The Amherst Baseball Club General Meeting, held Thursday, January 15 at the Middle School, drew over 30 parents to discuss the recent compromise between Amherst Baseball Club and the Amherst Recreation Commission, to transition town baseball to the private club.

Board President Greg MacDonald solicited input on coach development plans, the need for volunteer and board member opportunities, pre-season coaching clinic possibilities, and the need 70-foot baseball diamond.

MacDonald explained the purpose of creation of a 70' diamond for the Majors division. "Most of our bordering towns including Milford, Brookline, Hollis and Nashua have created a 70' program which serves as a transition to the 90' diamond that players move to when they turn 13. The national Cal Ripken organization has identified the move to the 90' diamond as one of the reasons baseball enrollment numbers drop at the Babe Ruth level. Many kids have found the move from a 60' diamond to a 90' diamond overwhelming and they grow quickly frustrated and decide to walk away from the sport. By giving kids this transition period it will provide more time for skill development and support and build their self-confidence. The improved self-confidence tends to favor kids staying engaged in the sport as they move up to the Babe Ruth and Middle School team level."

MacDonald went on to explain that "the actual field changes involve very little labor and cost and could be completed in a day. The field can then be used interchangeably as both a 60' and 70' field. The Club has had some positive preliminary discussions with the Recreation Department and is hoping to continue the discussion with the Amherst Recreation Commission in the upcoming month. The Club is willing to provide labor assistance and financial support towards this endeavor."

MacDonald also presented the Club's commitment to keeping baseball fees as low as possible. Current fees of $80 for Minors/Majors, and $90 for Babe Ruth, represent a lower fee structure than 2007 and 2008. "We feel with proper fundraising and financial management, the Club can keep baseball in Amherst affordable. We also introduced a sibling discount," MacDonald added, "which is new this year and is intended to keep costs down for families with more than one child in the program."

Board member Peter Batchelder provided a quick overview of the new web site the club launched last Spring. "We built this web site to serve as a central communication platform for the Club." The inclusion of a game schedule calendar and a library of resources necessary to run a cohesive program makes the site an important communication tool.  We know parents are busy and that with so many coaches and volunteers communicating to their team," Batchelder said, adding, "it's difficult to ensure schedules, philosophies, cancellations, etc, to be consistently communicated."

 "We'd also like to include more media on the site, such as photos and video shot by team parents," Batchelder said. "These games are great fun for the kids and parents, and being able to view photos and videos is something we know kids love to do."

The site is also equipped to handle online registration, which is currently activated. "We received over 20 registrations within the first day of the activation of the registration," Batchelder said.

Volunteer opportunities to assist the club exist, and interested parents are invited to help out. If parents wish to coach, participate in fundraising activities, event coordination, etc, feel free to contact the club at info@amherstbaseballclub.org.