How about this quote from an article I just read online.  It comes from NFL quarterback Russell Wilson answering the question of how to get back to the Super Bowl.  Interesting.

 "It comes back to fundamentals, but it also comes back to that team bonding.  It comes back to 'I have your back' type of mentality at all costs," he said.

 

Read the entire article here.

Coach McKibben is excited to announce that an aggreement has been reached to allow the Sixers Baseball team access to an indoor facility starting  January 2015.  Basketball Coach Cliff Green owner of Pitt Bull Basketball, located behind Kids First on 7924 School Road, Cincinnati 45249, has granted Sixers Baseball use of his facility.  The facility will be a great asset to the Sixers Baseball program allowing for more team related practices leading up to opening day.  One on one hitting lessons will still be at Coach McKibben's.  Click on the logo below to learn more about Team Pitt Bull.

Thanks Coach Green!

 

 

 

 

 

Owen B. continued his hot hitting this fall with a single in the 4th that scored the go ahead run in a tight 0-0 ballgame at Walter J. Long Park last night.  Owen finished the game on the mound retiring all 3 batters he faced.  Great Job!

  

 

 

 

 

 

Great job Sixers at our 4th practice.  Our Wake-up/Warm ups are really moving

along.  Also, the football agilities and active stretching routines were on time and getting better every week.  Coach McKibben added a baserunning routine to the practice agenda as well.  Coach stressed the "little things" in baserunning often play a huge role in winning or losing baseball games.  The practice then turned to throwing.  The staff continues to work hard on "TD's" or throwing drills.  Coach McKibben also added the towel routine and stick stretches routine to the pitchers warm-up.  Again, great job Sixers - time sure flies.

Week 5 Preview

The Sixers will continue to work on proper warm-up, throwing and baserunning routines.  Coach McKibben will also cover bunting (sac./for a hit), run downs and PFP's (pitchers fielding practice).

SWOL has released the 2015 9U Divisions.  Sixers Baseball will make it's 2015 debut in the Continental Division.  The Sixers will play a 11 game league schedule along with 3 tournaments and will look to pick up several non-league games to bring the schedule to 25-30 games.  Here is a look at our 2015 Continental opponents:

Astros, Cincinnati Patriots, Riverdogs Blue, Colerain Bulldogs, Harrison Outlaws, Titans Baseball Club, Ram Baseball Club, Wyoming Rangers, Martini Service Center, Fury, Cincinnati Blue Crush, Monroe Swarm.

 

Sunday practice this week has been rescheduled for 6:00 - Boston and Coach McKibben are going camping!

 

Click on image for more information 

 

 

 

 

Sixers Baseball Signing day this year will be Sat. Oct. 25th at Blooms and Berries "Fall on the Farm Festival" located just outside Loveland OH.  We will meet at 9:45am in the parking lot.   We would love to have the whole family join us in this fun day.  The players entry ($7.00) along with egg throw and pumpkin paint ball will be provided.  

 

Check out this years 7 acre corn maze! (click on photo)

Great Job and thank you to all the Sixers players and parents for attending the baseball workouts at the Barn.  The attendance was great - we had 3 players with perfect attendance; B. McKibben, O. Hayes and N. Bachmann. 

Top 3 Most Improved 5-10-5 Shuttle Run (sec.)

- .81 Owen H. (7.06 to 6.25)

- .44 Carter T. (6.28 to 5.84)

- .11 Brody L. (6.05 to 5.94)

Thanks again to all the families for a wonderful morning of fun.  

 

Event #1 Tug of war - winner = Team Hayes

Event #2 Paint Gun - winner = Team Hayes

Event #3 Egg toss - winner = Team Tanner

Event #4 Corn Maze - winner = Team Tanner

Coach McKibben has received confirmation the Sixers will be playing in the 2015 MBP Bearcats 9U Tournament May 15-17th.

-No National League Teams

-All games played at Mountain Ballpark, Full Concession Stand

Click on the logo below for more information 

 

Homerun Derby - click on bat and ball below to give it a shot!  Coach McKibben has a homerun that traveled 621 ft. and a score of 3874.  Let me know how you do.

