News
There’s still time to register for the Pitch, Hit & Run Event this Friday!
Exact timeslots will be determined, but please register so we can get a participant headcount. It will be possible to register on site, but advanced registration is strongly preferred!
Who Participates:
Baseball and Softball players ages 7U-14U Divisions.
- Baseball: 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14
- Softball: 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14
When and Where:
The event will be hosted this Friday, June 7th at Meadowlands Field #1 and will coincide with the Rec Baseball Championship Games. All Baseball participants will see a TeamSnap by the South Orange Rec Department and all participants will need to be registered using the link below. Specific timeslots and further details will be provided soon. (Note: if you are playing in the Championship game, you can still participate in Pitch, Hit & Run!)
Registration Link is below – please sign up in advance!
South Orange Maplewood Baseball : Pitch Hit & Run 2024 (leagueapps.com)
Background:
For those not familiar, Pitch, Hit & Run is a free event that creates a safe and fun environment for kids to stay active and learn or continue to play baseball and softball in their local communities. Participation gives the athletes a chance to compete and earn a spot in a Team Championship or National Finals.
The Pitch, Hit & Run competition is for boys and girls 7-14 years old and consists of a series of movements that are important in baseball and softball. Athletes will be tested, and their measurements will be recorded. Based on their scores, they will advance from a local event to a Team Championship and then to the National Finals. Further details on the event and the drills each participant will run through can be found in the link below to MLB’s website and subsequent YouTube video.
Website: www.mlb.com/pitch-hit-and-run
The rosters for the 2024 Summer Travel Teams are now posted. Congratulations to all our summer travel players!
Thank you to each player who tried out for summer travel teams.
SOM Baseball and Softball is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors. Please check out our 2024 sponsors.
You can find our 2024 participating sponsors here:
https://sombaseball.teamsnapsites.com/about-us/sponsors/
This year, the tryouts will consist of one Official Tryout day and one travel program “practice” day for most ages. Players are required to attend the Official Tryout day noted below (or other available day if there is a conflict).
To be eligible to participate in Cougar Summer Baseball, players must:
- Be registered in SOM Baseball for Spring 2024
- Be 7-13 years of age (as of April 30, 2024)
- Must register via the South Orange Recreation’s online catalog.
- There is no fee for tryouts. Registration fees will be due only when your child is selected.
Additional details about the SOM Baseball Summer Travel Program can be found at the Summer Ball page.
7U – 8U Teams
- Tryouts will be on Sunday, May 5 in the morning hours.
9U – 12U Teams
Tryouts for 9U through 12U will be held the weekend of April 6-7 in South Orange. Field locations are at Meadowland Park in South Orange:
- 9U: Sunday, April 7, 8:30 am at M2
- 10U: Sunday, April 7, 8:30 am at M4
- 11U: Saturday, April 6, 12:45 pm at M1 OR Sunday, April 7, 8:30 am at M3
- 12U: Sunday, April 7, 5:00 pm at M3
The makeup/rain date for 9U-12U will be Sunday, April 14 in the morning hours.
13U Team
- Tryouts for 13U will be at a date and time TBD.
* players with conflicts should email damerikaner@gmail.com directly to schedule another date/time for the tryout.
CHS Sunday Baseball Clinics
This year SOM Baseball is partnering with CHS Baseball for a few Sunday clinics. Please save the dates below, and stay tuned for more details and registration info:
- 4/21: Minors & M60
- 4/28: M70 & Babe Ruth
- 5/5: Minors & M60
- 5/12: M70 & Babe Ruth
Come join us for “SOM Baseball Day” at Seton Hall
SOM players will be encouraged to come to the Seton Hall game wearing their rec team uniforms and caps, and will be able to go onto the field during the national anthem and to high-five the players as they leave the field, and then stick around to cheer on the Pirates in their big matchup against the Huskies.
