ALL STAR BASEBALL'S TIP OF THE WEEK

This week's Tip is from Mark Freed, Manager of our West Chester facility and former pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.

MASTERING CONSISTENT DELIVERY IS KEY FOR PITCHERS!

There are two main areas of focus where you can work to improve your pitching skills.  There are many small details when it comes to pitching, but everything fits into 2 main categories--  good delivery and good location.  When working in the bullpen or in a lesson, you must choose one of the two to work on.  It's almost impossible to work on both areas in the same session.

The exciting part is that a good, consistent pitching delivery will lead to good location.  So, start with working on your mechanics of a consistent, balanced pitching motion.  With your mechanics, get to a good balance point, and focus on good direction to your target.  A strong, repeatable delivery will lead to good location.

To schedule a lesson with Mark or one of our other top instructors at West Chester, call 610-399-8050 or stop in and book a lesson package for the fall and winter season!

Next week's Tip will be from our staff at ASBA Broomall.

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ALL STAR BASEBALL PLAYER/TEAM OF THE WEEK

ASBA PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Ron Scull, ASBA Futures Team

Ron pitched a 6 inning 3-hitter  with a no-hitter through 4 innings in the recent Perfect Game World Wood Bat Championships in North Carolina.  He gave up only 1 earned run as the ASBA Futures team tied the eventual champion Canes from North Carolina, 2-2 in pool play.  The ASBA Futures team is coached by Steve Van Note.




ASBA TEAM OF THE WEEK:  Downingtown 14U Team
In the 16U East Brandywine Wood Bat League last week, the Downingtown 14U team went 2-0, with wins by scores of 7-0 and 8-6.  The pitching was strong as the staff gave up only 3 earned runs while walking just 3 and striking out 10 hitters.  The offense was paced by Connor Donovan (3 hits, 3 RBI), Matt Maul (3 RBI), and Nick Costa (3-5 with 1 RBI).

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WARRINGTON 11U TEAM COMES FROM BEHIND TO TAKE PA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP CROWN, 7-6

The Warrington 11u Team has captured the Cal Ripken Pennsylvania State Championship for the second straight year and will be advancing to the Mid Atlantic Regionals in early August.  The Diamond Dawgs faced Central Perk for the second consecutive year in the Championship game.  Warrington faced an uphill climb after falling behind 6-0 after 3 innings.  Jack Cuccinotta’s RBI single in the top of the 6^th inning proved to be the winning hit, scoring ASBA 11u catcher Tyler Watson.  Dan Klepchick and Alex Karras pitched well for Warrington and Colin Green ended Central Perk’s quest with a spectacular diving catch in the left centerfield gap to end the game and bring home the Championship, 7-6.

Warrington trains at ASBA Warminster and finished their second straight undefeated season in the Suburban Travel Baseball League.  In addition to Watson, Cole Meenan (3^rd base), Andrew Dietz (2^nd  base) and Alex Bendzlowicz (SS) all play for Coach John Bellis’ spring team.  Strong play from Dan McCartin, Devon Farrell, Chris Slwika and Kevin Berntsen lead a confident Warrington into the Regionals……good luck Dawgs!!!!

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"COLLEGE CORNER" ....... with Steve Van Note

All Star Baseball's Steve Van Note (center) with College Coaches at a recent Showcase.

  Plan Ahead To Attend The Right Showcases!

Steve Van Note is the Director of Special Events for All Star Baseball Academy and a great source of information for players who are looking to play baseball at the college level.  Steve starred as an outfielder at the University of Delaware and later as a third baseman for the champion Lancaster Barnstormers in the professional Atlantic League.  "College Corner" will be a regular featured column on the ASBA Blog, so look for sound advice and tips from Steve on an ongoing basis. 

High school players sprint to the finish, as college coaches
watch and time their speed at the Mid-Atlantic Showcase.

Q. How do we choose the right types of showcases for our son?

Coaches checked out the prospects closely last week
             at the Mid-Atlantic Showcase, held at Blue Rocks Stadium in Wilmington

A. With a lot of camps and showcases out there, deciding which event to attend can get confusing. Having your son interested in the event is a huge plus. When a player attends an event and really doesn't want to be there, it will be obvious. Energy level and enthusiasm are important. 

For a showcase, talk to someone in the profession who can give good advice to your son about what events are out there. Once you have your options, take a look at the schools attending the event. If the schools at the event are an option for him at the college level, then that event will be a good opportunity.

Bucknell Assistant Coach Scott Heather helps Strath Haven
 pitcher Jake Enterlin with his follow-through.

Early in the spring, your family should take a few trips to local D1, D2, and D3 schools and plan to watch as many games as possible.  Compare the size and strength of the players with your son. Notice the attention and enthusiasm the team directs towards the game. Does your son focus as much, and run on and off the field the same way?  Simply pay attention to the game's small tendencies. These visits could give you an idea of whether you should attend a D1, D2, or D3 showcase. 

