Introductions, Survey, & More

Hello Northside Families, My name is Ray Feola and I am the new President of Northside Baseball League. I would like to start out this email with a little introduction about myself. I grew up here in Charlottesville and played my youth baseball with Northside, at Lane, and then at Albemarle High School. I am very excited to step into the role of League President and do everything in my power to continue the success Northside has had over the years. I'd like to reinforce to the community that the Northside Board of Directors takes player, parent, and coach satisfaction very seriously and we work with the following mission in mind: "Developing a strong community by teaching baseball fundamentals and life skills; helping kids improve as players, work as a team, and grow as individuals." We'd like to ask for a few very brief moments of your time to share your opinions and experiences from Fall 2018 with us to help us elevate the quality of the baseball league. Your responses can be anonymous and the survey should only take a few minutes of your time.   Please give us your feedback by November 13th at 5:00pm so the Board has time to review and react to your suggestions during our November Board Meeting. We invite you to join us!  Please access the survey by clicking here.  As always, the community is welcome at any board meeting. If you would like to attend our upcoming board meeting, please join us on Tuesday November 13th, 2018 at 7:30pm in room D4 of Sutherland Middle School for our first board meeting of the upcoming 2019 season. NOVEMBER 2018 BOARD MEETING AGENDA Fall Ball Update Tournament Team Update Fall Survey Rule Changes for Spring 2018 Marketing Winterize Snack Shack and ongoing Improvements  Timeline For Spring 2019  Potential of 7U All Star Team (any Interest) Open Board Positions (Volunteer Coordinator, Rookie Commissioner, Concessionaire, Fundraiser Coordinator) Equipment Inventory Financial Standing Update Registration Fee Increase As we get ready to celebrate the holiday season, please remember if you plan to make any purchases on Amazon, Northside Baseball League is a registered non-profit and will receive donations on items purchased through Amazon’s Smile website.  Click here for more information. I look forward in the coming months to meeting as many families as possible and cannot wait for Spring 2019. Thank You, Ray Feola

Message from UVA Baseball

Hello Northside Cal Ripken League,
On behalf of Virginia Baseball, I wanted to invite the league to the team’s remaining Orange and Blue World Series games.  The Cavaliers have two games remaining: Friday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m.  In particular, I wanted to highlight the Friday game.  On Oct. 26, we are encouraging kids to debut their Halloween costumes at the game.  There will be a costume contest and kids can go trick or treating on the concourse during the game.  Parking in the University Hall, McCue Center and JPJ lots and admission to Disharoon Park are all free.  We hope to see you at the games!
Go Hoos!
Katie Rudy, Director of Event Presentation and Fan Engagement, University of Virginia Athletics

Summer 2018 All-Stars Update

All-Stars Update

Another successful All-Stars season is wrapping up. For the second straight year, Northside had five teams make it to the District Championship. Two teams won their district tournaments (10u and 13-15), and three participated at States. Congratulations to all our teams for another successful summer of baseball!

For complete rosters, click here.

Charlottesville Babe Ruth League - Update and Important Dates

Dear Baseball Families,

Thank you for being part of our 13-16 year-old Charlottesville Babe Ruth League this fall! 

We will have a mix of skill clinics and game situations next week from 6PM - 8PM at Darrell Gardner Field at Lane Park on September 4th, 5th, and 6th.  Registered players should attend at least one of these 3 nights, and are encouraged to attend all three.  These sessions will allow for coaches to help evaluate players while also conducting some instruction and having fun all at the same time.  This exercise will help us build balanced teams for even competition through the fall season.   We will form league teams and families will be contacted on Sept 7th.  First team practices begin Sept 8th.  Regular season games will be on Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning September 12th and ending November 3rd.  Complete Season practice and game schedules will be released weekend of Sept 8th.  The season will wrap up on Nov 10th with a tournament.

Our league is now officially full with 48 players, and we are currently taking players on a waitlist.  Our four league head coaches this fall are Josh Bradley, Eric Gomez, Eric Lane, and Eric Tucker.  All of our guys are ready to hit the field and help your child reach the next level. 

Our Commissioner for this division is Chris Guyton (1315@playnorthside.org).  We hope you can resolve any issues you may have through good communication with your coaches and other families, but if issues arise, Chris should be your first point of contact. 

For those of you who like to get your hands dirty, we are having a field clean-up and improvement day on Saturday, September 8^th from 9am to 2pm (at Lane Park).  We have many weeds to remove, dirt to move, and other work to do.   This work session is a great way to meet other families and coaches, and give a little back to the community.  All you need is yourself, and maybe some work gloves.  If you have shovels and other tools, please bring them along.

Thank you again for playing with us this fall and we look forward to a great fall season!

