"The country is full of good coaches. What it takes to win is a bunch of interested players."

2009 MLB Draft - 1st year players

Hitter's Guide to the Curveball

By Jon Doyle, MA, CSCS
Recommended Reading by Coach Kunefke 

The Deuce. The Hammer. The Hook. Uncle Charlie. Lord Charles. All nicknames for the curveball: the pitch that keeps youth hitters up at night. Sure, pure heat can be intimidating, but something about seeing that first curveball in game action can be a difficult experience.

That being said, you can learn to hit the deuce--and any off-speed pitch for that matter as the approach is the same. With the following approach and some good old' fashioned hard work, you can hit curveballs consistently and with authority.

Tip No. 1: Hit Off the Fastball

So how does looking for a fastball help me hit the off-speed pitch? Simple really: if you are looking curveball and the pitcher throws a fastball, you've got absolutely no chance. The ball will be in the catcher's mitt before you know it. Look fastball, adjust to off-speed.

Tip No. 2: Have a Plan at the Plate

This goes for all hitting, not just the off-speed pitch. You should have an idea of what you want to do BEFORE you step into the batter's box. What pitch are you looking for? What does the game situation call for? There's nothing worse than a hitter getting himself out. Great hitters rarely do this; average and below average hitters do this frequently. This simple adjustment can increase your average over 100 points easily, even in good hitters.

Tip No. 3: Early Recognition

This is huge. In order to hit the off-speed pitch, you must recognize the pitch early on. Great hitters can even tell by a pitcher's arm angle before he lets go of the ball. Learn to pick up the ball as early as possible, preferably before he lets it go. Since you only have about .4 seconds from when the ball leaves the pitchers hand to when it hits the catcher's mitt, this is critical. Every single pitch you see in practice you should be working very hard to improve this. Don't simply go through the motions -- get and stay focused and it will become second nature.

Tip No. 4: Put a Good Swing on the Ball

A common misconception is that a swing on a curveball needs to be different than a fastball. This couldn't be further from the truth. Next ballgame you watch on TV, watch any hard hit ball off of an off speed pitch and you will see the batter swung the bat with authority. Put the ball in play and put the ball in play with some sting!

Tip No. 5: Practice

No secret here. The only way to get better at hitting curve ball is to hit curve balls. So put your helmet on and have someone throw to you. Be sure to have them mix it up and not just throw curve ball after curve ball. You want to replicate game action as best you can.

2009 17-5A All District

1^st team

MVP - Stumph, Andrew - Katy - Senior Unanimous

Pitchers - Nuncio, Keifer - Katy - Senior Unanimous

Stefan Crichton- Cinco Ranch - Junior

Archibald, Cliff - Katy Taylor - Senior

Jake Pinchback - Seven Lakes - Senior

1^st Base - Brett Martin - Taylor - Junior Unanimous

2^nd Base - Jarred Fancher - Katy - Senior

Shortstop - Kendall Stacks - Seven Lakes - Sophomore Unanimous

3^rd Base - Tyler Harvey - Cinco Ranch - Senior Unanimous

Outfield - Scott Pizor - Taylor - Senior Unanimous

Tyler Wright - Mayde Creek - Senior Unanimous

Haeden Thormaehlen - Katy - Senior Unanimous

Colt Attwood - Katy - Sophomore

Catcher - Kyle Bacak - Seven Lakes - Junior Unanimous

Utility - Jacob Perschke - Cinco Ranch - Junior Unanimous

DH - Travis Martin - Taylor - Senior Unanimous

2^nd team

Pitchers - Matt Locus - Katy - Junior

Nathan LeBlanc - Senior - Seven Lakes

Brad Steiner - Morton Ranch - Junior

Justin Suntych - Mayde Creek - Junior

1^st Base - Zach Voss - Seven Lakes - Senior

Chase Juhl - Morton Ranch - Senior

2^nd Base - Charles Oddo - Taylor - Senior

Shortstop - Parker Ray - Katy - Senior

3^rd Base - David DeLeon - Morton Ranch - Sophomore

Outfield - Donnie Hart - Seven Lakes - Senior

Kyle Tatum - Mayde Creek - Junior

Steven McCormack - Seven Lakes - Senior

Cody Ray - Morton Ranch - Junior

Catcher - Kyle Guillory - Katy - Senior

Utility - Dalton Smith - Morton Ranch - Senior

DH - Garrett Glover - Katy - Senior

Honorable Mention

Cutter McCue - Seven Lakes - Senior

Matt Busick - Seven Lakes - Junior

Zack Whiddon - Taylor - Junior

Johnny Gavrel - Taylor - Senior

Tyler Mack - Cinco Ranch - Senior

Chris Fredrich - Cinco Ranch - Senior

Matt Warren - Cinco Ranch - Senior

Chase Valdez - Morton Ranch - Senior

Anthony Gomez - Morton Ranch - Sophomore

Michael Webber - Katy - Senior

Randy Picard - Katy -Senior

Ivan Garcia - Mayde Creek - Freshman

Benny Suarez - Mayde Creek - Junior

Nick Grizzell - Mayde Creek - Sophomore
         Josh May - Mayde Creek - Sophomore

 Baseball Playoff Brackets
2009 Baseball Conference 5A

HOPE: Josh Hamilton Story

I AM SECOND: Josh Hamilton Story

You Make the Call THINK YOU KNOW THE RULES OF BASEBALL? TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE WITH THIS INTERACTIVE QUIZ

 Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.