Sixers Baseball will step out of conference on Sunday June 7th to take on the PYO Patriots RED out of West Chester.  Gametime is set for 6:30.  The Patriots play out of the American North Division.  This is the second out of conference team from the American Division the Sixers have added.  The Sixers will also play Anderson out of the American South Division.

Sixers Baseball will tangle with Bulldog Baseball in a League contest at Little Fenway Park in Miamitown Sunday April 19th at 1:00pm.  Click on the photo to see more pictures of this unique facility.  It was built by former Boston Red Sox player Tim Naehring.

The park address is 8015 Furlong Dr. 45002

Sixers Baseball has accepted an invitation to the Barracks Baseball Invitational Tournament.  The Tournament is Friday April 10-12th. 

 

Sixers Baseball will play at least one American League team from each division this spring as they will tangle with the Haubner Hornets out of the American Central Division on Sunday June 28th at Haubner Fields (White Oak) for a single non-league contest.  The Hornets join the Anderson Tomahawks from the South Division along with PYO Red and the Warren County Wolfpack from the North Division.

The Sixers will play their league game vs. Wyoming Friday night May 8th at 8:00.  

 

Coach McKibben spent Saturday morning at Loveland HS going through the process of becoming a Certified Doyle Baseball Coach.  

Doyle Baseball is the longest running baseball school in the United States.  Opening in 1978,  the school has trained over 500,000 players and over 300,000 coaches.  The Doyle staff is comprised of former MLB & MILB players and scouts and baseball minds from all over.  Doyle Baseball CEO Blake Doyle is currently the Major League Hitting Coach for the Colorado Rockies. 

A leader in innovation, teaching and development for more than 35 years, Doyle Baseball continues to be on the cutting edge of teaching and breaking down the fundamentals. 

Click on the Doyle Baseball logo to read more about the program.

 

 

Bunt Totals (Sac, Hit, Squeeze)

14-15 Boston M.

12-15 Nathan B.

11-15 Will T.

9-15 Aeden V.

9-15 Owen H.

9-15 Boston S.

8-15 Carter T.

5-15 Brody L.

 

Situational Hitting (H&R, Runner on 2nd, Runner on 3rd)

13-15  Aeden V.

12-15 Brody L.

12-15 Will T.

12-15 Nathan B.

12-15 Boston M.

9-15 Carter T.

9-15 Owen H.

9-15 Boston S.

5-15 Daniel C.

 

MASH Round 1 - Point system

12-Will T.

11-Nathan B.

10-Aeden V.

10-Brody L.

9-Boston M.

9-Carter T.

5-Boston S.

1-Owen H.

1-Daniel C.

 

Ball Exit Speed - top 3 swings ave. (MPH)

54.0 Carter T.

53.7 Daniel C.

53.3 Nathan B.

52.3 Boston M.

51.7 Will T.

50.7 Aeden V.

49.7 Boston S.

43.7 Brody L.

42.0 Owen H.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sixers Baseball will be using Batters Advantage in Lebanon for hitting practice.

Dates:

Friday March 27th (8:00-9:00pm) 2 lanes reserved

Thursday April 2nd (7:00-8:00pm) 2 lanes reserved

Thursday April 9th (7:00-8:00pm) 2 lanes reserved

Wednesday April 15th (7:00-8:00pm) 2 lanes reserved

These hitting sessions are an added feature this season, if your interested in attending, I will be collecting $10 for each session.  Come to none or come to all 5, these are optional and not required to attend.

 

Sixers Baseball evened its preseason record to 1-1 with a 11-3 victory over American League opponent Cincinnati Galaxy at Good Shepherd Park.  Click HERE to read the recap.  The Sixers will be back on the road on Monday taking on the 10U Cincinnati Cobras.

