FORT MYERS, Fla. – The objective for a kid growing up and playing the game of baseball always focuses on having fun. The PG Series for the youngest participants at the 11- and 12-year old age groups began on Monday with games starting for the 11u Series and Wednesday marking the start of game action for 12u.
The team that may have had the most fun on Wednesday on Day 1 of the 12u Series was the North squad under the direction of Jonathan Ramos and Kyle Arjona. Their team scored a walk-off win against Deep South, 6-5, and also enjoyed a 7-5 triumph over Coastal to get off to a 2-0 start in pool play.
Ramos just completed his first year as head coach of Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York while Arjona has played the past two years at Florida Southwestern College and will pitch for the University of New Orleans in 2018. The two use enthusiasm and constant communication to keep their kids on their toes and aware of every situation going on in the field to aid the development of their baseball IQ.
“It’s all about getting to kids to stay aware out there and maintain their focus,” Ramos said. “When you get the kids to pay attention to the little things, they make things happen. They are going to make mistakes and at this level that is perfectly fine. We want them to make mistakes. The Series is all about did you learn something today? If they learn how to deal with the pressure and the situations that come up in the games, they get more comfortable as they continue to grow.”
One thing emphasized by Ramos for his North team is to take risks and experience what the kids can and can’t do at this level while not being afraid of the outcomes.
“It is all about having fun, and you can’t have fun if you don’t take risks out there,” Ramos added. “You’re not going to learn from mistakes if you’re afraid of making them. As they go into high school and hopefully further, coaches won’t be able to bail you out. I don’t want to coach these kids too hard. You have to let them put themselves in those type of situations and see how they come out of it.”
The dynamic of the Series with the coach-player relationship is always unique with the clashing of different personalities and styles. The teams get 90 minutes to practice together the day prior to games starting, and for the North team, Ramos and Arjona spoke to the team for 20 of those minutes to express what they wanted to see.
“John can talk baseball all day long, he’s got so much energy he puts into this,” Arjona said. “I really enjoy getting to be a part of the Series teams because you get to see so many kids through the age groups and sometimes you get kids a year or two years in a row and see how far they have developed. Confidence is everything for kids at this age and that’s what we try to instill in them.”
In their first game of the morning, the North trailed Deep South 5-2 down to their last three outs. A furious rally commenced, as the North chipped away at the deficit before Chris Taylor (2023, Sewell, N.J.) scored on a wild pitch with two outs to tie the game.
Michael Storti (2022, Philadelphia, Pa.) would keep the inning alive with a double to set up cleanup man Savier Paige (2022, Hartford, Conn.) to come through and win it. A wild pitch moved Storti up to third, and Paige would send him home as he lined a single to center to get the North off to a 1-0 start.
They rode that momentum into the first inning against Coastal by plating five first inning runs, with Michael Incontro (2023, Lebanon, Pa.) driving in two runs on a two-out single to center to cap the scoring.
Coastal drew to within 5-4 going to the third inning, but North picked up runs in the third and fourth innings to give themselves a cushion that they would not lose the rest of the way as they held on to win 7-5 to complete a perfect day of action.
Ramos works with youth teams in Manhattan along with his college head coaching duties, but knows he has a different caliber of player throughout his entire North roster to try and help continue to improve their skills when they return home.
“Baseball is baseball regardless of the talent level you get to work with,” Ramos said. “Getting to know these kids is part of the fun, figuring out the best way to get through to them as the week goes along. Learning how to adapt to different kids and different people helps me be better at my job.”
As impressed as Ramos is by the skill level of his players, he feels like confidence is the ultimate factor in player development as they move to the bigger fields next year.
“When the kids go out and not worry about making a mistake and just react out there, they can make plays regardless of the competition,” Ramos said. “Getting them not to think too much and putting themselves in the best position to handle anything thrown at them is when they tend to succeed.”