T-Ball Success

Sliding into home was one of the defining characteristics of the season for Darius.

Darius had a smashing good time with his first season on the baseball diamond. He made huge improvements every game, his coaches were as excellent as any parent could ask for (shout-out to Coach Craig and Coach Marie!), and he really got to show off his on-field personality and enthusiasm for baseball.

He quickly became attentive on the field. By his second game, he was tracking every ball put into play.

He also hustled back to the dugout at the end of the inning.

Early in the season, he had a bit of a problem with throwing his bat on every swing.

One practice session later, he was gently dropping the bat. Darius never threw a bat in a game again.

He was also making good contact with the ball much of the time. Honestly, I probably have as much to learn as he does here. I know very little about the mechanics of a good swing.

Keeping eyes open when fielding is something we’ll need to work on for next season.

But once he captured the ball, Darius was quickly looking to where it needed to be.

He also kept a close eye on his coaches when he was running to see about where they wanted him to stop.

Darius was probably giving some encouraging words to his teammates here as they came into the dugout.

Is sticking one’s tongue out a problem when playing baseball? I’m honestly shocked at how many photos I have on this blog without his tongue sticking out.

Did I mention he slid into home every time?

With just a slight increase in power, Darius could easily be hitting into the outfield.

He always chased down the ball—even if that occasionally meant leaving his own position unattended. Oops!

This guy is ready for action!

Coach Marie always offered encouragement to the runners when they came in.

But the coaches for the opposing teams were not hesitant to build up every player on the field.

Darius showed a lot of improvement with his throwing over the course of his seven games (and many practices).

Many actions on the field were accompanied by a face of terror (or something).

We can certainly work on getting out of the box faster, but his raw speed was increasing. Cleats might help.

Again, always looking to his coaches for direction.

Unimpressed with the pace of the game, it seems.

Eyes on the ball. Looks good in this moment, but it did not result in a catch. Hand-eye coordination will improve by playing catch a bit more often. Thankfully, I have a glove now.

Lead off batter in the inning for his final at-bat of the season, resulting in a single.

Quickly getting into his run, setting the bat down nicely, keeping an eye on the ball. Everything was coming together.

Running past Coach Craig and his dugout on the way to score his final run of the season.

And of course a slide into home to cap it all off. You make us proud, Darius!

Maggi and I discussed the above on episode 83 of Adventures with BAM.