Great weekend in Des Moines for the Pacesetters 2029. Boys went 2-0 in pool play and made an incredible run through the bracket to the ship with two walk offs. Boys played hard and came up short to a solid Flash team.
Expectations
Woah…Slow down…
They’re 8…They’re 9…They’re 10…They’re 11…They’re 12…They’re 13…
They are kids. They trip for no reason when they are walking. Their knees hurt because they are growing. They are starting to go through puberty. Their social life is becoming more and more important to them. They’re kids!
We as adults seem to forget this. They have a bad day, it doesn’t matter how much they train or who their coach is, it’s going to happen. It’s just that, a bad day. We have to keep this in perspective. If you played growing up, don’t forget how hard it was. If you didn’t, it may be hard to truly understand, maybe go out on the field and try to do everything they are doing.
These kids love the game. They just want to play with their buddies and have a good time. They train to be the best they can be and we take that very serious, but let’s not forget that this is a game. In the end, they should never have a bitter taste in their mouth because of a coach whose priorities were in the wrong place and treated their players like garbage. They should not hate Baseball because of how their parents talked AT them when they had an off day. It’s not easy to hit. It’s not easy to locate every pitch you throw. It’s not easy to field a ground ball on a bumpy youth field. IT’S NOT EASY!
I have been in the dugout for many games (who knows how many youth games and approx. 3,400 professional games) and unless your last name is Jeter, and you are on a winning team nearly every year, you WILL most likely see just as many losses as you will wins, over the course of your baseball life. It’s just a game. I love to compete, but I’m here to tell you, that losing a baseball game is not the end of the world. They won’t win every game just as they won’t lose every game. In fact, the truth is, EVERY player can grow more from those loses (when they learn how to process them correctly) than they will from success as failure is a much better teacher.
Coaches and Parents, understand this, at the end of the day the wins don’t mean anything AND the losses don’t mean anything. It’s the experience they are gaining. It’s them getting to do what they are passionate about. It’s them developing great life skills along the way.
Find a coach. Find coaches. Find a program. Find an organization that understands this. One that focuses more on the person than they do the win. Find those with a passion for the kids and teaching. Find those with experience and knowledge. Find those that genuinely understand what “the process” means and have the patience for it. Find those who have, and have proved to have, a mindset on development, no matter what time of year it is.
THIS IS YOUTH BASEBALL, not the big leagues. Keep your Expectations realistic.
Pacesetters 14U has open spots available for 2025. If interested, please DM or email [email protected]. Private tryouts available. All inquires will be kept confidential.
Pacesetters 14U has open spots available for 2025. If interested, please DM or email [email protected]. Private tryouts available. All inquires will be kept confidential.
Pacesetters 14U has open spots available for 2025. If interested, please DM or email [email protected]. Private tryouts available. All inquires will be kept confidential.
Calling all 6 & 7 year olds! Bring your future baseball star to UNO for a FREE skills clinic with Pacesetters Dean of Coaching and UNO Assistant Coach John Manganaro on the Mavericks Baseball field! See flyer for details - register today!
https://t.co/W00PlSina3
Another Championship for the Pacesetter 2029 boys in the “Diamonds are a Mom’s Best Friend” Tournament. Moms coached during pool play and their advice kept the boys going as they out scored opponents 52-8 this weekend to secure their 4th tourney championship of the year.
A big thanks to @StampedeTourny and @OSAA_Omaha for putting on a great tourney. We might incorporate more Mom visits to the mound in the future as the boys seem to pitch better after that.
Another tournament, another championship plaque. Great work by the Pacesetters 2029 bringing home the ‘ship in the River Cities Classic AAA division this weekend.
These three started playing baseball together when they were 3 (one of them might have been 1 week from turning 3). It’s great to see them all on the same field at age 12!
The 2029 Pacesetters are off to a great start, taking home the championship hardware this past weekend at the Spring Showdown. They saved their best for Sunday and out scored their opponents 37-5.