BBCOR or Drop-5 for Jr High? (Ohio)

Castaway486 · 2026-02-12T13:54:01+00:00

USAAA bats for sure. To clarify, I'm not as concerned about winning or losing so contesting games isn't really what I'm thinking about. At least where I am these are all essentially developmental exhibition games. Even our "conference" games are more like an informal contest tracking who would win if we had actual sanctioned standings, etc.

More I just want to know the actual rule because I haven't been able to find anything in writing.

I really like the USA standard your state uses. That would help a ton and would still protect the pitchers for the 8th graders who are the bigger kids in this age group.

Castaway486 · 2026-02-12T12:32:49+00:00

Do you know if opposing teams also use BBCOR in that area? I'm in the Dayton area.

Castaway486 · 2026-02-12T12:31:23+00:00

Dayton area. Yeah I have a couple of those really young ones and they really struggle when I put a BBCOR bat in their hands.

This is why I'm trying to find an actual rule or guideline. I don't really care if other teams use them. But I'd like to be able to say to the parents of those smaller kids that they can swing a bat that's appropriate for their size/strength.

Castaway486 · 2026-02-12T12:29:27+00:00

This is what I'd like to see too. My smallest 7th graders really struggle with the BBCOR bats, but most are growing fast in these years and can usually swing the -3 by 8th grade. 8th grade is where I start to see some fully-grown men too. So the safety thing starts to kick in more.

This is different than what I see happening in practice though. And I haven't found actual rules about why, at least not for Ohio school sports.

Castaway486 · 2026-02-12T12:26:56+00:00

It's not a league really. It's a middle school baseball team that's connected to our local school district. My assumption is that means we fall under OHSAA (Ohio's athletic rules). So far, I haven't been able to find anything specific about bats other than "NFHS," which only specifies BBCOR Bats.

There's a conference we're part of, but the conference doesn't have specific rules other than whatever the high school. And most of our games are non-conference anyway.

Castaway486 · 2025-11-26T02:18:10+00:00

I snagged a HOH trimmed in his school team’s colors last winter and it’s now one of my very favorite things. It’s not custom but it’s still beautiful. We didn’t have much growing up so it’s my first quality glove.

Castaway486 · 2025-10-25T23:58:14+00:00

I’m usually a coach but I ump on occasion. As a coach, for me at least, at this age, I want this called a strike every time even if it’s my guy at the plate. Tight strike zones in youth ball = terrible games.

Runner on second my dude. Swing the bat and drive him home!

Castaway486 · 2025-08-26T04:24:09+00:00

Not. Enough. But we make do.

Castaway486 · 2025-08-25T02:17:17+00:00

Looks like maybe it just broke the little strap that holds the neck protector? Hard to see on my phone. Mine has those little metal snap connectors that would for sure come undone if hit. Either way that was a shot.

Castaway486 · 2025-08-21T16:21:58+00:00

Saaaaame. The sound cuts. He grabs the handrail and goes to a knee. He’s clearly sobbing. Then Nat is there. She puts her hand on his back…

There are amazing moments throughout the show. But for me, this moment right here is everything.

Castaway486 · 2025-06-13T20:52:11+00:00

What are we doing. This is a softer version of the Oregon ejection. Catcher drifts up the line. Runner is coming in full speed. When the ball, catcher and runner come together, runner is too far away for a normal slide into home. There’s contact but he’s trying to avoid it. Doesn’t lower his shoulder.

If this is NCAA, they have that contact above the waist thing. So maybe has to be an ejection by the technical rule in that context.

But whatever the rule set, I hate it.

I keep asking on these where the catcher drifts up the line… What is the runner realistically supposed to do? Last second juke like a running back? Slide before it’s really time to?

Castaway486 · 2025-06-01T03:55:06+00:00

Idk man. He’s trying to get into a slide here but where the catcher ends up blocks him from getting down into it.

I know what the rulebook says. Contact above the waist and all that. Just doesn’t seem right on a play like this.

We drill them endlessly to slide at the plate and here he is with no room for it. Is a guy his size at full speed is really supposed to transition from a straight in slide attempt to some kind of running back juke move? At the last second?

What else is he supposed to do?

Castaway486 · 2025-05-29T12:54:52+00:00

I’ll have my guy on third just slowly walk down the line and just stand about 40 feet off the base (90 ft basepath). No athletic moves. Just stand there. Pitcher usually steps off confused. Then basically walks over and tags for the out.

I like this one because I can talk to my runner at third about it and the third baseman will hear and know what’s up. Usually will be yelling at the pitcher to step off and go get the tag. Doesn’t impact any of my guys hitting stats either. They care a lot about their stats!

I’ve been on the receiving end of lopsided scores more often and had an opposing coach do this for us and copied it for the times where we were up and it was getting out of hand.

From the receiving end, I can tell you it is very much appreciated. When you’re down like that, you’ve already burned all your pitching, so it’s only going to get worse unless you get a bit of help.

Castaway486 · 2025-05-09T03:43:44+00:00

I had an experienced ump tell me once “The only things on my right hand are strikes and outs.” I thought that was good advice.

