MP Wins Three District Titles

Myers Park Trinity's All-Star baseball teams have won three 2014 NC District 3 Little League Tournament Championships. Building on the success of our two state titles in 2013, this is the first time the league has won 3 championship banners at the district level in the same year.

The 9-10-year-old, 10-11-year-old and 11-12-year-old All-Star teams all won District 3 Tournaments and have earned a spot in the NC State Tournament for each age group. The winner of each State Tournament will advance to its respective Southeast Regional Tournament. Last year MP sent teams to both the 10-11-year-old Regional Tournament in Greenville, NC, and the 11-12-year-old Major League Tournament in Warner Robins, GA. The winner of the tournament in Warner Robins goes to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA.

The NC State Tournaments are scheduled as follows. Stay tuned for game schedules to be posted in the coming days.

9-10-year-old State Tournament:  July 12-18.  Morganton, NC.
10-11-year-old State Tournament:  July 12-18.  Kernersville, NC.
11-12-year-old State Tournament:  July 17-23.  Greenville, NC.

Congrats to our MP teams on their District success and good luck at States. As usual, fans back home can follow all the action on Twitter at @mplittleleague.

Tournament of Champions All-Star Schedules

The first round of All-Star tournaments begin this weekend with the Tournament of Champions (TOC) in five different age groups throughout District 3. In most groups these games will serve as a warm-up to the official District 3 Tournaments, which will begin June 21 and each send a winner to the NC State Tournament.

Here are the TOC schedules. Games start this Saturday, June 7. Follow the action on Twitter @mplittleleague.

12-year-old TOC at Dilworth
11-year-old TOC at Myers Park Trinity
10-year-old TOC at Coul Oak
9-year-old TOC at Mint Hill
8-year-old TOC at Weddington

With MPTLL hosting the 11's tournament, the league will need several volunteers to make it all happen. Responsibilities for each game of the tournament include: concessions, field prep, scorebook, pitch count, PA announcer and scoreboard. Please visit our SignUp Genius page and consider volunteering for a few time slots. Thanks!

The Loss of Demonta Gaither

You may have seen the sad story in the news this week about the young man from Grier Heights who drowned in the pond behind Randolph Park. This is a particularly sad event for MPTLL because the young man, Demonta Gaither, was a popular player during the years he spent playing baseball in our league. Demonta played in the AL, NL, Majors (Carolina Pad) and in our Senior League. In his final season with Carolina Pad in 2007, he was selected by the Major League coaches as the recipient of the Billy Rice Award, which is given to the player whose enthusiasm and love of the game exemplify the best in Little League baseball. Demonta’s nomination for the Rice Award included the following excerpt, as written by his coach, Robert Griffin, who served as a mentor to him both during and after his time with MPTLL:

 

“Demonta loves the league and loves our team. He is a happy boy who likes to compete, who doesn't like to lose, but who bounces back and is eager for the next game or practice. He is interested in his teammates -- he cares about them. He is enthusiastic at all practices -- giving as much effort as he gives to games, and enjoying the competition. He pays remarkably close attention to everything going on around him. He notices the flaws in the technique of his teammates and offers encouraging suggestions to "keep your eye on the ball" or "use two hands" and stuff like that -- in a way that is positive and helpful. He notices players on the other teams, too. He may know more about the players on the other teams than anyone on our team. He's just been a wonderful part of our team for these two years. He's only a pretty good player, but the MPTLL experience has been a good one for him, and he's made the experience better for me and for his teammates.  He's already looking forward to playing at Independence Park next year. All of this comes from a boy who doesn't have a great home environment in the Grier Heights apartment where he lives.”

 

Demonta’s death is a tragedy. His story can be a reminder to us of the needs of so many young people in some of our nearby neighborhoods, and of the opportunities that we have to try to help them, with guidance, encouragement, friendship and love. The relationships we build with these young people are greatly important, and there is much that we can do to influence their lives in a positive way.

