Joining a mini league is super fun. It’s a great way to to be social, see your friends and keep fit. However, there are things you need to do and take heed of before you sign up, and also things you’ll have to do to be competitive.
Here’s our guide on setting up and joining an amateur baseball league. Each league may have slightly separate rules and regulations, but in the main – these points will take you in the right direction.
Pick Your Team
It’s important to pick the right team for your league. You need at least 20 players, with 9 playing at any given time. Some teams have way less, others more. You usually need 20 because sometimes people won’t be able to play, or there may be an issue, or you might want to make a strategic substitution. Also, people get fatigued and injured over the season and may need some time away to recover.
Get A Baseball Uniform
You can’t be a proper team without the right uniform. You’ll need to acquire a baseball uniform in your team colors, with your logo. There are plenty of baseball uniforms out there for your to take inspiration from. A good baseball uniform will increase the feeling of belonging to a team and help give you the confidence you need to push up to the next level. Remember, it needs to feel good against the skin and be able to last the whole season and beyond.
Some teams may decide on more than one design for a home and away representation, but most just use the one when they’re first starting out it all depends on the level of competition they’re looking for which is dictated by the league they’re entering.
You may also want to get training gear in the same design and colours, like sweats and tshirts, as well as picking up the usual bats, balls etc., so that you can have enough for practice and enough for the main match days.
Follow The Rules
As you move from one stadium or field to the next during the season, whether you’re playing in school grounds, college stadiums or smaller establishments, you’ll notice each place has different rules to follow. Some will be more lenient than others. In schools for examples they’ll have strict no smoking or vaping policies in and around the training area. Its because it sets a bad example for kids and also – second hand smoke can be a real problem. Follow these rules or the league may decide to give you a penalty or points deduction, as well as potential prosecution for the individual involved. Most schools or universities these days will use a vape detector and smoke detector system to pick up on any rulebreaking.
There may be lighter rules too such as following a code of conduct and ensuring that you’re on time to games and in the right equipment etc. It’s good practice to just follow the right guidelines and rules from the start to avoid any problems for you and your team.
Adapt Your Play
Your play and tactics will evolve with each game. Strengths and weaknesses will show up in your team and you’ll be able to put people in positions where they excel, not ones where they struggle. On top of this, you’ll be able to find good field pairings, identify a captain and ensure your style changes slightly where needed. Watch the pro games and speak to other coaches to pick up on good tips and tricks. Adaptability is use in baseball, as it is in most sports – but don’t rush it, it’ll come in time.
Enjoy it
Baseball can be pretty competitive and get a bit intense at times. It’s really important that you just enjoy the game, that’s why you set the team up in the first place. If things are getting a little difficult and hard, take a step back and try to remember why you set the team up in the first place.
Make sure you enjoy the sport and the bonds between the teammates grow and turns into a positive experience. This is more important if you are in a works league, as negativity on the diamond will seep into your work life.
Take plenty of Photos
Its fun, and at the end of the season you’ll want to look back at some of the best moments. Your first game, last game, highest scoring, best achievement, etc. Take photos on an ongoing basis. A lot of teams like to give presentations at the end of the season and give out photo books full of team photos from over the season. The seasons will tick by pretty fast – so try to take photos where you can to immortalize the fun you guys are having.
There you have it – a simple guide on setting up and enjoying baseball in an amateur league.