Having a list of the specific schools on the brochure is something that I would look for.  If the outline of the event provides enough opportunity for your son to get good exposure, then it should be a solid event. With the price of tuition where it is today, it would be better making the investment to attend multiple events now and not run the risk of transferring later.  It is very important to find the right match for your son's playing skills and goals.

Players listen closely to pointers from All Star Baseball's 
Creighton Gubanich, who played in the Majors for the Red Sox.

All Star Baseball Academy's instructional camps and showcases are listed on our website at www.allstarbaseballacademy.com.   Players and their families can also call 610-399-8050 X3 for information about upcoming events, or stop into your local ASBA facility for full details.  Get Better and Get Noticed, Too!!  All Star Baseball Academy is here to help you meet your goals.  Take a look at our Fall Showcases and make plans to attend the ones that fit your goals.

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ALL STAR BASEBALL PLAYER/TEAM OF THE WEEK

ALL STAR BASEBALL PLAYER(S) OF THE WEEK

All Star Baseball Academy is pleased to announce our Player of the Week Award, and also recognize the players who have been nominated by their coaches:

Brian Leon and Matt Timoney, ASBA 17U Showcase Team

Brian (Marple Newtown HS) pitched 4 innings with 2 earned runs and 5 K’s, while also slamming a 3-run homer in the Wood Bat Tournament in Delaware.  Matt (Mercersburg Academy) threw 3 innings with no hits, no runs and 6 K’s.  He also had 4 hits over the weekend for the 17U team, which finished 3-0 and won the tournament.

“Both Brian and Matt did a super job for us and were key players as we won the Wood Bat title,” said Coach Mike Manning.  “Both are tough competitors who get the job done!”

Also Nominated : 

Chris Salvey/ASBA 13U Team—Chris pitched a 7 inning complete game in an 8-7 win on Sunday over the NJ Diamond Jacks team.  He also smacked a 2-run double, picked a runner off first base, and fielded his position very well.

 ALL STAR BASEBALL TEAM OF THE WEEK   

 

 ASBA 17U Showcase Team

The All Star Team of the Week is the 17U Showcase Team coached by Mike Manning.  The team finished 3-0 in the Wood Bat Tournament at the University of Delaware this past weekend.  ASBA’s squad defeated the Delaware Warriors 6-4, the South Jersey Young Guns 9-5 and the Steel City Wildcats 7-5.  Over 20 college coaches attended the competitive tourney over the course of the weekend.

Congratulations to all of our weekly winners!  Look for Player and Team of the Week updates every week on our ASBA Blog!!

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Pierce Greenleaf's ASBA 14U Team BLOG-- Week #5

Hey everyone, my name is Pierce Greenleaf. I play for the 14U All Star Baseball Academy team. I have been playing for ASBA, summer and fall, since I was 11, but we were called the Blue Claws then.  I was given the chance to write about our ASBA Downingtown summer team and report about both the serious and funny events of our season. 

Here is my fifth weekly report on our summer ASBA team:

This past weekend our All Star team played in Flemington, NJ at Diamond Nation.  First off, the weekend got off to a poor start because the entire time my mom was complaining to me that she wasn’t allowed to bring a cooler into the facility!  Anyway, our first game we played the Long Island Cheerleaders, I mean Falcons.  They were probably the most annoying team I have ever faced (don’t forget they were 14, I think).  Their first pitcher walked a lot of batters and we took advantage of it and scored 9 runs.  We were winning 9-2 going into the top of the 7^th.  We then had a rough inning where the pitchers can’t throw strikes and we can’t make easy plays in the field.  After that inning the score was 10-9 Falcons.  But we battled back and scored one in the bottom half and ended up tying the game 10-10. 

On Saturday, we played the 14U New Jersey Super Team.  I think that there was only one kid on the team that was shorter than 6 feet tall!  They were really good, and you could almost say Super! Our pitchers did well, as they walked only two or three people, but the NJ team was just destroying the ball.  It seemed like every batter hit the ball to the fence.  It was crazy.  We lost 11-2, which was pretty good considering they crushed their first opponent, 25-1.

Our last game on Sunday, we played the New Jersey Renegades.  After the first inning, the score was 9-8 Renegades. Offense galore!  The inning lasted over 45 minutes, which was half the game.  The umpire was squeezing the zone just a bit in that inning but after that, there were maybe 2 walks all together to the 18 in the first inning!  In the top of the fourth inning( the last inning) we tied the game at 12-12.  In the bottom of the fourth, the other team had runners on second and third with one out and the batter squared around to bunt for a suicide squeeze.  But he popped it up to our catcher, Zack Greer, for the second out.  Connor Donovan then struck out the next batter to end the game with a 12-12 tie.  The ASBA 16U team was able to watch the end of our game as they were playing right after us.  It was a tough weekend since we tied two games that we should have won.  Hopefully our pitching comes back and our hitting continues to be successful. 