Strikes vs. Cobras - Goal 60% Strikes

100% 8-8 Michael

80% 8-10 Aeden

50% 9-18 Brody

50% 8-16 Boston S

35% 9-26 Will

27% 6-22 Daniel

 

Strikes vs. Galaxy - Goal 60% Strikes

57% 12-21 Michael

56% 9-16 Owen B.

50% 17-34 Boston M

38% 11-29 Nathan

 

Strikes vs. Loveland - Goal 60% Strikes

88% 14-16 Aeden

80% 4-5 Boston M

71% 17-24 Nathan

67% 16-24 Owen B

61% 17-28 Will

47% 14-30 Michael

44% 8-18 Owen H

 

Pre Season "K" Totals

69% Aeden (31-45)

64% Owen B (37-58)

61% Michael (46-76)

59% Boston M (33-56)

55% Will (26-47)

50% Carter (5-10)

50% Boston S. (16-32)

49% Owen H. (17-35)

47% Nathan (33-70)

35% Brody (12-35)

33% Daniel (13-40)

 

Team K%= 54%

 

 

 

 

Sixers Baseball improved it's preseason record to 2-1 on the season after defeating the 10u Cobras 8-5. 

Some things you CAN'T control.  (I'm using a player's perspective here)

1. The weather

2. The umpire's strike zone, the umpire's calls in the field

3. The mound, the batters box, the field your playing on

4. The batting order

5. The attitude or state of mind of your teammates & coaches

6.  The opposition, crowd, etc.

 

Alright, so what are some things you CAN control?  I'm sure you can come up with a few of you own.

1.  Hustle (on and off the field)

2.  State of Mind, how you respond to failure & success - "Check In" "So What"

3.  Warm-up before game and between innings

4.  Plan at the plate

5.  Running out ground balls

6.  Moving and covering on every play

7.  Watching the opposition, picking off signs, did they touch all the bases?

8.  Supporting your teammates (Sixers Baseball) "I Got Your Back" mentality!

Week 3 Results (Bunt, H&R, Mash)

35 Owen B

35 Aeden

34 Nathan

32 Boston M

32 Michael

28 Owen H

25 Carter

22 Will

11 Brody

Week 3 MASH Round

25 Aeden

23 Nathan

23 Owen B

18 Michael

17 Boston M.

16 Owen H.

10 Carter

10 Will

1 Brody

 Exit Speed (MPH)

56.0 Carter

54.3 Will

53.7 Aeden

52.7 Nathan

52.3 Boston M

52.0 Owen B

48.7 Michael

46.3 Owen H

43.7 Brody

 

Week 2 Results (Bunt, H&R, Mash)

36 Boston M

31 Nathan

27 Daniel

24 Owen H.

23 Brody

21 Owen B.

19 Will

18 Carter

17 Boston S.

 

Week 2 MASH round

18 Boston M

15 Nathan

13 Daniel

10 Owen H.

10 Brody

9 Owen B.

8 Will

7 Boston S

5 Carter

 

 

 Point Standings After Week 3 (Combined bunting, Tee wall hits, H&R's and MASH points)

103 Boston M

100 Nathan

76 Will

72 Owen H.

69 Carter

67 Aeden

61 Brody

56 Owen B

42 Daniel

40 Boston S

32 Michael K

 

 

 

Boston M and Brody hit the 200 club!  Boston with 213 and Brody 201 combined Medicine ball hits.

Leaderboard:

1.) 213 Boston M.

2.) 201 Brody

3.)185 Boston S.

 

!

 

Nathan working on his Blocking skills in the Barn!  Block that "5-hole"

 

 

Brody getting his cuts in during "MASH' round at Batters Advantage

 

Team warming up on the slide at Grace Baptist prior to outdoor practice.

 

Round 4 vs. Lefty

19 Daniel

17 Will

13 Nathan

10 Owen H

9 Boston M

9 Michael

8 Aeden

6 Carter

4 Brody

2 Boston S

0 Owen B

 

Total Points - After 4 Rounds

113 Nathan

112 Boston M

93 Will

82 Owen H

75 Aeden

75 Carter

65 Brody

61 Daniel

56 Owen B

42 Boston S

41 Michael

 

Click on the calender link to see the 2015 Game and Practice Schedule.

