Coaches Information & Resources

Please use the checklist below as a guideline to help get a smooth start to the season:  

Contact team, introduce yourself, and communicate other general information to the team. 

  • Team name 
  • Team colors 
  • Balcones provides cap and shirts and parents provide belt, socks, and pants 
  • Other general information. 
Let parents know about volunteer expectations and the team's volunteer responsibilities.  Although these are team responsibilities, it is often the coaches who shoulder most of the load.  You are encouraged to get the parents involved in all of these duties which help your teams and the league to operate as smoothly as possible    

  • Concession stand - each team will be scheduled for concession stand duty 2 or three times throughout the season and will need have 2-3 volunteers each time  
  • Field maintenance on practice days - each team is responsible for raking the fields after practice and after games 
  • Field maintenance on game days - home team is responsible for raking and lining the fields before the game and the visiting team is responsible for raking the fields after the game  
  • Each team is responsible for emptying trash cans (as needed) and picking up trash in the dugouts for their side of the field 
  • Volunteers for fundraising events such as Balcones Day, Fall Festival, etc. 
  • Recruit a parent representative 
  • Get medical release forms for all players.  Make a binder or folder for the Medical Release Forms and bring them to practices and games.   
  • Make sure that  all assistant coaches and any other volunteers who will have significant interactions with the children have been submitted to the Safety/Security Officer and have had background checks. 
  • Pick up equipment bags - Balcones will provide equipment to the coaches before the first practice. 
  • Communicate first practice dates and times to the team. 
  • General parents meeting after first practice to discuss volunteer needs/requirements, gather volunteer applications and medical release forms, and discuss other team expectations and general information.

FIELD USE EXPECTATIONS   

1. MAINTAIN FIELD 

Please rake the field after every practice and game. Rakes and Drag Mats are located in each baseball field shed behind home plate and in the old concession stand shed for Softball/Lyda/Tball. ·         

Raking Instructions: 

 ·         Please rake with the baselines (home to 1st and home to 3rd), not across them. 

 ·         Please pull dirt back into areas where it's low after a game, e.g., batter's box, in front of mound rubber, and around second and third. 

 ·         If field is dry and dusty, please wet the dirt using the hose before raking. Don’t forget to hang the hose back up on its hanger!  

Special notes for game days: 

Practices: If another team is taking the field immediately after your practice you may not need to rake. However if a game is ever taking place, please assist by raking for the Home team getting ready to line the field. 

BYS Games: When two BYS Teams are playing one another, the Home Team is responsible for lining the field BEFORE the game, and Visitors are responsible for raking and locking up the field AFTER the game. WHEN CHALKING THE LINES, USE THE MINIMUM AMOUNT POSSBILE TO KEEP THE BASELINES AS SOFT AS POSSIBLE. IF we are hosting an outside team, the BYS team will be responsible for both lining and raking.  

Rental Games: The team scheduled and responsible for payment is also responsible for lining, raking and locking up.

 ·         Please make sure rakes, chalk materials and anything else removed from sheds are returned and the shed locked.

 ·         Please make sure pitching nets and L screens are left on the dirt, NOT the infield grass.   

2. THROW AWAY TRASH 

Please place all in trash cans. If can is any more than ½ full or contains food items, please dump the trash can or place bags into the dumpster located next to right field at Pearce or next to softball fields.  Double check dugouts and areas around bleachers where parents/fans may have left trash. (And, please remind your parents that we are 100% volunteer organization and don’t have crews to clean up after them.) 

3. LOCK UP  

 ·         Our Front Gate, Bathroom, and each field are secured with a coded lock. Codes may change from season to season. Head coaches are provided with lock codes for each current season and are responsible for locking up. He or she should give appropriate field codes to team volunteers. 

·         Unless there is another team taking the field immediately, close and lock ALL of your field gates. Codes for the field and corresponding shed are the same.Each field has multiple entrances that should ALL be checked and locked. 

 ·         Lock bathroom and front gate if you are the last team in the complex. Please note that you should lock up even if you were not the one to unlock. You should lock up even if there is a random car or person in the complex. If a full team is on another field, then you can leave front gate open. 

·         After you lock, swipe the code so it is not left on the lock.      

4. TURN OFF LIGHTS  

 ·         Turn off field lights if they were on during your practice even if you didn’t turn them on. 

·         Pearce/Minor light switch is located on the pole near the dumpster by Pearce right field. There is one switch that controls both Pearce and Minor lights. 

·         Because Pearce/Minor B share lights, you may need to leave lights on if another team is still playing on the other field. If there is any question about who should turn off the lights, please coordinate with the other team’s coach.

 ·         McKelvey light switches are on pole outside corner of right field.

 ·         Senior light switches are located on the north side of the pole across the entryway. There are THREE SWITCHES in a row (field diagram of a/b/c is above switches). DO NOT touch any of the levers/switches on the front of the pole facing the entryway. These control main electrical fixtures such as our sprinklers. 

 ·         Lights for Lyda and Softball minor are on the light poles in the fields.    

*If field supplies are missing/low or if you have any field questions or maintenance requests, please email the Fields Director Jason Stubbs at fields@balconesyouthsports.org   

*If you have any questions about your schedule, codes or responsibilities, please contact us.  Rental teams should contact VP Tom Franco at vicepresident@balconesyouthsports.org. 

BYS baseball teams should contact Director of Baseball Jeremy Shore at baseball@balconesyouthsports.org.  

BYS softball teams should contact Director of Softball Aubrey Brasfield at softball@balconesyouthsports.org.