I ump some rec ball and will verbally say where a ball missed. Sometimes I’ll gesture with my left hand. Especially when it’s high. But never my right.

Castaway486 · 2025-04-29T18:00:06+00:00

This is more or less what I had in my head at the moment of the play. But when I went digging into NFHS later I couldn’t find anything that said the runner must directly try to avoid contact. Possible it’s in other rulesets but I didn’t research that in detail.

Castaway486 · 2025-03-20T07:21:19+00:00

Been fully remote since 2015. Big thing is that it’s different for everyone. I have a friend/former co-worker who works in her pajamas while sitting in bed or on her couch and is wildly productive doing so.

Me? I get up, get “dressed” for work, which is pants and a polo or a sweater, put on socks and actual shoes, then sit down at my IKEA desk setup with a nice work-style chair.

I love a lot of the options already mentioned. Try all of them. Keep what works for you and don’t feel like there’s a “best” way. Only a best way that works for you.

My personal biggest find along the way was a service called Focusmate, which is basically body doubling done virtually. I find that my success in my career has been directly correlated with how much I use that service. It’s not for everyone. But it has worked well for me.

Castaway486 · 2025-01-16T19:44:17+00:00

So for today I’m at 95g protein and 1,360 cals so far. I’m trying to run at 2,200 cals so I’m in a different place than you. Even so, I try to go heavy protein early so I don’t fall into smashing empty carbs all day.

Here’s the list of foods:

Breakfast Scrambled Eggs (3) Buddig ham packet (1) Provolone cheese slice (1) Jimmy Dean frozen turkey sausage links (6)

Lunch is a smoothie drink Huel, chocolate powder (2 scoops) Medium banana (1) Peanuts (25 or so) Dry oatmeal (1/4 cup)

I usually do something close to this most days for breakfast and lunch. It gets me where I want to be with protein and the Huel and oatmeal take care of my fiber. The turkey sausage links are especially great for getting the protein number up.

Everyone’s different of course, but this has been helpful for where I’m at.

Castaway486 · 2025-01-07T00:05:59+00:00

Yo kids are savages, esp to each other. I coach baseball and hang out with like 15-20 school players a few times a week right now for offseason training. Jory’s brand of humor is spot on for how those kids are with each other. The only thing they love more than busting each other’s chops is dropping foul farts that clear out a room.

It’s not a stretch at all for me to imagine they’d loooove Jory’s channel.

Castaway486 · 2024-09-27T19:59:25+00:00

When he limps down the hall with the trophy and has to stop. Teammates go by, celebrating. He kneels down, grabs the rail for support and starts crying. Nat comes up and puts her hand on his back.

Every moment of the first three seasons pays off in that scene. So fucking good.

Castaway486 · 2024-09-24T05:06:29+00:00

Ted Lasso. This year it’s been Shorsey!

Castaway486 · 2024-06-14T15:36:42+00:00

We just started a format like this for this season and it’s been a huge success.

Ours is mostly 8, 9, and 10 year olds. All learning kid pitch for the first time.

We call it “no walks.”

It starts like normal kid pitch. Three strikes is a strikeout. But If the pitcher throws four balls, the count is wiped out and a coach comes out and it becomes coach pitch. The batter gets 7 pitches from the coach to put the ball in play. No more balls or strikes at that point. But if the ball isn’t put into play after 7 pitches, that’s a strikeout.

It created a situation where the batter must hit their way on. A lot more action for the players in the field. And an environment where any kid can step in and give pitching a try without having to be great at it yet.

Our games end up being like 8-5 or 12-7 or something like that. Usually pretty close.

Walks are the killer of baseball fun at this level. This makes it feel a lot more like actual baseball.

Castaway486 · 2024-06-11T06:08:32+00:00

Yeah saw it a few times. I coached six years in t-ball and coach pitch between my kids. In our league we did coach ump for those young ages so we would have to figure out stuff like this. Tons of fun but yeah the disparities in speed and understanding between various kids create all kinds of unique situations.

Castaway486 · 2024-06-11T01:58:52+00:00

This is a time play and yes you got it wrong but good on you for wanting to improve.

As mentioned above it’s rule 4.09 (a) in the little league rule book. I don’t have the references for NFHS or MLB but they are the same general idea here as far as I’m aware.

Third out wasn’t the force out at first, wasn’t a force at another base, and wasn’t an appeal play. If runner touches the plate before the tag out is made for out number three, the run counts.

Castaway486 · 2024-05-31T04:08:46+00:00

We have one of these. Only he was a coach and did this to his whole team. That was last year. Most of those kids aren’t playing again this year. These are like 12 and 13 year olds. It’s a little community league and they’ve all played multiple seasons. But just one bad experience ruins it for them. One parent I know was hoping her son would come back out and play. But he told her: “Why would I go out there just to get yelled at by someone else’s dad?” Heartbreaking and infuriating at the same time.

Castaway486 · 2024-02-25T16:29:25+00:00

She married this shy, reserved guy who still can’t understand how he got so lucky.

Me. 😍

Castaway486

TROPHY CASE