A Big Weekend Coming Up!

Rain, rain and more rain. That's what this area has seen lately, which has made it crazy for West Raleigh to find time to make up some games! We were supposed to have our season opener last night against the Mudcats, but we'll now have the season opener this Saturday at 5pm against the Thunder! So...Saturday...11am is Opening Ceremonies...5pm is the first game for us...then Sunday we go back to West Raleigh for the game against the Mudcats at 3pm!

GO RIVERDOGS!!

Here they are...

#13...AIDAN SMITH!!!

Assistant Coach...CAILEAN!!

#98...BLAKE McCAIN!!!

#7...LAWSON WHEELER!!!

#27...BEN STAHLMAN!!!

#55...TONY MOLDEN!!!

#1...ANDREW LOCKE!!!

#8...GRIFFIN DITTNER!!!

HEAD COACH... LANCE!!!

#4...IAN TURNER!!!

Honorary Riverdog...GAVIN TURNER!!!

#24...JOSH BUSSEY!!!

Assistant Coach GARY!!!

#44...LUKE HAYES!!!

#5...CHRISTIAN MOSLEY!!!

#12...BRANDON GREGORY!!!

#3...JOHN PENRY!!!

Assistant Coach...DAVE!!!

Assistant Coach...WAYNE!!!



Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Yes, we do need the rain...BUT...not during baseball season! The rain did hold off and the Riverdogs were able to practice at Nowell Field for two hours today. I think the temperature was just below 50 degrees. Last weekend it was close to 80!! Coach Lance was pretty smart and planned a lot of fielding drills rather than batting cage work in anticipation of the rain that would wipe away our outdoor practice opportunity for Sunday!

Today was a big day for the Riverdogs because they received their jerseys, practice shirts and hats! Thanks to the Wheeler family for organizing them into bags. ;-) I don't know about the newcomers to the Riverdog family, but my sons were sporting them in the house tonight and loved to see all the new gear! Two practices left until the first game! Finally!!!

The team will be having practice at Grand Slam USA in Raleigh tomorrow at 2pm. They will accomplish a lot in that one hour. I'll do my best with taking pictures of the kids.

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Practice at Ephesus

Spring arrived and it was great baseball weather tonight! The players were busy for the full two hours and they even put together their own relay race after practice. Here are some photos from tonight's practice...

 Some warm up drills for the Riverdogs.

 Coach Gary

 Coach Wayne

 Instructional infield time

 Coach Wayne and Head Coach Lance surveying

 Infield practice with and without base runners

 Coach Dave hitting balls to the infielders

 Coach Lance watching his team

 Now it's time for some base running...

 Coach Lance and Coach Cailean telling the players to round the bases and head home...

 Good job tonight! Go Dogs!

Two Riverdogs...

The Riverdogs practiced at Grand Slam this afternoon and then ended with cupcakes in honor of Joshua turning 7! Happy Birthday, Joshua!!!

Some Riverdogs found their way over to Barringer Drive (home of West Raleigh Baseball) after practice to watch the WR 8U Select Team play in a doubleheader. One of our own...Blake...is a member of this team. He wears #98 with the Riverdogs and #5 with the Select Team. Great job today, Blake!!

Practice, Practice, Scrimmage and Then Practice! ;-)

The Riverdogs were back in action at Ephesus Church Thursday night. Coach Lance and Coach Wayne took time to prep the field and make sure it was ready to go for the players. The team went through drill after drill after drill at practice Thursday night for the full two hours. Coach Lance broke them up into small groups and they all had time in the batting cage, worked on their defense and situational plays in the infield. The new Riverdogs and returners continue to improve daily with their skills thanks to the hard work and dedication of the coaches and parents who are able to assist during the practices. The relay race at the end of practice is definitely a highlight watching the players cheer on their teammates. After the team cheer, some players gathered around home plate and divided themselves up to do a few more relay races. This time siblings were invited onto the field. So fun!

Saturday morning the Riverdogs spent one hour practicing from 9-10am and then scrimmaged the Bats for two hours! I'm not sure if the Riverdogs were aware that they played 3 hours of ball! Coach Lance was able to move the players around each inning, so they could gain experience playing at different positions.

Here are some highlights from the event:

• Great plays were made at all positions
• Every Riverdog had a chance to bat 3 times
• Each player made it safely to base at least once
• Blake hit 2 out of the park home runs (centerfield direction and right center direction) and a double!!!!
• Ian hit one down the right field line earning a triple!
• Joshua and Tony hit doubles!
• Many, many singles to get the Riverdogs on base!

A big THANK YOU to Coach Craig from the Bats for providing ice cream to both teams! The boys and the siblings were very excited!!!

If I missed anything that should be mentioned, then please add in the comment section for people to read.

Don't forget practice was changed for Sunday, March 20. The team will be at Grand Slam USA in Raleigh at 1:30-3pm.

Unplanned Scrimmage at Practice

Practice tonight was scheduled at West Raleigh and the Bulls decided to scrimmage against the Riverdogs. This was a last minute decision, but a great choice. It's early in the season, but it was nice to see what the players need to focus on at the next practice...be in a game situation...and have that excitement for the first game! Each player was able to bat three times and Coach Lance sent them to different positions each of the three innings. They'll have practice this Thursday at Ephesus Church, but it'll start at 5pm now instead of 4pm. Then, another scrimmage on Saturday against the Bats.

After the scrimmage the two teams did the base running relay! That brings a lot of excitement to not only the players and coaches, but to the parents as well!

Coach Lance gathered up his team and sat on the hill to review the game...what was done well and what they'll continue to work on and why they do the drills they do during practice. Then, they received a NC State Baseball schedule poster.

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GO RIVERDOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Riverdogs' First Week of Practice

Spring Training for the Riverdogs started on Saturday, March 5 at the baseball field behind Ephesus Church! There were a lot of new players added to this season's team, but you would not have known it by watching them interact on the field. They were all ready to hit the ground running and play some ball! Coach Lance has a great support system on the field with a lot of parents willing to help out.

Practice was canceled on Sunday due to rain. Many families gathered at the church to take care of last minute ordering for uniform shirts, pants and the hats and it gave the Riverdogs another opportunity to get to know each other.

Wednesday was the first day the team practiced at West Raleigh. They were able to practice for one hour in the batting cage before taking the field. Unfortunately their field time was cut short by 30 minutes due to the amount of rain that came in.

Thursday's practice turned into an optional practice in Clayton at an indoor batting cage facility because of the weather. Six players were able to attend and have a one hour practice with the coaches.

The Riverdogs hit the field yesterday. Well, batting cages and the outfield area. The infield did not look so good due to the amount of rain that this area received. But, Coach Lance worked hard over the weekend to get that field ready for his team and today they took the field!