In 2007, two local West Bend, Wisconsin residents were looking to provide their sons and other youth's the opportunity to play in a select baseball league that would allow them to develop their skills, talents and abilities. Brad Burns and Jeff Rondorf reached out to the Wisconsin State Youth Baseball League (www.wsybl.com) to bring a team to West Bend in the U9 bracket, a first for the community. Tryouts were held in the Fall of 2007 to assemble the first West Bend Warriors 9 year old team ever. Tryouts are held every October for this age group and any child with a birthdate ranging from 9/1/98 to 9/1/99 is welcome to tryout any given year.
Our 2009 season was a great building year, every kid in our program grew as a baseball player and person. Our season ended with a record of 34-6, but more important than the victories was the fact that this group of kids really came together as a team. During the course of the season we trailed in several games which we came back to win in late innings, that in itself shows a lot of poise, perseverance and resiliency. This group has really embraced the team concep and is beginning to understand what being a good teammate is about.
In addition, this group through the course of a long season showed amazing consistency. It's fun watching these kids play the game together and the excitement will only increase as we look to begin the 2010 season. All of our players from last year’s team will be returning and we will be playing at our newly renovated home field, Sunrise Rotary Field. If 2010 is anything like the previous two seasons, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
The 2008 season was nothing but a complete success. The final record for 2008 was 29-5, 18-2 in league play and 11-3 in tournament play. The first defeat of the year was not until tournament play in August. The affinity for the sport, commitment of the players and the dedication of the coaches is clearly the recipe for victory for this group of talented young players.
"Each year brings new opportunities and new challenges," says Brad Burns, head coach of the Warriors. "Seeing the players grow their skills and learn from their mistakes is a major point of emphasis. We also want to make this baseball experience a very positive one for each kid and equip them with a solid baseball foundation to build for the future." Jeff Rondorf, who shares the coaching role with Burns states, "this team is really a talented group and our job as a coaching staff will be to keep pushing for improvement play to play, game to game and year to year. Fundamentals and playing the game the right way will always be a primary focus."