 

Picture Day - Saturday (4/5)

MPTLL Picture Day is this Saturday, April 5th. The schedule for when each team is to have their pictures taken is HERE. It is based on the revised game schedule, which has changed because of Opening Ceremonies (10:15 Sat). The updated game schedule is posted HERE. Teams are asked to arrive early for their picture time. We have over 50 teams that will be trying to have their pictures taken, so teams must be ready at their scheduled time.

Several teams are scheduled to have their pictures taken before Opening Ceremonies. This is necessary because we will have 17 MP teams preparing to play 12:00 games. So please come early before Opening Ceremonies if you are scheduled to do so. You will not have time after the ceremonies. Here are some important details to know:

Location:  The photographers will have a sign-in table and 3 stations set up on the hill above the main batting cage area at the upper fields. The soft toss nets will be closed for safety reasons.

Purchasing:  The league will provide each player an 8x10 team picture at no additional charge. The photographers will provide each coach that is in the picture an 8x10 team picture at no additional charge (up to 4 coaches). There is no need for parents to purchase those team pictures unless they want an extra one. If parents choose to purchase a package of individual pictures of their child, they will need to bring the order envelope that was distributed with uniforms and a check or credit card. Parents can also fill out and print an order form online HERE. Those players will have their individual picture taken while their team is gathered for its team picture.

Make-up Pictures: If your team will be unable to have its picture taken during its scheduled time on Saturday, you may choose to schedule a make-up time prior to your weekday game next Monday through Thursday, April 7-10. Teams are encouraged to make every effort to have their picture taken on Saturday, April 5th. Please consider that if you will be missing a player or coach during your scheduled time on Saturday, you might be missing a different player or coach next week. There could also be rainouts next week, in which case it would be difficult to find a time to have your picture taken. If your team needs to schedule a make-up picture time, please contact me at brandon.merchant@yahoo.com.

Time Frame:  The photographers have been contracted to be on site at MPTLL only on Saturday, April 5th and Monday through Thursday, April 7-10. After that, they will be working on other jobs.

Receiving Pictures:  8x10 team pictures that are provided at no additional charge will be shipped to me and distributed at the park in a few weeks. Individual pictures or products ordered by the parents will be shipped directly to their homes in a few weeks.

Photography Company:  Classic Photography will once again be handling our team and individual pictures. We have a long-standing, solid relationship with them. If you have any issues or questions regarding an individual picture order, please contact their office at 704-423-5745. Questions regarding 8x10 team pictures should be directed to me at Brandon.merchant@yahoo.com.

 

We look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday.

 

Junior League Baseball Registration

Junior League registration is now open for 13- and 14-year-old baseball players (age as of April 30th of this year). Teams play at Independence Park on 90 ft. base paths. Tryouts are held in mid-April.  The season operates during May and June. If you are interested in learning more about our Junior League program or would like to register, please contact Mark Mensheha for more information.

MP Softball Tryout Information

Myers Park Trinity is holding Skills Assessments (tryouts) for 8U and 10U Softball this weekend. There are no make-up tryouts or any tryouts for 12U and 16U Softball.

Registered players should arrive at least 20 minutes early for their tryout time. All Softball tryouts will take place on Kiser-Chapman Field at Randolph Park.

Any changes to field location or tryout times will be posted on social media. Follow MPTLL on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mplittleleague and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MPTLL to receive the latest league news now and throughout the year.
Below are the tryout times for MP Softball:

8U  Softball  -  10:00 am, Saturday (2/22)  -  Kiser-Chapman Field.
10U Softball  -  1:00 pm, Saturday (2/22)  -  Kiser-Chapman Field.
10U Challenge Softball  -  3:00 pm, Saturday (2/22)  -  Kiser-Chapman Field.