 

 April outdoor practices:

Wed. April 1 6-7:30

Tues. April 7 6:30-8 (RAIN)

Wed. April 8 6:30-8 (RAIN)

Tues. April 14 6:30-8

Fri. April 17 6:30-8

Sat. April 18 4-6

Fri. April 24 6-7:30

Tues. April 28 6:30-8

May outdoor practices:

Tues. May 5 6:30-8

Tues May 12 6:30-8

Wed. May 13 6:30-8

Tues. May 26 6:30-8

June outdoor practices:

Fri. June 5 6:30-8

Tues. June 9 5-6:30

Sun. June 14 6-7:30

Fri. June 26 6:30-8

 

Scrimmage Schedule:

Sun. March 22 vs. Loveland Generals - Loveland Middle Schoo

Sat. March 28 vs. Galaxy

 Mon. March 30 vs. 10u Cobras

 

First League Game - April 16 vs. Patriots @ WT Park 6:15

Sixers Baseball enters phase 2 with individual hitting lessons.

Medicine Ball Series Top 5

Side to Side

45 Boston M.

43 Brody L.

41 Owen H.

40 Owen B.

40 Will T.

 

Diagonals to Dominate side

37 Boston M.

35 Boston S.

34 Brody L.

33 Owen B.

31 Owen H.

31 Michael K.

 

Diagonals to non-Dominate side

40 Boston M.

37 Brody L.

35 Will T.

35 Owen H.

34 Owen B.

34 Daniel C.

 

Wood Choppers w/twist 

33 Brody L.

32 Boston M.

29 Boston S.

29 Will T.

28 Daniel C.

 

Back Breakers

35 Boston M.

32 Owen B.

31 Brody L.

29 Boston S.

29 Michael K.

29 Daniel C..

  

One legged wood choppers

25 Boston M.

24 Brody L.

22 Boston S.

21 Will T.

21 Michael K.

  

Total Medicine Ball Hits

213 Boston M.

201 Brody L.

185 Boston S.

181 Owen B.

 

Catapult Series

Catapults (MPH)

15.0 Aeden V.

14.7 Boston M.

14.7 Daniel C.

14.7 Nathan B.

14.0 Michael K.

 

Torques

14.3 Michael K.

14.0 Daniel C.

14.0 Aeden V.

13.7 Boston M.

13.7 Boston S.

 

1 Knee

13.5 Daniel C.

12.7 Aeden V.

12.0 Boston M.

12.0 Nathan B.

 

1 Leg

13.7 Daniel C.

13.7 Nathan B.

13.0 Aeden V.

12.7 Boston M.

12.7 Michael K.

  

Running Catapult

18.7 Aeden V.

17.3 Will T.

17.3 Michael K.

17.0 Daniel C.

17.0 Nathan B.

 

T-Exit Speed (mph) Top 5

49.3 Aeden V.

47.3 Boston M.

47.0 Nathan B.

45.3 Daniel C.

42.3 Carter T.

 

Silver Speed (mph) Top 5

77.0 Boston M.

74.7 Boston S.

74.7 Nathan B.

74.0 Aeden V.

72.7 Brody L.

71.3 Carter T.

 

Blue Speed (mph) Top 5

58.3 Aeden V.

56.7 Carter T.

54.3 Boston S.

54.3 Nathan B.

 

PITCHING (mph)

#1 Quick arm w/softball

35.7 Will T.

35.7 Aeden V.

35.0 Boston M.

33.7 Brody L.

33.3 Nathan B.

 

#2 Quick arm w/tennis ball

44.3 Aeden V.

42.3 Boston M.

41.3 Nathan B.

40.7 Will T.

40.3 Brody L.

40.3 Daniel C.

 

#3 Power Prey w/baseball

41.7 Aeden V.

41.0 Boston M.

38.7 Daniel C.

38.7 Nathan B.

38.7 Will T.

38.3 Brody L.

 

