Jr. J-Hawk families,

Seeing the Jr. J-Hawk program grow from one team in 2006 to 10 teams in 2011 speaks volumes of everyone involved from its inauguration to present. One philosophy that has been encompassed and nice to see is that we are not only attempting to develop better baseball players but we are also trying to develop better young boys and young men. Building character through the competition arena is a fabulous start to these life lessons and life skills. Having parents and coaches encourage and be supportive of every player are key ingredients to this philosophy. If we are expecting “All Stars” right out of the gate…we set ourselves up for a long season. Let’s develop these players into “All Stars” through a progression process of sound and core fundamentals at each age level. I know we can get caught up in the winning aspect of competition but breeding competitors early will lead to winning in the end. We’ve all experienced seeing the growth of a player and a team within a particular year.

Entering my 16th season of coaching baseball at Jefferson (6th varsity season) I am looking forward to another great summer of J-Hawk baseball. With each day we get closer to our first day of practice (May 2nd) and it brings excitement and visions of great expectations for the upcoming 2011 season across the board at all our levels. Although we lost six starting seniors I am very optimistic of what lies ahead. People continue to ask, “How are you going to be this year?” My simple answer is, “We have a lot of hard work ahead of us!” The enjoyment for me will be seeing these young men work hard, challenge themselves, compete, and come together as a team. If those elements come together for each player we will have a great season!

I wish each of you a summer of baseball enjoyment. I know first-hand the commitment and sacrifice it takes from you to make baseball a reality for your son(s). Thank you for involving your son in the Jr. J-Hawk program and keeping Westside baseball on the map. The memories will last a life time!

Coach Kuba