LCYO 2006 PINTO DIVISION FACT SHEET

Welcome to the 2006 LCYO Pinto Division season. To be eligible for the 2006 Pinto season you child must have a birth date between 5/1/97 and 4/30/99. Our goal for players at this level is to develop a strong foundation in the principles of sportsmanship and teamwork, and most importantly, having fun learning to play baseball.

All players need to be present at our evaluation day on Saturday, January 7th at the La Costa Meadows fields. If this is impossible (or if there is rain), a makeup day will be held on Saturday, January 14th. A little rain won’t stop us, so plan to be there. The purpose of the evaluations is to promote a competitive balance on the teams. 100% participation of all players in this event is required. Look for additional information about evaluation day in our mid-December LCYO email.

This year Pinto will divide into North and South divisions.  The North division is recommended for children attending Aviara Oaks, La Costa Meadows, Pacific Rim, Rancho Carrillo and San Elijo.  The South division is recommended for children attending El Camino Creek, La Costa Heights, Mission Estancia and all schools in Encinitas.  This year you may choose the North or South division during registration.

We need your help in Managing and Coaching teams. We are asking you to volunteer now to begin to experience the joys of providing our young children a fun and lifelong baseball experience. We will be holding a pre-season Coaches clinic where long-time LCYO coaches and a professional baseball instructor will review practice drills, routines, and skills development. Please check off the Manager or Assistant Coach box on your registration form or if you would like to volunteer directly, email us at pintodirector@lcyo.org.

Practices are scheduled to start in early February and will consist of one weekday and one weekend practice. The regular season will start in early March consisting of one weekday and one Saturday game per week. The regular season wraps up around Memorial Day Weekend.  We will have a short post-season tournament to wrap up the season by mid-June. Practices and games will be held at La Costa Meadows Elementary School (South Division) and Aviara Oaks Middle School (North Division).  If your child is selected for one of the all-star teams, the season will likely extend into mid-July.   All children to be eligible for all stars must live in the LCYO boundary.  This boundary is Palomar Airport Road to the North, Encinitas Blvd to the south, and Rancho Santa Fe Road to the East.  San Elijo residents can compete in all-stars as of this time.

Pinto baseball is an enjoyable transition from T-Ball and an instructional introduction to traditional baseball. Batters are allowed up to six pitches thrown by a pitching machine. By the start of regular games, nearly all players can hit these very consistent pitches, which provides excellent skill development in both fielding and hitting. League rules require players play both infield and outfield positions and every player hits, whether or not they are currently playing in the field. Games are six innings; no new inning will start after one hour and 45 minutes, and are umpired by parent volunteers. A team can score a maximum of six runs in an inning. Score is kept but standings are not.

Equipment
LCYO provides all players with a major league type uniform, consisting of a cap, jersey, pants and socks. You will need to provide shoes and a glove. Rubber cleats are recommended and, yes this year’s soccer shoes are acceptable. The glove should be the softest and largest the player can handle. A leather pocket is best. This type of glove will enable the child to catch and hold onto the ball better than the smaller, stiff, plastic versions.

The LCYO Pinto Division will continue to have a bat specification rule for the 2005 season. This rule is to provide a safe environment for all levels of skill for our young players. The maximum barrel diameter for bats will be 2 ¼”. NO BIG Barrel bats will be allowed during the regular season. The recommendation for bats if you want to purchase them for your child are that it should not exceed 29” in length and should not weigh more than 20oz. These recommendations will help promote and develop a proper bat swing.

Once teams are formed in late January, your coach will contact you and arrange for practices. Please remember that your coach is a volunteer, so please give them your support. Parent participation is a key to the success of our league. Parents are needed as managers, coaches, sponsors, team parents, bench parents, umpires, pitching machine feeders and scorekeepers. Please volunteer to help – kids love having Mom and/or Dad involved in their team activities.

We are glad you are participating in our league. Let’s make it another great year of Pinto baseball. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via email or visit our web site at www.lcyo.org. We look forward to seeing you this season.

Mike Guerena
pintodirector@lcyo.org