Baseball League Safety Tips for Coaches, Players, and Parents

Easton Baseball League 2019 Safety Overview / Coach s Clinic

Safety is Everyones Responsibility It has to be your first priority! One event can change your life for ever. Parents, players, managers and coaches all need to be on the same team. Watching the players, all the time Watching kids that are not players Have the correct attitude towards safety Horse play can not be tolerated Over 75% of accident are based on human action or inaction

Heat and Humidity can lead to Dehydration In summer sports, it s not the heat, but the heat and humidity. Body temperature rises the longer practice goes on. So during a hard practice, heat stroke is possible at any combination of temperature above 80 F and relative humidity above 40%. Athletes in the heat can sweat 1-2 Liters an hour, and most athletes drink less than they sweat. The result is dehydration.

Recommendations for Hydration * Drink before, during and after practices and games. * Drink early - By the time you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated. * Water remains the best drink to prevent dehyrdation. * Tell all parents to provide water / drinks for their child to every practice / game and ensure enough breaks are given to allow the players (and coaches) to hydrate especially on the hotter days.

Lightning / Thunder At first sign of thunder or lightning, all must leave field and get indoors or at least into cars. Stopping the game but allowing the players to remain outside near the field does not make anyone any safer. Coaches must wait 30 minutes after the latest thunder/lightning occurrence to resume play. If the forecast does not look promising, please play it safe and allow people to go home and not try and wait it out. Games can always be made up at a later date.

Pitch Counts Minors and Majors managers must adhere to the EBL pitch count rules. Common sense - If a kid s arm is sore, take him out. Monitor catcher s arms as well.

Concussion If there is a possible concussion, remove the player from the game (or practice) immediately. Ensure the parent is notified (if they are not there) and that the athlete is evaluated by a health care professional. Do not try to judge the seriousness of the injury yourself. Evaluation and written clearance from a medical provider plus written acknowledgment from parent/guardian is required before future participation. It is better to miss one or a few games, then the whole season.

Allowable Bats Changes were made to the Cal Ripken bat policy in 2018 which rendered most of the previously used bats non-allowable. Managers should notify team of the rule and check bats before/during each game. Each team will have team bats they can use in the equipment bag. T-Ball bats must have a USA BAT T-Ball stamp which EBL will provide to put on all T-Ball bats. Non-allowable bats may not be used at any EBL event (practice/game) for Insurance/Safety reasons.

Many injuries are preventable * No Horseplay (i.e. No climbing fences) * No throwing balls around unsupervised. * Absolutely no bat swinging allowed including no on-deck practice swinging of bats. * Only the kid up at bat should have a bat in his/her hand. * Please monitor kids who are on deck as many like to take practice swings and are unaware of their surroundings. * All kids who are up at bat or on the bases need to be wearing a helmet (even during practice and in the batting cage). * Children who struggle to catch a ball (i.e. defend themselves) may not be best suited to play first base or pitcher even though they may request to do so.

Field Safety * Do not play/practice if the field is unsafe. * Walk the field before each practice/game to ensure it is safe (no big divots; puddles; bottles in the OF, beehives, etc .). * Ensure all kids are behind the dugout fence when teammate is hitting. * If getting dark and difficult to see, stop playing not worth it to try and squeeze that extra inning or practice time in. * Once practice/games ends, there should be no kids swinging bats or throwing balls around the field. * Rain - Parks and Rec will make the call on field cancellations during the week until 3pm. After that and on weekends, EBL will make the call.

Injuries * Managers must have parent contact info with you at all times. * Managers must bring a first aid kit with them to all games and practices. * For any serious injury (beyond basic scrapes, bumps, bruises), please notify the League Safety Officer after the game.

General Guidance * Managers and Coaches before departing the field must ensure every child is accounted for after games / practices with a ride home from parent / guardians. * Kids can not wear jewelry of any kind. Please respect the umpire s decision/requests to remove any such accessories. * Players (especially Majors/Minors) should wear protective cups. * Have a plan / be prepared know which parents are not at the games/practice; have contact info with you; know what to do and where to go in case of lightning/thunder. * Should have more than one adult present at each practice. * If there are issues / concerns that arise during the season, do not hesitate to reach out to the League Safety Officer.

Safe Sport Act Federal Law created in 2017 as a result of abuse found at various youth sports (US Gymnastics) nationwide. Impacts all National Governing bodies from US Olympic teams through small town Little League / Cal Ripken organizations. Holds each organization to a an increased standard of care regarding reporting, training, policies & procedures and periodic safety reviews. The SSA requires sports organizations to establish reasonable procedures to limit isolated 1 on 1 interactions between an adult and a minor. If someone suspects an act of child abuse, it must be reported within 24 hours. Takeaways have 2 adults at all practices/games; always be observable (within eye sight of others) if interacting 1 on 1 with a child. If you have cause for concern with something you see/hear, elevate it. Keep physical contact with kids limited to high fives, etc EBL will send out (and post on our website) abuse prevention training that all volunteers are encouraged to complete.

Safety Conclusion * Safety of the children is our # 1 priority! * Please use common sense and best judgment. * Outline the key safety rules (i.e. no bat swinging) to the team on day 1 as well as reinforcing them throughout the season to ensure expectations are known by all. Encourage team parents to help enforce as well. * Thank you Play Ball! * League Safety Officer Bob Kelly: bobkelly316@yahoo.com

Coachs Training Manuals * EBL has Coach s Training Manuals (available upon request) for tips on how to best run practices, player development goals, effective drills, etc .at each level. * Plenty of on-line resources as well. * Don t ever hesitate to reach out to another coach to ask for / share best practice tips.

Compliance Training / Background Checks * All lead Managers (Majors/Minors/Rookies) and Assistant Coaches (Majors/Minors only) will be required to complete an online NAYS training course in order to satisfy Cal Ripken coaching compliance requirements. See NAYS Compliance Handout (one- pager) on how to complete. * All Managers (and Assistant Coaches) will be subject to background checks as well per Cal Ripken requirements. Please ensure you are signed up as a volunteer on our EBL website (no need to pay for the background check we will do that ourselves).