#4 Scarecrow w/softball

40.3 Aeden V.

39.3 Boston M.

38.3 Nathan B.

37.0 Brody L.

36.3 Will T.

 

#5 Load and Go w/tennis ball

53.7 Aeden V.

50.3 Will T.

48.0 Brody L.

47.3 Boston M.

47.3 Daniel C.

47.3 Nathan B.

 

#6 Crow Hop w/baseball

48.3 Aeden V.

45.0 Will T. 

43.7 Boston M.

43.0 Michael K.

42.7 Brody L.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                    

 

 

 

The final round of the Hitting Challenge will be tonight at Batters Advantage beginning at 7:00pm.  The overall hitting champion will be crowned tonight.  The top spot will be decided between Nathan 113 points vs. Boston M. 112 points.  A third place battle is brewing between Will 93 points and Owen H. with 82 points.  The challenge will consist of bunting, H&R's and MASH rounds.  The challenge for the hitters this week will be: Hit and Runs with the "Hammer" bat,  the "Hit Stick"  bunting round and the final MASH round with a wood bat.  Should be an exciting finish.

Nathan B. claimed the 5 week Hitters Challenge by defeating Boston M 6-5 in a bonus round.  Boston M. trailed Nathan by one point entering the final weekend.  Boston forced the overtime by defeating Nathan 19-18 in regulation.  The two Sixer sluggers finished the season tied at 131 points each forcing an extra round.  Will T. secured 3rd place and Owen H. checked in with a 4th place finish. 

Also with a big night, Carter T. took top bat speed honors and Owen B. won the back wall "T-shot" competition.

  

Carter T - Bat Speed Champ      Will T - 3rd Place Points

The Sixers will travel to Continental League leader Bulldog Baseball on Sat. May 16 at 1:00pm.  This game was washed out earlier in the season.  The Bulldogs currently are 12-3 overall and 4-0 in league play. 

Sixers Baseball defeated Fury Baseball 19-13 and moved its record to 9-5 (5-2).  The Sixers used two big innings to notch the victory scoring 8 runs in the 2nd and 11 runs in the 5th.  At the plate, the Sixers collected 2 hits each from Michael Kirk (3 Rbi's), Will Tanner (4 Rbi's) and Daniel Clock (double).  Boston McKibben (3-0) pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to collect the win.  The Sixers return to league action tomorrow vs. Titans Baseball.

Sixers Baseball moved its record to 10-5 (6-2) with a 14-7 victory over the Titans Baseball Club in League play.  Michael Kirk led the Sixers at the plate with 4 hits including 2 doubles and 4 runs batted in.  Brody Long chipped in with 2 hits and Boston McKibben had 3 RBI's for the Sixers.  On the mound, Nathan Bachmann (1-0) pitched the first 3 innings to record his first victory of the season striking out 4 along the way. 

Sixers Baseball won its 3rd game in a row defeating Cincinnati Reds RBI 13-5 in league action.  The win moves the Sixers record to 11-5 overall and 7-2 in league play.  The Sixers overcame a slow start as the Reds built a 5-2 lead into the 4th inning.  In the 4th inning the Sixers plated home 11 times to push the lead to 13-5.  At the plate, Will Tanner had a big day for the Sixers collecting 3 hits and 2 RBI's.  Boston Socha, Owen Boggess and Aeden Visconti chipped in with 2 RBI's each.  On the mound, 4 Sixer pitchers, Boston McKibben, Brody Long, Owen Hayes and Visconti combined to no-hit the Reds.  Picking up the win, Visconti (3-1) pitched 3 innings of relief striking out 7 and walking 3 while Hayes (1-0, 3 saves) picked up his 3rd save on the season closing the game out.

Sixers Baseball couldn't hold off Anderson in a 11-9 non league loss.  The Sixers built a 6-0 lead in the first and a 9-3 lead in the 3rd but it wasn't enough.  The Tomahawks responded with 2 runs in the 3rd, 5 runs in the 4th and 1 run in the 5th for the final score.  Daniel Clock led the Sixers with 2 hits and 2 RBI's.  Owen Hayes also chipped in 3 RBI's for the Sixers.  Aeden Visconti took the loss working in relief of Nathan Bachmann.

