CURRENT NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
2024 LOWER MAC
Fall Baseball
Registration
Registration will be open from Sunday, June 23rd to Thursday, July 18th. Provisional registration will then be open until rosters maxed.
Fees
Instructional (K, 1st, and 2nd grade)
$85 (Provisional $105)
PYL Biddy, Midget, Knee-Hi, and Majors
$160 (Provisional $180)
PYL Baseball
Lower Mac Baseball will participate in PYL this fall at the Biddy, Midget, Knee-Hi, and Major levels. All levels will be intramural this fall. There is no travel baseball in the fall. Depending on registration numbers, we may also participate at the 1st and 2nd-grade (Coach Pitch/Grasshopper) levels also. Fall ball at Lower Mac is strictly intramural. There are no evaluations. Coordinators will place players on teams based on the levels they played in previous seasons. The baseball committee will have discussions with coaches to make sure that we do the best we can to place players on a team where they can be successful while also develop their skills.
INTRAMURAL BASEBALL
FAQ: Why does Lower Mac baseball participate in both the PYL American and National Divisions?
Our decision to participate in both Divisions was based on striking a balance between more instructional focused baseball versus a more competitive brand of baseball with a more challenging set of rules and taking into consideration our strong program, and the depth of talent across our organization.
In general, the PYL American Division is more competitive, and teams will play a more advanced set of baseball rules in each age group and focus on a higher degree of competitiveness than in the PYL National Division. For example, (i) the introduction of leads, base stealing, pick-off moves, and reduction from four outfielders to three will occur at an earlier age in PYL American than in PYL National.
The PYL American Division also permits the double-rostering of a limited number of travel and tournament players onto its rosters with those players being subject to certain pitching restrictions. Double-rostering of PYL National players onto PYL American teams is permitted and will be done at the discretion of the Lower Mac Baseball coaches based on team needs.
Fall 2024 Refund Policy
PYL & Instructional - All Divisions
No full refund requests will be honored after 7/18/2024. Uniforms, hats, and field supplies are ordered on the morning of 7/19/2024.
No refunds once practice starts for the season.
PROGRAM GOALS
Baseball Program Goals
Lower Macungie Youth Association Baseball sponsors a comprehensive program that provides a positive baseball learning experience and recognizes the diverse interests of the participants. The program is designed to teach the game in a progressive manner while highlighting the benefits of physical activity.
Skill development is the primary focus at an early age. This focus continues as players progress up through the various levels of competition. There are different competitive levels offered to accommodate the interest and dedication of the individual player. Please review the Player / Participation page for more details.
Teams and Leagues by Age / Grade Level
2024 Fall Intramural Program
The Lower Mac Intramural program is focused on continuing to enhance baseball skills while introducing competition and teamwork. Skill development includes familiarizing the player with the fundamental aspects of the game, including fielding different positions, hitting, pitching, catching, and base running. The Lower Mac Intramural program begins in third grade and extends through high school. The Intramural program is competitive baseball, but less competitive than the Travel program.
Parkland Youth Leagues (PYL)
Intramural teams compete in the Parkland Youth League (PYL). Within the Parkland Youth League, we field teams in the American and National Divisions. The American Division is more competitive baseball than the National Division, with slightly more advanced rules regarding pitching, base-stealing, and outfield play. PYL American division players will be selected according to how the players rank in the spring evaluations. The remaining players will be selected for PYL National Division teams.
PYL Biddy
In the first three years of Intramural program eligibility (3rd, 4th, 5th grades) Lower Mac baseball offers players an option of participating in one of three different leagues. The PYL Biddy American and National divisions are part of our Intramural program, while the LVLBL Biddy League is part of our Travel program.
PYL Division: American and National
Coordinator: Lucas Haughney ([email protected])
Coaches: TBA after registration
Eligibility: Third Grade, Fourth Grade, Fifth Grade (cannot be 11 before May 1, 2025)
Practices: Begin early August
Games: Begin late August
Diamond: 60' bases; 44' from the mound to plate
Home Field: Church Small or Quarry 2
Away Fields: travel within Lehigh County for away games
The number of Lower Mac teams competing in the PYL American and PYL National Divisions is dependent upon the number of players signed up for Biddy-level ball. Player evaluations are conducted to assess players' abilities and attempt to identify PYL American division players who are best able to compete in a league with more advanced rules, from players we determine as being better served in the PYL National division for further skill development or safety concerns. Players not selected for PYL American will automatically be assigned to PYL National.
