In
an exciting game, the u7s drew with the Bears 13-13. The Bears were short a few
players so two Vikings (Bentley & Hamish) showed good sportsmanship
volunteering to play with the other team to even things out. There were some
big hits, and whilst some of the fielding didn't quite get there, in terms of
execution Coach Jeremy was pleased with the efforts to get the ball where it
needed to be. Playing for the opposition, Hamish had a great game and was
awarded the 'player of the week' award.
The
u9s chalked up a 5 run win over the Rebels. Coach Gordon was pleased to see the
good running between the bases with the highlight of the game being the great
batting performance of the players. The teams 'Spirit of the Game Award' this
week went to Noah Schitskg - well done Noah.
The
u11s let the first couple of innings get away from them and with a batting
performance not as consistent as in previous weeks , the team was on the wrong
side of a 9-4 score line. On the positive side, Coach Mac and Coach Simon were
really impressed with the fielding in the last couple of innings. The team has
been practicing hard for the for the changeover from machine to player pitch.
u13s
played well and came away with a 14-1 win over Bears Red. Good pitching by Toby
& Hector was backed up with some great team hitting highlighted by Khayne's
triple and home run.
u15s
found a way to get over the top of the Bears. Down 4-6 at the start of the
bottom of the last inning with 2 out, the team produced some good hitting and
great baserunning to fight back and record there third win of the season - a
7-6 walk off win!!!
Well
done on the season so far to all the Vikings Juniors teams. With three games
until the mid season break I thought a bit of information on hitting might be
helpful.....
A good swing in baseball doesn’t need to
be a powerful swing, especially when a player is new to the game. Getting a player to rotate their hips properly is the key to
driving the ball, not the power of the swing. Have players start out in there
batting stance and go through their hip rotation in slow motion — sometimes
without even a bat in hand — before building up to full speed. Then move
to the feet, making sure players pivot their back foot properly and in
conjunction with their hips, gradually increasing the tempo with each cut. Then
focus on the front foot, encouraging the player to land on the ball of his
instep before dropping their heel as the hips begin to rotate through the ball.
Focusing just on the footwork of a swing can help eliminate a bad habit many
young players acquire: stepping away from home plate. (adopted from “A good swing doesn’t need to be a powerful swing”, David
Wilson Bullpen Baseball Academy Lake Elsinore, Calif, GameChanger)
Erni,
Club Coach