Alice Riccabona

On behalf of the Northside Baseball League and

Charlottesville Babe Ruth League

Dick's Sporting Goods Fall Appreciation Weekend!

Dear Northside Baseball League Participants, Families, & Coaches,

On Saturday, August 18^th through Sunday, August 19^th the Charlottesville, 5^th Street Station, Dick’s Sporting Goods store location will be hosting its annual fall appreciation discount day to assist families and players with preparing for their upcoming fall baseball season.

Any Northside Baseball League participant can bring in the appreciation day flyer (click here for link) to receive 20% off your purchase (some exclusions apply) on Saturday, August 18^th and Sunday, August 19^th. This is a great opportunity to not only get your baseball gear but to also take care of any other purchasing needs you may have such as back to school shopping!

If you are unable to make it to the appreciation day event please remember that you can click this link - Northside Baseball League 2018 DSG Baseball Coupon - to print out your baseball team sports coupon sheet, which is good for discounts off your baseball purchases (as listed on the coupon) all season long. You will not be able to use the baseball coupon in addition to the appreciation day coupon on the appreciation day.

Northside Baseball League families should print off the attached appreciation day flyer and bring it with them to the Charlottesville, 5^th Street Station, Dick’s Sporting Goods store on Saturday, August 18^th or Sunday, August 19^th in order to take advantage of the 20% off.

We hope to see you there!

Fall 2018 Registration is Open!

It's time to register for Fall Ball!

Registration is open and will last until August 31.  We can't wait to get everyone out on the fields!  The season will run from early September through early November.  

This season, Northside is partnering with the local Little League programs for the 12 and under crowd, as we aim to create a robust interleague experience.  

Any information you need can be found by following the links below.
 

• Charlottesville Babe Ruth League (13-16)
  • Information Form
  • Register through Northside
  • Fees: $90
• Northside 12 & under Rec League
  • Information Form
  • Register through Central Little League
  • Fees: The base fee is $25, with a request for an additional donation to help cover the league's costs

Coaches will notify parents once teams are formed. 

And don't forget about our Tournament Teams!  Tryouts will likely be in August.

• Tournament Teams (8u-15u)
  • Register through Northside
  • Fees: $100

As always, please consider volunteering this fall !

Summer Sandlots are Back!

Sandlots are back starting the week of July 30th.

Who is ready for some free, fun, and local laid-back baseball?
* Kids are invited to come out and play ball!
* If we have to cancel due to inclement weather, the weather hotline will be used, 434-980-1256.

Any player who did not play during the Northside Baseball League spring season and who is not currently registered to play this fall must fill out our waiver form.  Download the form here.

13-16 Division Sandlots, Lead by Eric Lane, Josh Bradley, Jimmie Mills & Clinton Hensley
Times: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Lane Field
Dates:

• Tuesday, July 31st
• Thursday, August 2nd
• Tuesday, August 7th
• Thursday, August 9th
• Tuesday, August 14th
• Thursday, August 16th
• Wednesday, August 22nd (just for this week)
• Thursday, August 23rd
• Tuesday, August 28th
• Thursday, August 30th

Majors Division Sandlots, Lead by Chris Guyton
Times: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Location: Carson Raymond Field
Dates: 

• Wednesday, August 15th
• Friday, August 17th
• Monday, August 20th
• Wednesday, August 22nd
• Friday, August 24th, 6pm- 8pm **NEWLY ADDED**
• Monday, August 27th (cancelled)
• Wednesday, August 29th
• Friday, August 31st, 6pm- 8pm **NEWLY ADDED**

Minors Division Sandlots, Lead by Darian Cochran
Times: TBA
Location: TBA
Dates: TBA

Rookie Division Sandlots, Lead by TBA
Times: TBA
Location: TBA
Dates: TBA

Northside receives donation in honor of Darian Cochran's Good Neighbor Award!

CAAR has announced that Darian Cochran, principal broker, of Avenue Realty, LLC is the first 2018 Good Neighbor Award recipient. 

The Good Neighbor Award program highlights local REALTORS® who dedicate significant time and interest to projects that make a lasting impact on our communities.

Cochran was nominated by his wife and colleague, Amy Cochran, for his dedication, commitment, and fundraising efforts to Northside Baseball League. In addition to being on the Northside Baseball League Board as the equipment manager, Cochran is also a coach. 

Cochran created, organized, and advertised a Northside Baseball League home run competition, where every time a player on a Northside team hits a home run, they are featured on the Northside Facebook page. In addition to player recognition, Cochran’s real estate office, Avenue Realty, LLC, donates $50 for every home run hit. 

