is to encourage participation, teach fundamentals, promote teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play and to foster a love of the game of baseball.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

We host special annual events--the opening day parade, a home run derby, a run/hit/pitch competition, and full-day All-Star festivities--to build a close-knit community through baseball.

Approximately 100 local businesses support SOM Baseball with their sponsorship of our league. Other local businesses, such as Modell's, offer discounts to SOM players, with a portion of sales donated to our program.

COACHING & INSTRUCTION

All of our coaches are adult community volunteers. We offer comprehensive, free training to every coach at every age level, including a number of pre-season classes taught by professional baseball coaches.

We do background checks on all volunteer coaches and team managers. We also adhere to, and financially provide for, all Cal Ripken league requirements for liability insurance.

HISTORY

Until 2005, the South Orange and Maplewood Recreation Departments each ran their own independent recreation baseball programs for their resident children. The programs combined and affiliated as one league under the banner of the national Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth organization.