MVP  Baseball

MVP Baseball is a free event!  

Parents that have had kids on  Coach Vince 's team know that he  coaches by encouraging the kids  to try, try again.  He takes joy in building up youth, not winning games, and yet, his teams have consistently grown the most, and have often gone the farthest.  While there is absolutely joy in the teams' successes, winning is not the focus of the season!   Kids have enough pressure in their lives and Coach Vince firmly believes that baseball shouldn't add to that!

When/Where is MVP Baseball? 

-- We meet weekly on  Sunday afternoons from 1-3pm,  from May to November for pickup games.

-- There is no commitment needed, just come when you are free!

-- This year we are primarily meeting on "W5", but some days we may still go to "P3", in Poestenkill.

-- Where is "W5?"  It's the big field on the RIGHT as you enter the Twin Town Little League Complex on Williams Rd.

Who is Coach Vince?

 --  Coach Vince  has been coaching with Twin Town Little League for over 5 years.

 --  Coach Vince  serves as the Majors Level Director on the Twin Town Board of Directors.

 --  Coach Vince  has enjoyed coaching his oldest daughter and three sons for their entire baseball experience and growing with them at each level of Little League, from Rookie to Senior.

 --  Coach Vince  serves the Poestenkill/ Averill Park community as the  Pastor at Union Gospel.

Why come to MVP Baseball? 

 -- MVP Baseball is a sandlot style program, originated out of the idea that kids learn by trying and grow by working together in a supportive, fun, group environment.   

 -- The key to success is practice  and  the key to successful practice time is making it fun . 

 --  MVP Baseball  focuses on allowing kids to try new things in a low pressure, sandlot style game that includes everyone from siblings to parents, grandparents, and even aunts and uncles!   

Wait, are siblings, parents, and relatives also invited to play?!

Yes!   There is nothing like watching a  young player strike out his mom  or  throw out his dad  trying to steal second base!  And the occasional  gentle gloating of a younger sibling that made it home  on an overthrow does good to  keep egos in check !   =)

So who is MVP Baseball designed for?

Coach Vince started MVP Baseball  to offer his kids and the other  "rec" kids on his Twin Town Little League teams  an opportunity for  more practice and playing time .  Batting, throwing, pitching, catching, & fielding are skills that can be honed by simply spending more time on the field, and practicing with friends makes practice feel less like "practice" and more like fun! 

Because of these beginnings,  MVP Baseball  is geared heavily toward the kids that haven't made it onto travel teams or don't want to play "travel ball," and is  designed to bring family and friends together for a great experience!   However, we have so much fun that it often  draws in our 'travel' teammates  in as well, when they don't have practices or games, and  that always makes for even more excitement on the field!

Although  MVP baseball  is primarily made up of kids from Twin Town Little League, friends, siblings and kids in the community are all welcome to come and join in the fun and learn baseball!

Does it work??

On the Field... building skills!

Absolutely!  I've watched kids that historically struggle at the plate begin to overcome bad habits and gain the confidence they need to succeed in a game setting!  And while  Coach Vince  and his kids have never chosen to play for a travel team,  his youngest son, Niko,  just threw an Immaculate inning this past fall (2023)  in his first season in Majors.  An immaculate inning is when a pitcher completes a perfect inning... 3 batters, with 3 strikeouts, in 9 pitches.  And on each pitch, we focused on having fun, relaxing, and just playing catch (with  his brother, Carlo, who was catching ).  Niko has come close to pitching an immaculate inning before, but this time, he finally did it!  And just like all of his other attempts- there was no pressure, no yelling, and no tears...just encouragement to succeed...because although this is baseball, this is really a conduit through which we're helping prepare these kids for success in life!

Off the Field...building friendships!

I've watched the growing  friendships  that my kids have  built on Sunday afternoons.   One of our MVP Baseball families (unfortunately) moved to GA this past fall.  Their son, Cody, had started coming to MVP Baseball last summer and then joined Twin Town baseball where I had the opportunity to coach him.  He loved the game, but needed encouragement to stick in there and keep trying.  MVP Baseball was a great way to help Cody build confidence.  When he came on Sundays, his two sisters played baseball with us as well- and while we will miss them this spring, my daughter is still texting Cody's sister and keeping in touch with them.   Working together on the field leads to successful relationships off the field!   

And even in Life!! 

One of the key components of an  MVP Baseball  outing is the  snack time .  When we take a quick break to catch our breath, hydrate and grab a snack, Coach Vince leads the kids in a discussion and a  lesson for life based on something the kids can relate to  (success in school, creating friends, dealing with siblings, persevering through struggles, listening to parents, looking ahead in life, etc).  As the Pastor at Union Gospel Church in Poestenkill, Coach Vince uses these  10-minute huddles  to share some ideas with the kids that will help them successfully navigate life as they grow through their teen years and into adulthood.