MOVING FROM BIDDY BASEBALL TO MIDGET BASEBALL: ELIGIBILITY DETAILS
As players move into and beyond fifth grade, the criteria for eligibility changes from grade-based to age-based to comply with the age-based date of May 1, 2025, dictated by the PYL and Lehigh Valley Little Baseball (LVLBL) Leagues. The switch from grade-based to age-based eligibility criteria impacts players as they move from Biddy (8-10 yr old) to Midget (11-12 yr old).
PYL Midget
PYL Division: American and National
Coordinator: Herbie Kinney ([email protected])
Coaches: TBA
Eligibility: 11 and 12 years old (cannot turn 13 prior to May 1, 2025)
Practices: Begin early August
Games: Begin late August
Fields: Quarry 3 or Quarry 4
Diamond: 70' bases; 48' from the mound to plate
PYL Knee Hi
PYL Division: American and National
Coordinator: Andrew Tillinghast ([email protected])
PYL Head Coaches: To Be Announced
Eligibility: 13, 14, and 15 years old (must turn 13 prior to May 1, 2025; cannot turn 16 prior to May 1, 2025)
Practices: Begin early August
Games: Begin late August
Fields: Church Large and Quarry 1
Diamond: 80' bases; 54' from the mound to plate for National
Diamond: 90' bases; 60' 6"' from the mound to plate for American
PYL Majors Level
Division: Majors
Coordinator: Craig Coenen ([email protected])
PYL Head Coach: TBA
Eligibility: 16, 17, and 18 years old
Practices: Begin early August
Games: Begin late August
Fields: East Texas Large for home games; travel within Lehigh County for away games
Diamond: 90' bases; 60' 6" from the mound to plate
Fall 2024 Instructional Program
The Lower Mac Instructional program is a player’s opportunity to play organized baseball in the Fall. The program usually consists of three leagues: Pee Wee (for kindergartners), Coaches Pitch (for first graders), and Grasshopper (for second graders). The primary focus is for the players to have fun while learning the basic fundamentals of the game.
Depending on registration numbers, instructional levels may have to be combined.
Pee Wee League
Coordinator: Kerry Lehman ([email protected])
Eligibility: Kindergarten Fall 2024
To be eligible to begin to play in the Lower Mac baseball program, players must have turned five years old on or before September 2024, currently be enrolled in kindergarten.
Practices: Begins in Mid to Late August
Games: TBA (times vary from 9A-2P)
Fields: Schoeneck Field
Diamond: 60' bases; no set distance from the mound to plate
Lower Mac Baseball's philosophy is to start players out batting against live pitching rather than hitting from a tee. While we use the batting tee as an instructional tool, practice and games will be centered on the coach's soft-toss pitching to batters from a kneeling position at a comfortable distance from the plate. In the field, the focus is on elementary throwing mechanics and basic fielding.
Coaches Pitch League
Coordinator: Kerry Lehman ([email protected])
Eligibility: First Grade Fall 2024
Practices: begin Mid to Late August; one to two days per week
Games: TBA
Fields: Schoeneck or Orchard
Diamond: 60' bases; 38'-40' from the mound to plate
Young players' second year is one with a continued focus on the basics of hitting, baserunning, throwing, fielding, and making plays. Coaches continue to pitch to batters, but move back to just in front of the mound and generally throw with increasing speed.
Grasshopper League
Coordinator: Kerry Lehman ([email protected])
Eligibility: Second Grade Fall 2024
Practices: Start Mid to Late August
Games: TBA (times vary from 9A-4P)
Fields: Orchard Field
Diamond: 60' bases; 42' from the mound to plate
Grasshopper League is an important transition year in the Lower Mac Instructional program as baseball changes from coaches pitching to batters (in August) to kids pitching to batters (from September onward). This is also the first year that kids catch behind the plate. Both pitching and catching skills are strongly emphasized during the first six weeks of the season to prepare teams for the kid's pitch portion of the season.
