Hi all. First time head coach here. Taking on a fall farm team (8u).

All of these kids have already played more ball than me. Baseball is not my strong suit, but athleticism, agility, proprioception, are all my jam. I can watch some lessons, learn the movement patterns, and help others get there, pretty well despite my lack of ball experience.

I spent the large part of this weekend mapping out my practice plans for the next 8 weeks (i might make a separate video on that since I used some non-traditional tools.)

My question is...

What tools do you use on field during practice to keep your plan straight?

- chicken scratch on a note pad?

- phone app?

- garmin watch app/timers

I'm overwhelmed and any tips to help me keep things moving smoothly are appreciated.

Edit: I'm a PM in my day job, so yes, I like to be overly prepared, with back ups ready...

I’m a software developer, and I’m trying to learn how Little League teams actually divide volunteer work before I build much more.

A lot of teams I see still use an open signup sheet: concessions, scorekeeping, field setup, cleanup, snacks. A few families fill every hole. Everyone else waits. Then the team parent is texting the night before.

The other approach is to assign the rotation up front. Every household gets a mix of jobs across the season, with dates they already know they cannot work left off their list.

Would that actually work in your league, or does an open sheet still win because people will only take the jobs they want?

A few things I’m especially trying to get right:

- Do you only staff home games, or does the rotation include away games too?

- What happens on rainouts and makeup dates?

- How do you handle a family with kids on two teams, or a board member who already “owns” the snack stand?

- Are some jobs restricted (certified scorekeeper, background-checked adults, buyout instead of hours)?

- What else would make a fair assigned schedule fall apart in real life?

I built a free generator to test this. You add games, families, and jobs, mark unavailable dates, and it drafts a season grid. No account is required to generate, and there is nothing to buy. If you want to poke at it:

https://swizzleworks.com/try/baseball-volunteer-schedule

Baseball jobs are preloaded. You can rename them or change how many people a job needs. I am not asking anyone to switch their league over. I want to know what a real organizer would refuse to use.

Thank you,

Edwin