EBYA Games Last Week--

Last week we had 3 EBYA games, and we could have come out with a victory in all of them.  Our first game on Tuesday we played the EBYA Blue team.  The first few innings, we gave the other team some runners and they took advantage by scoring 6 runs.  We started to come back, but never managed to string some hits together.  We ended up losing 7-2, but without those first innings, it’s a 2-1 ballgame.

Then, on Wednesday, we played the Octorara Senior Legion team and once again we gave them free base runners and they took advantage of it and scored 9 runs.  To tell you the truth, we were just outmatched.  We got down early and never could climb back into it.....

Our last game on Thursday, we played the Crawdads. We were hanging with them for the first 3 innings, and the 4^th inning came strolling along and it was one of those rough innings that has hurt us all year.  After the 4^th inning, the score was 7-2.  Without counting the 4^th inning, the score is 4-3, but it happens and you can’t get mad at losing to a team that is 2 years ahead of us.  We do play some games against teams that are older than 14U and it's a good challenge for us.

Overall, our pitching was ok but our hitting pulled a Houdini on us, showing up on the weekend and then disappearing during the week.  We'll keep working hard, especially on the offensive end of things.

Baseball Quote of the Week:  "A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings." ~ Earl Wilson

I'm reading: Pierce Greenleaf's ASBA 14U Team BLOG-- Week #5

ALL STAR BASEBALL'S TIP OF THE WEEK

All Star Baseball Academy will now feature a Tip of the Week this summer and fall, so that our readers can continue to take their games to the next level.  This week's Tip is from Ryan Gilmore, popular instructor at our Warminster location:

Be On Your Toes When Fielding!

Start with your feet shoulder- width apart.  Make sure you are on your toes and not your heels!  When the pitcher is about to throw the ball, be on your toes because it is easier to  move side to side.  

When the ball is hit to you, lay your glove in the dirt and bend at the knees.  This will allow you to be eye level with the ball and make it easier to field.  

Starting in an athletic position (on toes and with knees bent) will help you get to the ball faster and make the play.

 

To schedule a lesson pack with Ryan or one of our other top instructors at Warminster, call 215-672-1826.  Ask about Lesson Pack savings with our Big League (20 lesson) or All Star (50 lesson) packages.  Save $700. with the All Star package!

Lessons can also be scheduled at our other locations:  West Chester-- 610-399-8050, Broomall-- 610-355-2411, Downingtown-- 610-518-7400.   Lesson Pack savings are available now.

Next week's Tip of the Week will be from Jake King, West Chester.

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ASBA YOUTH CAMP AT WEST CHESTER U. -- SMILES ALL AROUND!

All Star Baseball Academy hosted its second annual Summer Youth Camp at West Chester University during the last week of June.  The Camp proved to be a big hit with over 60 area players, ages 7 to 14.  West Chester's spacious facilities were a super setting for the successful Camp and 2 more great weeks are scheduled for this August-- Week 2 is the week of August 2, and Week 3 is the week of August 9.

 

Registration is open at www.allstarbaseballacademy.com or by calling 610-399-8050.  Multiple week and sibling discounts are available, so call for full details!  Reserve your son's slot today.

 

"We had a great Week 1 for our Summer Youth Camps at West Chester," said Mark Freed of All Star Baseball, who helped to run the camp.  "This is our second year using the great facilities that West Chester University has to offer and it's been super.  We had over 60 players participate in Week 1 and we already have a lot of players signed up for our next two weeks in August.

 

"The week contained plenty of instruction," continued Freed.  "We worked on run-downs, cut-offs, relays, bunt defense and hitting skills.  The players also got specific training in their choice of pitching, catching, outfield, and infield positions.  The week was topped off on Friday by our popular World Series games, which were really enjoyable to watch.  Lots of enthusiasm all around!"

 

TO SEE THE WCU CAMP SLIDE SHOW, GO TO POST BELOW: 

 

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ASBA Youth Camps- WCU- Photo/Video

ASBA Youth Camps - West Chester University from stacey bonnell on Vimeo.

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ALL STAR BASEBALL'S TIP OF THE WEEK.....

All Star Baseball Academy will now feature a Tip of the Week this summer and fall, so that our readers can continue to take their games to the next level.  This week's Tip is from Keith Falcone, popular instructor at our Downingtown location:

 

"Proper Balance Is Key To Hitting Success!"

