Blog

The Aquafina Major League Baseball (MLB) Pitch, Hit & Run is coming to the City of Hazelwood.  This baseball/softball skills competition for boys and girls, ages 7 -14, offers them the opportunity to showcase their pitching, hitting and running abilities.  The event will be held on Saturday, May 1, at the Hazelwood Sports Complex, 4622 Aubuchon Road.

Beginning this year, a new nationwide girls softball division has been added to the program.  Boys and girls in all 50 states will now have the opportunity to compete.  Competitions can host boys and girls on the same date and time, but boy and girls winners in each age group will be awarded separately.

As the official skills competition of MLB, Pitch, Hit & Run is intended to encourage youth participation in America’s favorite pastime sport and to emphasize the fun elements of the game.  Admission is free and open to the public.  There are four levels of competition that PHR participants can advance through such as Local and Sectional competitions, Team Championship events at all 30 Major League ballparks, and the National Finals at the MLB All-Star Game.

“We’re fortunate to be in the hometown of the St. Louis Cardinals where baseball is a tradition passed down from generation to generation,” said Greg Viehman, Hazelwood’s Baseball Program Coordinator.  “Our very own Hazelwood West High School graduate Kyle McClellan, who now pitches for the St. Louis Cardinals, is a perfect example of how a family’s tradition of baseball made it possible for a young man to make it to the majors.”

Viehman goes on to say there are a lot of talented kids in the North County area who play baseball and softball.  “This Pitch, Hit & Run event in Hazelwood will hopefully give other local kids an opportunity to see how good they really are and how far they can advance in the competition.  It would be awesome to see a youngster from Hazelwood, Mo., competing in the National Finals at the MLB All-Star Game,” added Viehman.

The Pitch, Hit & Run event will be divided up into these competition categories:

The PITCH portion of the program will test how accurately a competitor can throw strikes to a designated “Strike Zone” target from a designated distance (35 feet for the girls softball division and 45 feet for the boys baseball division).  Any method of underhand/overhand pitching or throwing is accepted.  Each competitor will be given six (6) attempts to hit the designated “Strike Zone.”  Hitting any portion of the target will be considered a strike.

The HIT portion of the program will test a competitor’s ability to hit from a stationary batting tee, along a tape measure from home plate, toward straight-away centerfield.  Hits will be measured for distance and accuracy.  Participants may use their own equipment; however, other competitors must have access to using the same bats.  Each competitor will be allowed three (3) swings in an attempt to hit the ball.  A swing and a miss counts as one attempt, (one swing = one attempt).

The RUN portion of the program will measure a competitor’s speed in a sprint from the starting line, which is third base, to home plate.  Participants in the boys baseball division must run a total of 160 feet from second base to home plate.  The distance for the girls softball division is 120 feet.  Each competitor will start at second base or at the indicated start line. The runner will be timed from the moment he/she leaves second base, touches an anchored third base and crosses home plate.  No sliding is allowed.

Those interested in competing in Hazelwood’s Pitch, Hit & Run can register online at www.leaguelineup.com/hazelwoodbaseball.  On the home page, look for a blue Register Online box on the right-hand side.  Click where it says, MLB Pitch Hit Run.

For other questions regarding this event, please contact Greg Viehman at (314) 731-0980 or e-mail at gtviehman@hazelwoodmo.org.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us