Baseball

DHHS Baseball Families,

I hope all is well!  As we get closer to the spring season, I wanted to send along some information to make sure that all of you can organize your calendars for the important dates that we have planned for our baseball season.  If you have any questions at all, just let me know.

Registration and Medical Clearance
All players need to register for baseball with the DHHS athletic department.  You must have an updated physical.  If you have not registered or have not had a physical approved by the school nurse, you will not be allowed to participate at tryouts.  Please double-check with the school to make sure you are all set.  The deadline to register is Friday, March 10^th.

Contact
Please let me know if you would like me to add/remove any emails addresses to our contact list. 

Pitchers and Catchers Week
Baseball is unique because we are allowed to begin a week earlier than most other spring sports.  This extra week is called pitchers and catchers week.  It will run from March 11th -17th.  Per the CIAC, we are only allowed to bring 14 players.  All of these players and families have already been notified. All other players should be using this week to condition and prepare for the upcoming season.

Tryouts
Dates:  Saturday, March 18^th and Sunday, March 19^th @ Polson/DHHS turf.

Times:  All freshmen and sophomores will report from 9:45-12:00.  All juniors and seniors will report from 11:45-2:00.  Saturday will be a defensive workout.  Sunday will be an offensive workout.

Note: Our tryouts will continue on Monday, March 20^th.  Some freshmen and sophomores may be moved up to tryout with the Varsity.  By the end of tryouts on March 20^th, all freshmen and sophomores will know if they made the roster.  By the end of Tuesday, March 21^st all  other players will know if they made the roster.  Our goal is to keep 20 players with the Varsity.  Our roster should be finalized by Wednesday, March 22^nd.

 Weekly Schedules
I send out weekly schedules for the entire program every Sunday night. All levels (Freshmen, JV, and Varsity) should plan to have baseball 6 days per week.  Our off day will be dictated by our game schedule and the weather.  On weekdays, Freshman and JV normally practice from 2:30-4:30.  Varsity will practice from 4:00-6:15.  On weekends, our practices will normally be from about 10:00-12:00. 

April Vacation
Please know that practices and games will be scheduled during April vacation.  Players should plan their schedules accordingly and should be available for all baseball activities.  If there are extenuating circumstances, players should notify the coaches ahead of time.

Partnership with MLL
We are going to establish a powerful connection with Madison Little League this spring.  There will be opportunities for all of our players to engage with the MLL community and become mentors to the younger players and the future of our program.  We will be running 1-2 clinics for MLL players and our players will be paired with an MLL team during the spring.

Varsity Scrimmages 

• Thursday, March 23 @ Amity at 4:00
• Saturday, March 25 – Doubleheader vs. Windham High School of New Hampshire @ 10:00 and 12:30
• Wednesday, March 29 – vs. Old Saybrook at 4:00
• Friday, March 31^st – Black vs. Gold Intersquad at 4:00

Equipment
 All players will be supplied with a DHHS helmet courtesy of our boosters.  They will also get a practice shirt.  Most players choose to buy their own game pants (white pants with piping down the side).

Player/Parent/Coach Meeting
We will have a mandatory team meeting for players and parents on Sunday, March 26^th at 7:00 via Zoom.  I will present all of the expectations for the season and we will also go over all of the events that our Booster Club is planning.  Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Other Important Dates

• Team Pasta Dinner – Thursday, March 30^th @ 6:30 in the Polson Cafeteria
• Monday, April 3rd - Opening Day @ North Haven (the high school regular season actually starts on April 1^st, but we do not have a game on that day)
• April 3rd-May 25th - Approximate dates for the regular season for Freshmen and JV level
• May 25th-June 10th - Approximate dates for the post season for the Varsity level
• Saturday, April 22^nd – MLL Opening Day Ceremonies
• Sunday, April 23^rd – DHHS Car Wash Fundraiser
• Wednesday, May 17^th – Senior Day Ceremony at 3:30 before Cheshire game
• Monday, June 12^th – Tentative Date for End of Year Banquet at Hammonnasset

Game Schedules
The schedules are still being built and finalized at the Freshmen and JV levels.  The Varsity schedule is just about finalized.  The links to all schedules can be found here: 

http://ciacsports.com/site/?page_id=105

Please let me know if I can help you with anything or answer any questions for you between now and the beginning of our season.

Sincerely and with Kind Regards,

Coach LaPointe and the DHHS Baseball Coaching Staff