10/12/19 Coach's Message
Subject: Spring 2020 Uniforms and Gear Update
As you are aware via our website www.ehscougarbaseball.com we have announced and listed our two uniform and gear online stores. This email will clarify and answer a few of your questions.
In Spring 2020 we will field Varsity and Junior Varsity (JV) teams. Under the umbrella of our Evergreen Cougar Baseball Club (ECBC) we will also host a C-Team. The C-Team is open to sophomore and freshman students who are not rostered to either the V or JV. The C-Team is also open to rising 9th graders who are planning to enroll into EHS.
V and JV will have uniform options specifically, all grey pants and/or grey with navy piping with our Spring H.S. issued Cougar navy button-up tops. New this year, we are offering players the choice of wearing long or knicker style pants in both grey and grey with navy piping. If going with knickers, player will need to order stirrups with white sanitary hose under them or our new all navy long socks with the embroidered, vegas gold cougar paw on the calf.
New for Spring 2020 we will have two hats our traditional navy for Home games and a new white/navy and vegas gold hat for Away games. Hats are sized and are ordered separately from our 2 online stores.
V and JV will wear this Spring a white with navy pinstripe pant with new darker navy game top. Again, players have the option of ordering the long or knicker pinstripe pant.
Elite Sports’ online store offers grey and grey with navy piping pants. They are off-the-shelf NB pants and are double kneed. Many of you asked me for a better quality, pro durable upgraded pant so we are offering that through Victory Athletics’ online store. Their pant is a pro-grade pant used by colleges. The pinstripe pant is only available through the Victory Athletics’ online store.
Uniforms - V and JV Required and Optional
Required- all Grey pant (long or knicker)
Required- grey pant with navy piping (long or knicker)
Required- white with navy pinstripe (long or knicker) Order through Victory Athletics
Required- navy sleeves ¾ or long
Required- navy socks
Required (if wearing knickers) - navy stirrups with white sanitary hose or long navy socks with Cougar paw on back calf. Stirrups and sanies are offered via Victory Athletics. See Coach Lipka for the navy -gold paw, long socks.
Required- navy belt (Elite offers the elastic belt, Victory offers a better quality belt)
Required- compression shorts with protective cup
Required- navy (Home) cap
Required- white (Away) cap
Required- Cougar sweatshirt or BP jacket
Required- navy batting helmet (C-flap is optional). Helmets cannot be cracked and they must have a NOCSAE stamp on them.
Required- practice tee shirt
Required-Cougar Baseball Player Equipment Bag
Required-batting gloves (suggest, 2 sets -one for games other for BP. We offer a pro-deal discount through Marucci or Victus)
Required-primary and secondary position gloves
Required-J band (for arm, shoulder, elbow and wrist conditioning)
Required- BBCOR (-3) bat(s). We are offering pro-deal discounts through Marucci and Victus for new 2020 bats and a batting cage bat to be used during winter cage work hitting off the Hack Attacks
Required- cleats (navy, black or white)
Required- turf shoes (navy, black or white)
Optional-protective sliding hand mitt (highly recommended)
Optional-protective batter’s elbow guard (highly recommended)
Optional-protective batter’s shin guard (usually worn on the lead or front leg)
Optional-sunglasses (flip-down or sport grade protective lenses, highly recommended)
Optional-long or ¾ compressions pants to wear under uniform pants or shorts to help protect legs, knees from abrasion and for warmth
Optional-in dugout cold weather gear as offered (winter beanie hat, gloves, jackets, and hoodies). We want you to stay warm in the dugout in an effort to prevent injury
Optional-Cougar branded practice shorts. These are baseball style shorts, longer length for leg protection and should be worn with ¾ or long compression pants or tights underneath the shorts (see compression pants as listed above)
Optional-player slides use of slides will prolong the life of your cleats and turf shoes
C-Team will wear and follow the above, except for the pinstripe pant option. Whether the C-Team goes with a Home and Away cap will be determined by the C-Team coaching staff.
Players already in our program should have the majority of the above listed items since we try to keep it basic and do not change a lot from year-to-year play.
A couple housekeeping items:
- More and more programs are using turf for their entire field or turf mounds. Hence, there is a need for turf shoes in addition to cleats.
- Per NFHS rules this season, batting helmets, baseballs and catcher’s chest protectors and hockey style face masks must include an NOCSAE stamp. Umpires will be checking for compliance.
- Coaches and schools are commenting on the damage done to their fields by player equipment bags with wheels. Rolling bags are big, clog the dugouts and damage grass. Hence, our player bags are pro-style i.e. over the shoulder and are branded Cougar Baseball.
- As coaches we are trying to mitigate reoccurring injuries. To that end, we highly recommend players purchase and use the following: a hand/wrist sliding mitt when on the bases; elbow guard when at the plate; use of a J-band to warm-up prior to throwing; wearing of compression pants, shorts with a protective cup; care and use of their own gear to include batting helmet, catching gear and position gloves. Players should be properly dressed for practices and games and prepared for temperature swings so – have in their player bags long sleeves, hoodies/BP jacket, towel and if appropriate- cold weather gear for when sitting in the dugout or in the bullpen. This is a big issue and we find that players are not dressed appropriately.
- Players should put their last name on gear and apparel please.
- Our Booster Club Board is working to get our Storage Shed back from EHS Softball. This shed was loaned to Softball a couple years ago. This is the shed next to our 3rd base dugout. Now that Softball has their own storage shed, we will convert ours back to a player accessible shed for player equipment bag storage. I realize that placement of these bags is an issue within the school. We are looking for a parent to help with some shelving in this shed so it can accommodate all the player bags.
Detailed message but I wanted to answer everyone’s questions. Thank you.
Coach John Lipka