Sixers Baseball stepped out of conference and defeated American league member PYO Red 18-14.  The Sixers scored early and often against the American League PYO squad scoring in all 6 innings building a 18-7 margin into the final frame. The Sixers were led at the plate by Daniel Clock 's career high 4 hits.  Michael Kirk, Nathan Bachmann, Owen Hayes and Boston Socha each chipped in 2 hits.  Brody Long led the Sixers with a career high 4 RBI's.  Kirk picked up the win for the Sixers with 2.2 innings striking out 5 while walking only 1.

Sixers Baseball improved its record to 13-6 and 8-2 in league play with a 18-6 win over Martini Service Center Lugnuts in 5 innings.  After falling behind 5-3 in the 2nd, the Sixers put up 7 runs to take a 10-5 lead and never looked back.  The Sixers added 4 runs in the 4th and again 4 runs in the 5th to pick up the league victory.   Nathan Bachmann had the big day at the plate for the Sixers with 3 hits including a triple and 4 RBI's.  Michael Kirk had a double and Aeden Visconti collected 3 RBI's for the Sixers.  Visconti picked up the victory in relief of Bachmann.

Sixers Baseball earned the #1 seed in the Continental League tournament.  The Tournament will be held at WT Park.  The Sixers will play the winner of the Fury vs. Cincinnati RBI Reds.  The Sixers topped the Fury 19-13 and the Reds 13-5 in league action early in the season.

The Sixers were shut-out for only the second time this season falling 12-0 to Harrison Heat.  The Heat remain undefeated in league play at 8-0, with the loss the Sixers are 8-3 in league action.  The Heat scored 2 runs in the first then broke open the game with 4 runs in the 3rd.  The Sixers committed seven errors on the day to seal their fate.  Offensively the Sixers were limited to 2 singles one each by Daniel Clock and Nathan Bachmann.  Michael Kirk took the loss for the Sixers pitching the first 2 innings.  The Continental League Tournament is up next for the Sixers.

Sixers Baseball fell 17-7 to the Monroe Swarm in tournament action.  The Sixers held an early 2-1 lead in the 2nd and were still in the game down 5-3 entering the 4th.   The Swarm put the game away plating 8 runs in the 6th advancing the Swarm to the finals.  Daniel Clock led the Sixers with 2 hits and Boston McKibben and Will Tanner chipped in with 2 RBI's each for the Sixers.  Starting pitcher B. McKibben took the loss allowing 3 runs on 2 hits while striking out 3 and walking 1 in 2 2/3 innings. 

Sixers Baseball trailed 7-0 and needed a big finish to defeat the Reds RBI 7-6 in the first round of the Continental Baseball Tournament held at WT Park.  The Sixers found themselves down 7-3 entering the final inning before making their improbable comeback.  The Sixers took advantage of 3 walks and 2 errors and a wild pitch scoring Daniel Clock for the comeback win.  Nathan Bachmann was the only Sixer who could muster a hit off five Reds pitchers on the day.  The Sixers took advantage of 10 walks issued by the Reds to stay in the game.  On the mound for the Sixers,  pitcher Michael Kirk entered the game in the second inning down 7-0.  Kirk pitched the final 4 1/3 inning allowing no runs on one hit and 12 K's.

Sixers Baseball improved its season record to 15-8 with a 17-16 win over the Warren County Wolfpack.  The victory also improves the Sixers record to 6-4 over American League teams.  The Sixers took a 17-9 lead into the final inning before a wild comeback fell just short for the Wolfpack.   Nathan Bachmann led the Sixers at the plate with 3 hits and 6 RBI's.  Michael Kirk and Aeden Visconti also chipped in with 2 hits for the Sixers.  Owen Hayes picked up the victory in relief while Boston McKibben came in late to record the save for the Sixers.