MISSION STATEMENT

Our goal is to provide every player with quality instruction and a fun experience so that he/she may excel at baseball.  NYAA baseball is committed to finding the best baseball coaches, teachers, college players, etc. to advance your child’s baseball knowledge and skill development.

AGES 5&6 (TEE BALL) and AGES 7&8 (GRASSHOPPER)

Our Tee Ball and Grasshopper teams are fully in-house.  The number of Tee Ball and Grasshopper teams will depend on the total amount of registered players, and teams will be divided as equally as possible.  The goal of our Tee Ball and Grasshopper programs is for the children to have fun learning the basic fundamentals of playing baseball.

Tee Ball and Grasshopper teams typically begin practice in mid-April (weather permitting) and the season goes until the end of June.  Practices and games will not usually be more than two days per week and will be held at Ebenezer Church in New Tripoli and/or the NYAA Rec. Fields.

AGES 9 through 14 --  NYAA OFFERS TWO  “TRAVEL” LEAGUES

The NYAA baseball program currently participates in two leagues for players between the ages of 9 and 14; the Upper/Lower Macungie and Lehigh Valley Little Baseball Leagues.  Teams participating in both leagues will typically consist of 12 players.

The Upper/Lower Macungie League is a league where players of all abilities may participate and enjoy baseball at a less competitive level.  You can find more information at the following website: www.lmya.org/index.cfm?Sport=Baseball.  

Teams in this league are located in the Macungie, Trexlertown, South Parkland, Northwestern and other areas.  Typically half of the games on a teams’ schedule will be home and the other half at various locations throughout the league.   The game score is kept at the A through AAA levels. There is a playoff at the end of the season for qualifying teams.  Some of the traditional rules of pitching and substitution are relaxed in the Upper/Lower Macungie League to facilitate learning of skills. 

The Lehigh Valley League offers a more competitive level of play.  Teams in this league are located in the East Penn, Northern Lehigh, Parkland, Bath and other areas.  You can find out more about the Lehigh Valley League at eteamz.active.com/lvleague/index.cfm?.   Typically half of the games on a team’s schedule will be home and the other half at various locations throughout the league.  The Lehigh Valley League uses major league rules with some modifications depending upon the age group.  There is a playoff at the end of the season for qualifying teams.     

The baseball season typically begins in late February with a “combine” where all players who have registered will be evaluated.  The evaluation will take place at an indoor facility and will be held over a period of three Sundays.  The proposed dates for 2008 will be February 17, 24 and March 2.  To insure a complete evaluation for your child, he/she will be required to attend no less than two of these dates.  The evaluation will be done by players on the high school baseball team and by some of the high school coaches.  In the event high school players/coaches are not available to perform the evaluation, NYAA coaches will be evaluating the boys.  In no case will a coach evaluate players in his own son’s age group.  Players will be evaluated in a number of different fundamental areas.  All drills used at the evaluation and at practices during the season will be taken from the NYAA’s baseball curriculum. 

Following the “combine”, the proposed coaches will meet to select teams at each age level. 

• Coaches will be determined after the teams are selected
• Practices will begin end of March, weather permitting
• Games begin end of April
• Season lasts until end of June with playoffs in the beginning of July
• 3 to 4 nights per week

 AGES 15 through 19  -- NYAA OFFERS TWO LEAGUES

The NYAA baseball program currently participates in two leagues for players between the ages of 15 and 19.  The Upper/Lower Macungie League Major Division is a team where players of all abilities may participate and enjoy baseball at a less competitive level.  This league is for those who do not play high school baseball and begins in early spring and runs concurrently with the high school season and beyond. 

The Lehigh Valley Connie Mack(up to age 16) and Lehigh Valley Legion (up to age 19) offer a more competitive level of play.   Both teams require a tryout to participate and begin immediately after the high school season ends and run until mid-July with playoffs continuing until August.