MPTLL Baseball Tryout Information

Myers Park Trinity Skills Assessments (tryouts) for Little League Baseball are Saturday and Sunday (2/22-2/23). Make-up tryouts are Monday (2/24) at 5:30. Here are a few things to know about tryouts:
 

Please arrive at least 20 minutes before your scheduled time in order to register and warm up. All players will be selected for a team in one of the league's divisions of play. Players must attend tryouts to be eligible to be selected by a Major League team. Returning Major Leaguers and T-Ball players are not required to try out.

9-12-year-old tryouts will take place on new field. 6-8-year-old tryouts will be on Randolph East Field. Ages are as of April 30, 2014. Any changes to field location or tryout times will be posted on social media. Follow MPTLL on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mplittleleague and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MPTLL to receive the latest league news now and throughout the year.

Parents should have received an email reminding them of their child's tryout time. If you have a need to change your child's tryout time, please send an email today to tryouts@mptll.org requesting a new time.  Please specify which alternate time you would prefer to attend.  Please do NOT change your scheduled time unless it is absolutely necessary, as late changes require manual changes by league officials to the master tryout lists. 

 

No request for tryout time slot changes will be processed after Friday, February 21st at 3:00 PM. If something arises in your family's schedule after 3:00 PM your child will either need to attend the makeup tryout session on Monday, February 24th at 5:30 p.m. or show up at an alternate time and the league's coaches and graders will write in your son's information on their grading sheet (not the preference of the league as that process results in inefficiencies of grading and reporting grades to the league). 

Below are the tryout times for Little League Baseball.

Baseball Tryout Times:

6 Year Olds			7 Year Olds			8 Year Olds
22-Feb	4:00 PM	East Field	22-Feb	9:00 AM	East Field	22-Feb	10:30 AM	East Field
23-Feb	4:00 PM	East Field	22-Feb	12:30 PM	East Field	22-Feb	2:00 PM	East Field
			23-Feb	12:30 PM	East Field	23-Feb	2:15 PM	East Field
9 Year Olds			10 Year Olds			11/12 Year Olds
22-Feb	9:00 AM	New Field	22-Feb	10:30 AM	New Field	22-Feb	12:30 PM	New Field
22-Feb	3:30 PM	New Field	22-Feb	2:00 PM	New Field	23-Feb	4:00 PM	New Field
23-Feb	12:30 PM	New Field	23-Feb	2:15 PM	New Field

DSG Registration and Coupons for MPTLL Families

In addition to online sign-ups, the league is hosting a walk-up registration event this Saturday at Dick's Sporting Goods at SouthPark from 10:00-1:00.  Before you shop, print the this coupon for baseball and this coupon for softball to receive 20% off on your entire purchase (only valid this Saturday).  In addition, Dick's is offering additional discounts by printing this coupon (valid anytime throughout 2014).

Baseball For Life Coaches Clinic - Sunday (2/9)

Baseball For Life is now taking registrations for its annual free Coaches Clinic that will take place at Weddington High School on Sunday, February 9th from 1:00-5:00 pm. Several MPTLL coaches attended this event last year and responded positively.

Baseball For Life is a group of some of the finest baseball coaches and men the Charlotte area has to offer. Everything they do is free - hosting clinics, rebuilding fields, giving away equipment and mentoring young players - everything. They ask nothing in return. They are not an academy or a for-profit business. They only wish to enhance the lives of young people through baseball.

As coaches, we should strive to learn as much as we can, so that we can teach as much as we can to our players. Register today.

Royals Softball Teams Up With Myers Park Trinity

Queens University has recently adopted Myers Park Trinity Softball as its “community project” and will be providing a free 2-hour skills clinic on Saturday, January 25th.

This clinic will feature the Lady Royals team plus head coach, Melanie Helterbran, at Randolph Park on Kiser-Chapman Field from 1:00-3:00 pm.  The clinic will focus on hitting, fielding, throwing and base running for all age groups. Although the event is free, we will be accepting voluntary donations for the Myers Park Trinity Softball program.

Please RSVP by email to softball@mptll.org if you plan to attend this clinic. Stay tuned to MP Twitter and Facebook, or the MP Blog for any future announcements or weather-related changes.