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Learning all around Coaches, players Benefit From Upper Deck Baseball League

By Gary FauberAssistant Sports Editor

BECKLEY — Oak Hill is in its first year as a participant in the Upper Deck Middle School Baseball League. All Mark Bloomfield’s team has done is win its first nine games for a commanding lead in the league standings.

“The only thing about us that’s perfect so far is our record,” Bloomfield said. “We’ve been good and bad. We’ve done what we’ve had to do. Our pitching has been good, but we’ve been scoring runs in spurts. I’d like to see us be more consistent from the first through the seventh inning. We’ll get there.”

A man of Bloomfield’s baseball background probably knows ways to keep his players focused and continue that success. But he’s not perfect, and neither are his fellow coaches, such as Independence’s Tom McGinnis, Park’s Keith Foster or Shady Spring’s Tim Hill, all of whom have been in the league since its 2010 inception.

That’s where Upper Deck comes in. Sure, the focus is on developing the players and getting them ready for the future. But the coaches also benefit from what UD has to offer.

“We’ve had coaches with minimal experience, so it’s not just development for the players, but also development for the coaches,” league founder Tim Epling said. “It’s neat to watch the coaches talk to each other, and it’s (about) baseball.

“We’re one big happy family, and that’s the way it should be.”

That was evident by the camaraderie on display at the league’s second annual All-Star game Friday at Linda K. Epling Stadium. Forty players and the coaches from all nine teams enjoyed a competitive, but fun experience.

The league was divided into American and National Leagues, with the Americans taking a wild 17-15 win. More important than the win was the atmosphere provided to the players.

“They build friendships through this,” McGinnis said. “You see that first year, everybody had fun, but it’s just grown on top of that.”

Colby Johnson of Eastern Greenbrier won the home run derby that was held prior to the game. He hit seven over the fence that was brought in 25 feet from its usual distance of 300 feet — the biggest factor he cites for his victory.

“It was a lot of fun,” Johnson said. “It’s been a long time since I hit a home run.”

But Johnson left no question as to his long-ball prowess. The fence was moved back to normal depth, and the eighth-grader blasted what was his eighth homer of the day.

Johnson is no different from his fellow players in that he likes the experience of playing at Epling Stadium. But he also appreciates the efforts made by the Upper Deck staff.

“It’s awesome. We get to do a lot of things,” he said. “We get to camp during the winter. It’s a whole lot of fun.”

“The perception of them being on a professional baseball diamond, I think that’s one of the biggest advantages of it,” Epling said. “When they go to the local Little Leagues or their local high schools, the field becomes a little bit shorter.”

With the league now in its third season, there are a lot of veterans now taking the field. The improvement made by those players is obvious.

“This eighth-grade class we have now is the first group of boys that’s been all the way through it,” McGinnis said. “Most of them are third-year players. You can see a lot of difference in the approach they take into play. ... They are all learning and all seem to be having fun.”

Epling’s initial expectations have been exceeded.

“I’ve gotten more than what I thought I was going to get,” Epling said. “We have had such a positive response. ... The biggest thing I have seen is the approach they take when they come here and start play. Before, they had a deer-in-the-headlight look. Now, after they have gotten accustomed to the league, especially the ones who have been here the (first) two years, (as well as) the new kids already understand the expectations and what the league is about.”

Bloomfield is in his first tour of duty with the league, but has been impressed to this point.

“It’s so much higher caliber of baseball than what they get at their local leagues,” Bloomfield said. “And that’s not to downplay what the leagues do; I’m a member of that, too.

“The facilities, the professionalism of the umpires and the staff here and how they run the league, you never have to worry about kids (being) no-shows. They want to be here. We get all our games in and we’re always on time. And it’s a blast to get to play and not have to worry about weather all the time. As long as it’s not pouring the rain at 7 or 6 or 8 or whenever you’re playing, you’re good to go.”

The coaches are important, Epling said, to the league’s success.

“I think it’s very important in anything that you do that you have stability in your coaches. You’re going to have coaches that rotate year after year; that’s going to happen. But we also have coaches who are coaching in the league and don’t even have kids playing.”

Bloomfield, for one, isn’t above taking the league as a learning experience. “A guy like me, I’ve been around baseball all my life, but I’ve never been a pitching coach,” he said. “I don’t know how to take care of arms, and I’ve learned a lot on how to help the kids do that.”

“I think the league is going great,” McGinnis said. “The teams are adding up in amounts. We’re getting more teams every year, and the competition is getting good.”

‎2012 Upper Deck was selected by the High School Baseball Coaches Association to speak at their annual Coaching Clinic at Power Park in Charleston. Over 50 coaches were in attendance from High School, College and professional attendees. Upper deck is now getting calls from organizations throughout the Eastern part of the United States to speak on various topics such as: player development, practice organizations, Arm Speed and Bat speed Enhancement.

"If you do what everyone else does, you get what everyone else gets... which isn't much!"

"If you are not measuring the process, you will stay where you are at!"

--- Head Coach, Tim Epling