When:
on Sunday, May 5 vs UConn
Location:
Mike Sheppard Sr. Stadium
400 South Orange Ave, South Orange NJ
Free Clinic with Seton Hall Baseball Team Members
SOM Baseball players ages 8-12 are invited to participate in a free clinic at the Seton Hall game on Sunday, March 24 vs UMass at 12 PM. SOM players will attend the game and stick around after the game for a fun clinic with the Seton Hall team – all are welcome to attend the game, but the clinic is most appropriate for ages 8-12.
Event Timing:
Sunday, March 24th at the conclusion of Seton Hall Baseball vs UMass at 12 PM
Location:
Mike Sheppard Sr. Stadium
400 South Orange Ave, South Orange NJ
Please confirm your interest in attending this event by filling out the form linked here:
https://forms.gle/jC2ZHHvoS34pYPqv5
Thank you for registering for our 2024 Spring Baseball season. This posting describes information about our 2024 player evaluation process for the Minors, M60, M70, and Babe Ruth divisions.
All players in the Minors division and up are required to attend pre-season evaluations. For those of you who are new to the evaluation process, here is a quick summary of how the evaluations work and why we do them:
Evaluations are not “try-outs.” Every child who wants to play baseball this spring will be placed on a team. That said, the divisions that require an evaluation are “competitive,” meaning that they have real games with scores, standings, and playoffs.
Our goal is to ensure equal distribution of skill across each team. At the evaluation, players will run through a series of drills that help us get to know each child and facilitate fair and competitively balanced player selection. These evaluations are used in the final team selection process.
The evaluators are all experienced baseball volunteers (e.g. current and former coaches) who do not have any association with the division they are evaluating. Coaches, you will receive a separate email with details about how to volunteer.
In an effort to ensure competitive balance and equal distribution of skill across each team, we ask the players to spend 15-20 minutes running through a series of drills that allows us to ensure we know each player participating and can facilitate fair and competitively balanced player selection.
Dates and Times
Evaluations will be held on Saturday, March 2 and Sunday March 3. We are conducting evaluations and team selection process earlier this year to promote a more extensive pre-season practice period and longer overall season.
Please use the following to register for a specific evaluation time slot:
- Minors – Saturday, Mar 2: Minors Sign-up
- M60 – Sunday, Mar 3: M60 Sign-up
- M70 – Saturday, Mar 2: M70 Sign-up
- Babe Ruth – Sunday, Mar 3: Babe Ruth Sign-up
Location
Due to the rainy forecast, Saturday’s Minors and M70 baseball evaluations will be moved to the Columbia High School West Gym. All sign-up times remain the same.
You can park in the lot on Parker Avenue and enter through the main CHS entrance. Volunteers will direct you to the gym from there.
Format
- Each player’s individual evaluation will involve a series of specific hitting, throwing and catching drills.
- Players should bring their gloves and bats. Extra bats will also be available.
- Players should wear sneakers – cleats are not permitted.
- Plan on being at the Baird for 20-40 minutes
Play-Ups
SOM Baseball allows interested players to “play-up” into the Minors and M70 divisions. Players may do so if they meet either of the following criteria:
- An 8-year-old registered to play in the Rookie Nationals division may elect to play in 9-year-old Minor division
- An 11-year-old registered to play in the M60 division may elect to play in the 12-year-old M70 division
Please note that the evaluation process will look to ensure there are no safety concerns for those players who have elected to play up.
If you have any questions about evaluations, please email eval.sombaseball@gmail.com.
The snow is still falling thawing. The days are growing longer. Summer vacations are being planned. It’s time to start getting ready for Spring Baseball!
Please see the full set of Important Dates
Saturday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3
- Player Evaluations for all Minors, M60, M70 and Babe Ruth players. This includes any 8-year-olds who elect to play-up to the Minors.
Saturday, April 6
- Babe Ruth Opening Day
Tuesday, April 16
- Babe Ruth Opening Day
Saturday, April 20
- SOM Baseball Opening Day Parade
- Opening Day for all Minors and Majors teams
Saturday, April 27
- Opening Day for all T-Ball and Rookie teams
May 3 & 4
- Team Photos
Week of June 3
- Final games for all divisions
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