LowerMac Baseball Equipment Information
Lower Mac baseball provides shirts and hats for each player participating in the Instructional and Intramural programs and provides jerseys for Travel Program players. Lower Mac Baseball also provides catching gear, batting helmets, games, and practice baseballs. Players can use their own gear if they prefer to do so. Players will need: (i) their own baseball gloves, (ii) to wear their own baseball pants, (iii) to wear non-metal cleats, and (iv) to wear an athletic supporter with a cup for all practices and games (see individual League guidelines for specific rules).
In recent seasons most players have begun to use their own baseball bats and as such, these guidelines are provided to assist families in understanding baseball bat regulations, terminology, and what to consider when purchasing a bat.
Baseball bat rules have been evolving over the past few years at all levels of youth baseball, with player safety as the ultimate objective. Bat technology has developed to the point where the speeds at which a hit baseball travels can be excessive and unsafe as deemed by several sanctioning organizations. Lower Mac Baseball has been closely monitoring these developments and adopts the equipment requirements as dictated by the Leagues in which we compete. We understand that there will be some inconvenience and potential cost to families, and we don’t take this lightly, but player safety is an issue we can’t ignore.
The following are the rules regarding bats for the 2024 season. It is important that you identify what division and league the player will play in to know which rule will apply. The bat restrictions typically follow those of the host league, and although they are often similar among travel leagues, they can vary from your local league rules. Your manager will notify you of any variance.
|
LEAGUE
Softball bats are not allowed in any league |
MAXIMUM
BARREL
DIAMETER
|
MAXIMUM
BAT
LENGTH
|
WEIGHT TO LENGTH RATIO
(DROP or MINUS)
|
|
INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM
|
|||
|
Pee Wee
|
No restrictions
|
No restrictions
|
No restrictions
|
|
Coach Pitch
|
No restrictions | No restrictions |
No restrictions
|
|
Grasshopper
|
No restrictions | No restrictions |
No restrictions
|
|
INTRAMURAL PROGRAM [only bats stamped USA or USSSA BPF 1.15 or BBCOR logo are legal]
|
|||
|
PYL Biddy
|
2 3/4 inches max
|
33 inches
|
No restrictions |
|
PYL Midget
|
2 3/4 inches max
|
33 inches
|
No restrictions
|
|
PYL KH National
PYL KH American
|
2 3/4 inches max
2 5/8 inches max
|
36 inches
36 inches
|
no lighter than -8
|
|
Majors
|
2 5/8 inches max
|
36 inches
|
no lighter than -3 - BBCOR only
|
|
TRAVEL PROGRAM
|
|||
|
BIDDY
|
No restrictions
|
No restrictions
|
No restrictions
|
|
MIDGET
|
No restrictions
|
No restrictions
|
No restrictions
|
|
KNEE HI
|
2 3/4 inches
|
No restrictions
|
no lighter than -8
|
|
CONNIE MACK
|
2 5/8 inches
|
36 inches
|
no lighter than -3
|
|
JUNIOR LEGION
SENIOR LEGION
|
WOOD BATS MUST BE USED. BATS MUST MEET THE SPECIFICATIONS LISTED IN RULE 1.10a-c OF THE “OFFICIAL RULES OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.” click here to review MLB Rule 1.10a-c
|
||
|
SENIOR LEGION
|
2.61 inches
|
42 inches
|
Legion approved Composite Bats are allowed - List below
|
Composite and wood baseball bats are approved for all Leagues except Junior Legion. The Lehigh Valley Little Baseball League has posted a list of banned bats on its website - to review it click here.
Approved Senior Legion bats can be found here.
THE AMERICAN LEGION, DEPARTMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA
https://cdn1.sportngin.com/attachments/document/ed73-2667786/Approved_Composite_Bat_List_PA_Americn_Legion_Baseball.pdf
Any bat that is not a single piece of wood with a weight differential of (-3) must meet current NFHS (BBCOR) standards and must be properly marked with the BBCOR logo. The logo must be (one-inch rectangular and located on the barrel of the bat in any contrasting color to read BBCOR *50). No aluminum or composite bat without the BBCOR logo is legal beginning Jan. 1, 2012. If the bat should have both BESR and BBCOR logos, the bat is legal. Click here for a definition of the bat performance standards.
