Like any activity, baseball, especially Stars baseball, is part of a journey; it is not a destination. Stars baseball is not the end-all and be-all of any child’s life, but it can be an important stepping-stone to future accomplishments in their life. As an organization we prepare our young men to play high level high school baseball.

Playing time in our organization is based on attitude, work ethic, skill level, and knowledge and love for the game. If a player is not being challenged at their current level of competition, playing up is a distinct possibility when in the best interests of the maturity of the player. Everyone will be treated fairly. Decisions will be made that are in the best interest of the development of each individual player. Playing time will be awarded based on the following attributes and in the following order: 1. defensive competency and versatility(ability to play multiple positions well) 2. Ability to get hitters out and desire to pitch and dominate hitters. 3. Run production(OPS, the best statistic in baseball, on-base % + slugging %) or another way of looking at it is: total bases gained(total bases plus walks and HBP’s).

When our players leave this program, they will be prepared for competition at the next level. The goal is our players will become disciplined, motivated, hard-working young men. Thus, our disciplinary system will exhibit both authority and fairness. Delinquent activities will not be tolerated, and it is a definite possibility that team members could be terminated (kicked off the squad) for serious attitudinal or behavioral problems and deficiencies.

We will concentrate on one practice, one drill, one game, one inning, one hitter, one pitch at a time. If we win the majority of those small one-pitch battles, we will undoubtedly be successful. Once a pitch, at-bat, inning, or game is over, it is finished. We will learn what we can from it then move on. Prepare, compete, learn, and apply what we have learned in the next moment is the sequence we are striving for. We will not harp on the negative, but we will learn from it. We will not be obsessed with the good, but we will store it in our mind and reinforce it through imagery. We will recall the positive when bad times resurface. We will prepare our players to have thick skin to absorb anything that comes their way on the diamond. Life, like baseball, can be divided into three parts: approach (attitude), result (what happens), and response (how we react to what happened). Our goal is that our players focus on only what we can control: having an impeccable approach and making rational responses whether the result (what we cannot control (like when a line drive meets a mitt or when a perfectly placed change is blooped to right]) was positive or negative.

We will never sacrifice a player’s future for one measly win in a tournament. No Stars player will ever play injured or leave himself open to injury (see pitching page) for the sake of the almighty W. We will never mortgage a players’ future for a game, even if it is a World Series Championship. Every effort will be made to maximize each players’ and the teams’ performance, but never will a player’s potential be left in the balance of winning.
Further, the goal of our program is that the will of the coaching staff becomes the will of every player and naturally the team as whole. The players become owners of the team’s success and their personal development as players. In order for our organization to be a success, we must realize that we are all servants of one another. Players serve their teammates, coaches, and families. Coaches serve the players and families. In turn, parents and families serve the players and coaches. Through faith and trust in one another, we can make the sacrifices necessary for all players, coaches, and families.