 

Balance is the key to creating a consistent swing and good results.  When hitting, be sure to start yourself in a balanced athletic position  - with your feet slightly wider than the shoulders and knees slightly bent.  Most bad results at the plate are a direct result of not achieving a balanced lower half or what we call the core.  Start in a balanced ready position, with your weight evenly distributed. 

 

With a balanced stance, and consistent level swings, you'll start lining hits all over the field.

 

 

To schedule a lesson pack with Keith or one of our other top instructors at Downingtown, call 610-518-7400.  Ask about Lesson Pack savings with our Big League (20 lesson) or All Star (50 lesson) packages.

 

Lessons can also be scheduled at our other locations:  West Chester-- 610-399-8050, Broomall-- 610-355-2411, Warminster-- 215-672-1826.  Lesson Pack savings are available now.

 

Next week's Tip of the Week will be from Ryan Gilmore, Warminster.

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ALL STAR BASEBALL PLAYER/TEAM OF THE WEEK

All Star Baseball Academy is pleased to announce our Player of the Week Award, and also recognize the players

 who have been nominated by their coaches:

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

SHANE ALLEN, ASBA 16U FUTURES TEAM

Shane had the game-winning hit for the ASBA Futures Team vs. the Richmond Braves in the first game of the

Impact World Series last weekend in Raleigh, NC.  Overall, Shane had 4 hits during the weekend for the ASBA 

16U team, which finished 2-1 in the tournament.

Bradley Ingraham, Exton LL Catcher

Also Nominated : 

Bradley Ingraham--  Star hitter and catcher for the 9/10 year old Exton LL all-star team, and for the Phillies team during the ELL season.  Bradley batted almost .500 during the season and was a hard-nosed catcher all year.  (see photo, making a tag vs. Devon-Strafford all-star team)

Perry Cozzone—Big slugger for the East Side LL champion Cardinals in the Majors Division.  Perry hit 19 HR’s during the season and starred in the field too for the undefeated champs.

 ALL STAR BASEBALL TEAM OF THE WEEK:   

 

ASBA 16U FUTURES TEAM

The All Star Team of the Week is the 16U Futures Team, coached by Steve Van Note.  The team finished 2-1 in the 16U Impact World Series in Raleigh, NC last weekend, playing against very tough competition.  The ASBA squad lost to the eventual champion in pool play but finished with a super tournament showing.

Congratulations to all of our weekly winners!  Look for Player and Team of the Week updates every week on our ASBA Blog!!

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Pierce Greenleaf's ASBA 14U Team BLOG-- Week #4

Hey everyone, my name is Pierce Greenleaf. I play for the 14U All Star Baseball Academy team. I have been playing for ASBA, summer and fall, since I was 11, but we were called the Blue Claws then.  I was given the chance to write about our ASBA Downingtown summer team and report about both the serious and funny events of our season. 

Here is my fourth weekly report on our summer ASBA team:

Thursday, the first of July, we played the Octorara Braves, a senior Legion team in the EBYA league.  Before the game, while we were warming up, Coach Keith Falcone was throwing wiffle balls for us to hit.  Matt Maerz was hitting and nailed our assistant coach right in the head!  Whitman didn’t see the ball until the last second, and luckily, didn’t get hit in the face. 

Anyway, as usual, we were the away team (Keith hasn’t had much luck with the coin flip).  We had runners on, but couldn't drive them in.  In the third, the other team went on a hit parade and scored 7 runs in the inning.  In the fourth, we started getting the bats going and we scored 2 runs.  After that, the game was all about pitching and defense and we lost 8-2.  This is one of the few games where the other team was able to hit our pitchers.  Our bats are waking up one by one, but Connor Donovan is the only person who has been able to hit consistently the whole year, especially with a wood bat.  Our team is still pitching and playing defense well, and our bats are starting to come alive, but we still have a long way to go if we want to win in New Jersey this coming weekend.

Baseball Quote of the Week:  "You've got to have an attitude if you’re going to go far in this game." --Bob Gibson

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Christian Walker All Star Baseball Academy Alumnus and National Champion!!

Christian Walker

Star Freshman

University of South Carolina

The staff at All Star Baseball Academy would like to congratulate Christian Walker and the University of South Carolina for winning the 2010 National Championship.  Christian is the 1^st All Star Baseball Academy  alumnus to win a National Championship.  He joins fellow alumni Phil Gosselin (UVA) and John Barr (UVA) as College World Series participants. Christian has been a part of All Star Baseball Academy since 1999. It has been an honor to watch him grow from a Little League Star to National Champion! Christian was named to the All College World Series Team on Tuesday and was also honored by being named to the 1^st Team All SEC Freshman.

He played first base for the champion Gamecocks , who defeated UCLA in the CWS best of three finals. Christian played for Kennedy Kenrick HS before taking his talents to South Carolina.  Way to go, Christian!

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