BAT WEIGHT AND WEIGHT TO LENGTH RATIO
Most bats are measured in inches lengthwise and weighed in ounces, and manufacturers have done a great job in balancing the bat's weight to its length. The weight differential (or drop, or minus) refers to the difference between the length of the bat (in inches) and the weight of the bat (in ounces). It is always shown as a minus number and the higher the weight drop, the lighter the bat (if the length is the same). Many bats have a weight-to-length ratio, often shown as -4, -6, etc.
- For example, a 28” bat with a -10 drop weighs 18 oz.
- Bats used in the Instructional program often have weight differentials in the -10 to -12 range. As players grow stronger, they generally begin to use heavier bats with a decreasing weight differential.
Selecting weight really depends on two critical factors: the player's strength and hitting style. It also depends to a degree on personal preference in weight and length, so the following are simply guidelines to follow:
- Bigger, stronger players generally prefer a heavier bat since they get the benefits of both the heft and swing power
- Smaller players with less strength should consider a lighter bat to generate a quicker swing
- Younger players, too, should consider that a lighter bat increases control: great for singles hitters, while also reducing the risk of injury
FIELDS
Orchard Field: From Route 100 turn onto Schoeneck Road. Follow through the industrial complex. Go straight through the stop sign, cross over the railroad tracks. Make a left onto Scenic View Road. This baseball field is nearer to Orchard Drive on Scenic View Road (by the playground).
Schoeneck Field: From Route 100 turn onto Schoeneck Road. Follow through the industrial complex. Go straight through the stop sign, cross over the railroad tracks. Make a left onto Scenic View Road. nearer Schoeneck Road on Scenic View Road (farther west).
Church Lane Small: From Route 100 South, crossover Route 222 heading towards Macungie. Make a left onto Church Lane just passed the church. In approximately 1 mile field will be on your right hand side.
Church Lane Large: From Route 100 South, crossover Route 222 heading towards Macungie. Make a left onto Church Lane just passed the church. In approximately 1.5 miles, make a right onto Oak Drive. Make the first right in approximately 150 feet onto Walnut Lane. Make the next right onto Laurel Lane and then the next right onto Heather Road. Make the second right into the park entrance.
Quarry Lane Complex: From Route 100, turn onto Quarry Road. Follow Quarry Road for approximately 0.7 mile. Quarry Lane Complex will be on your right hand side. Field #1 is first field along Quarry Road, Field #2 is just below the pavillon, Field #3 is the next field that is set on the right hand side of the lower parking lot, Field #4 is on the left of the lower parking lot the furthest field back in the complex.
East Texas Large Field: From the Route 222 South Bypass, turn onto Brookside Road South. (Wawa will be at the intersection). At the second traffic light make a right hand turn on to East Texas Road. Continue approximately 0.5 mile. Field will be on the right immediately after a small little white church / community center.
TRAINING/DEVELOPMENT
Coaching Clinics/Instruction
Coaching clinics are available to coordinate instruction and improve skill development at all levels within the baseball program
Those interested in enhanced coaching training should contact Chuck Evans
Camps/Clinics
Websites of Interest
ADMINISTRATION
| Position | Official | Date Elected |
| Director of Baseball Operations | Chuck Evans | June - 2022 |
| Uniform Coordinator | Chuck Evans | June - 2022 |
| Equipment Coordinator | Chuck Evans | June - 2022 |
| Rookie League Coordinator | Kerry Lehman | Oct - 2023 |
| Coaches-Pitch Coordinator | Kerry Lehman | Oct - 2023 |
| Pee Wee Coordinator | Kerry Lehman | Oct - 2023 |
| PYL Biddy Coordinator | Lucas Haughney | July - 2021 |
| PYL Midget Coordinator | Herbie Kinney | July - 2021 |
| PYL Knee Hi Coordinator | Andrew Tillinghast | Oct - 2023 |
| PYL Majors Coordinator | TBD | |
| LVLBL Travel Program Coordinator | Tony Viola | Jan - 2016 |
| PYL Program Coordinator | Rob Pandolfo | Oct - 2023 |
| 8th grade Team Coordinator | Jason Geist | April - 2020 |
VOLUNTEER
Coaching
Coaching Clinics/Instruction
Coaching clinics are available to coordinate instruction and improve skill development at all levels within the baseball program
Those interested in enhanced coaching training should contact Chuck Evans at [email protected]
