The Lancaster Post 11 Beavers concluded round two of their field measure work last week and will be moving to baseball combine measures and video work over the next few weeks.

The measurement and video work are parts of Post 11's expanding program to help kids create college recruiting profiles and to go and play at the next level.

Field measures consist of movements like 5-10-5, standing long jump, vertical jump and 60yrd dash, among others. Field measures help capture statistics on linear and lateral quickness, acceleration, and horizontal power, all abilities that help a young man realize his baseball potential.

"A good thing about taking field measures is that it helps a young man see where he is relative to his peers, and also see how he stacks up against college players", said Post 11's Coach Rowland. "He can then use those measures to set goals on where he wants to be, set up a plan to reach them, and then execute the plan. We had several kids that ran sub-7 second 60yrd dashes. One young man averaged between 6.6 - 6.7. And when you look at a something like a 60 time and compare it to other measures, like a 10-yard burst, you can help a kid pick exercises to help improve his 60 time which is important to college coaches. It's fun and the kids enjoy it and see how it helps them become better baseball players."

Combine measures like exit and throwing velocity serve similar purposes to help a young man see where he is relative to others and to set goals for where he wants to be.

"It's not enough to just 'want to play college ball'. A young man has to set incremental goals that are specific, measurable, attainable and that he can reach within a short time period. It helps him to gain momentum toward longer term goals like playing college baseball", said Coach Rowland.

Regarding goals, Coach Rowland went on to say, "In addition to the measurement work, we're also helping our players learn how to set goals and make plans to reach them. It's not an easy process and it takes several shots at it to land on the goals you want. A lot of people try setting goals and find it doesn't work for them because they set goals they can't attain or are unmeasureable. Our coaching staff has decades of experience setting and achieving goals in both the athletic world and in the professional world. We think we can pass that skill on to our young men to help them not only with baseball, but with a key life skill."

The measurement and video work will culminate into recruiting profiles that kids can use when connecting with colleges. 

"A lot of kids want to play college ball but aren't sure how to go about it, and neither are their parents. Each coach on our staff has played college ball and we think we can help them. The staff also has decades of experience in marketing, sales, and data analytics, key skills that we can use to help kids promote themselves to college coaches. Two of our coaches. Coach Hyme and Coach Sisson, are active pitching instructors. Coach Hyme also teaches cross-fit at CrossFit 740. He and Coach Sisson can help kids set up training programs that can be done at a gym or a at home to help them reach their goals. We are really excited about the future of Post 11 baseball," said Coach Rowland. 

To conclude, Coach Rowland commented on the team's excitement, "But beyond taking the measures, the coolest thing I observed these last two weeks was how the kids came together. The first pass through, the kids were curious about the process and encouraged each other. The second pass through, the measures got better and their encouragement for one another got stronger. These kids want each other to do well, something you don't always see in a team. During the last 300yrd shuttle run, it looked like one player was gonna have to run it by himself, and the other kids were gassed already. A couple kids started to go and run it a second time and Mr. Hullinger, one of the dads there watching, jumped in and said, 'I'll do it!'. The kids excitement and encouragement for one another is infectious and impacts people around them. Mr. Hullinger, a Marine veteran, had a great shuttle run. It was incredible to watch and the kids loved it".

Post 11 will be working out at Beavers Field most Sunday's over the next 6 weeks completing measurement and video work as well as conducting fall practices and skull sessions that promote baseball IQ. To learn more about the program and remaining spots on the 2019 roster, check out the website at beaversfield.com or send an email to lancasterpost11baseball@yahoo.com.