“He probably puts in upwards of 100 hours as a volunteer in his board position. The coaching piece, probably over 500 hours,” said President of Northside Baseball League, Alice Riccabona. “Even kids in the major league - 10, 11, 12-year-old kids - who haven’t been coached by this individual have felt the impact of his giving to the league. He’s really touched everyone in the league.”

“Darian has been coaching some of those kids since they were 4 or 5 years old in tee-ball, and now they’re out there hitting home runs for the all-star team. So really, really excited to share this with those families, and the kids, and their parents,” said Amy Cochran of Avenue Realty, LLC. 

A $500 donation was made to Northside Baseball League in Cochran’s name.

Updated Tournament Schedule

We wish to thank all the league officials, umpires, coaches, players and families for your patience during this challenging time.  The weather has provided many obstacles but we are confident we'll be able to finish our season off strong this week.  The updated schedule for the end of season tournament is as follows: MONDAY 5:30PM – Major Rays vs Brewers on Carson Raymond Field (Major Semi-Final) 7:30PM – Major Diamondbacks vs Yankees on Carson Raymond Field (Major Semi-Final) Time limits on both Majors games of no new inning starting after 1:45 6:00PM – (2) Minor Orioles vs (1) Minor Indians – Championship game (seeds 1 vs 2)  on Hollymead Lower Field 6:00PM – (4) Minor Cardinals vs (3) Minor Brewers – Consolation game on Baker Butler Field 6:00PM – (2) Rookie Marlins vs (1) Rookie Indians – Championship Game  (seed 1 vs 2) on Charlottesville Catholic School Prefer to have no time limit on games, but with no lights, Night Game Policy is in effect.  TUESDAY 6:00PM – Majors Championship on Carson Raymond Field 6:30PM – 13-15 Phillies vs 13-15 Yankees on Lane Field                (resume game from last week) **No time limit for championship game.   ***Teams involved in games on Carson Raymond Field are responsible for working Concessions, one person from each team. WEDNESDAY 6:30PM – (2) 13-15 Cubs vs winner of Yankees/Phillies – Championship game on Lane Field **No time limit for championship game.

Raise Some Money, Earn a Prize!

It's not too late to turn in money and Earn a Prize!

Congratulations to the Major Rays for hitting it out of the park during our fundraiser.  The Rays lead the entire league in the number of participants (7) and dollar amount ($753).  The final totals are not in yet and it's not too late to drop of packets and collect prizes.  If you don't have a packet and want to make a donation and earn a prize, NO PROBLEM!  Just drop off your donation during one of our drop off times.

Packet drop off and prize pickup times are as follows: 

• Monday, June 4th, 4:45pm to 5:15pm, Carson Raymond Field Picnic Tables
• Monday, June 4th, 7:30pm to 8:30pm, Carson Raymond Field Picnic Tables
• Tuesday, June 5th, 5:15pm to 5:45pm, Carson Raymond Field Picnic Tables  

Time and Field Changes for Saturday 6/2/18

With much more rain expected in the forecast we are proactively making changes to Saturday’s schedule.  We are hopeful to get all games in tonight, but are preparing to move games to Friday night, if necessary, to keep our tournament moving.

In order to give us the best chance of completing all semi-finals games on Saturday, we are moving all games so they are played at 9am and 11:30am on our various fields.  Majors will be on Carson Raymond Field; Minors will be on Hollymead Lower Field; Rookies will be at Baker Butler.   The schedule will be as follows (changes are in red font):

Day	Date	Division	Team	Team	Start Time	Field
Saturday	6/2/2018	Rookie	Orioles or Nationals	(1) Indians	9:00 AM	Baker Butler
Saturday	6/2/2018	Rookie	(2) Marlins	(3) Yankees	11:30 AM	Baker Butler
Saturday	6/2/2018	Minor	Cardinals or Red Sox	(1) Indians	9:00 AM	Hollymead Lower
Saturday	6/2/2018	Minor	Orioles (2)	(3) Brewers	11:30 AM	Hollymead Lower
Saturday	6/2/2018	Major	(3) Rays	(2) Brewers	9:00 AM	Carson Raymond
Saturday	6/2/2018	Major	Diamondbacks or Nationals	(1) Yankees	11:30 AM	Carson Raymond

If rain comes during the morning games, everyone should be prepared to resume our schedule at 6:00pm on Saturday night.

Day of Champions is this Sunday - Volunteers Needed!

Join us for our Day of Champions celebration this Sunday from 1:00pm – 4:30pm to celebrate our amazing kids.  We’ll have a Coach Dunk Tank, Championship Games, Team Tailgates, Bounce House, Silent Auction and more!  Please see our flyer for more details.  

Volunteers Needed

We need help to make our celebration all it can be.  We are asking for two volunteers from each team to help us for an hour each with a few tasks.  Please signup using our Signup Genius.  A link to the signup is here.