Mission Statement
Valley Nine Baseball was formed to provide youth players an opportunity to practice, build their skills and compete locally. Our goal is to build a competitive baseball program for Duvall, Carnation, Fall city and surrounding area players. We coach to promote skill development, teamwork, sportsmanship, respect for, and enjoyment of the game of baseball.
Coaching Philosophy
Fun
Fun is the most important aspect to our program. If kids don't enjoy the game of baseball they won't continue playing. We always keep this in mind when providing instruction to our players.
Development
The core of our program is to develop players to be the best they can be. As part of our year long program we will focus on all aspects of the game starting with fundamentals of throwing, catching, hitting, pitching, fielding and base running. We will teach kids fundamentals through various drills, repetition and instruction.
Compete
Competing prepares players for the challenges and opportunities of the real world. It teaches them how to work as a team, how to cope with success and failure. Though we prioritize long term development over win now mindset, we practice and prepare our players to complete and bring their best to every practice and game.
Positivity
Players need a patient and supportive coach that can teach and motivate them in a positive way. Knowing how to be positive and having the ability to communicate with our players is more important to a successful season than winning. We also work with our players to have a positive attitude when practicing and playing. We build players up rather than tear them down.
Safety
We want to protect our players in all aspect of the game. This includes following Pitch Smart guidelines from USA Baseball, not over using catchers and teaching kids how to protect themselves at the plate.
Organized
To get the most out of each practice session we have detailed practice plans (see sample here). Each plan includes drills and areas of focus for each.
Respect & Discipline
We will teach players how to be respectful playing the game. Examples of this are listening while coaches are talking, treating gear properly (no throwing it), hustling on & off the field, paying attention while on the field, etc. We will hold players accountable when not doing these things.
Sportsmanship
The idea of sportsmanship seems to be lost on many youth players. Sportsmanship must be taught. We want our players to show joy when they make an exciting play, but not at the expense of the player on the opposing team. We encourage players to compliment the opposing team when they make a good play or have a good game.
Coaches
Jason Lewis, Manager of 12u Team & President of Valley Nine Sports
I’m a father of two kids (7 & 11) and married. I love all things sports including golf, basketball, football, volleyball and of course baseball.
I’m a father of two kids (7 & 11) and married. I love all things sports including golf, basketball, football, volleyball and of course baseball.
Experience wise, I started playing baseball in Little League when I was 5 years old and played all through High School, mainly as a catcher. As an adult I played and managed a men’s 23+ wood bat team for 8 years and played in the PSSBL for 2 years mostly playing 1B, 2B and DH. I've coached in Valley Little League the past 7 years and coached select baseball 2 years (10u and 11u).
Erik Scairpon, Manager of 10u Team
I am a USA Baseball "A" Certified Coach, a father of two kids (9 & 13), and married. I have extensive professional leadership experience serving in the public safety sector, and have previously run youth leadership development programs. Over the past four Valley Little League seasons, I have gotten more deeply involved with coaching youth baseball, serving the past two years as a head coach and manager of a AAA team in 2023 and a Coast-level team in 2024.
Over the last year, I was rostered with the Eastlake Arsenal Baseball Club (also a developmental team) as an assistant coach during tournament play. I gained valuable experience in understanding how to run a year-round program and learning about the levels of competition we see at tournaments. Tournament play can be challenging, but playing a tough opponent or multiple games in a row can quickly teach our players how to build resilience and overcome adversity.
While I didn't play baseball extensively or professionally, my Little League experience was foundational to my love of the game. My coaching philosophy is entirely focused on players' skills and leadership development. Each player can take something from their youth sports experience and turn that into a foundation for doing great things later in life, even if it doesn't involve baseball. Attitude, Concentration, and Effort will define our success in developing as a 10U team.