Even Innings™ Practice Guide

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Youth baseball and softball practice guide: stations, drills and game situations

How to run a 90-minute practice, with a setup for every station drill, a diagram for every game situation, and finishing games kids will run hard for. Free to print and share; leagues may hand it to every coach.

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How a practice runs

How a 90-minute youth practice runs

A sample 90-minute practice for 10U. Even Innings works out the times for your own roster and practice length.

0:00 · 20 minWarm-upJog, stretch, then a throwing progression, short to long.
0:20 · 40 minStation rounds3 rounds of 10 min, 2 water breaks. Rotate on the whistle.
1:00 · 10 minTeam situationsWhole team in the field. Coach hits.
1:10 · 15 minFinishing gameEnd on something with a score.
1:25 · 5 minWrap-upOne thing that went well, one to work on.

Three stations at once

Split the team into small groups and run three stations at the same time, rotating on the whistle. Players run between stations.

Infield. 1B, 2B, SS, 3B. Grounders, feeds, tags.
Outfield. LF, CF, RF. Fly balls, angles, throws to the cutoff.
Bullpen. Pitcher to catcher, mound or circle. Count depends on age; pitchers on rest sit out.

Station drills

Eight youth baseball and softball station drills

What each group does, how to set it up, and something the coach should watch.

Ground ball footwork

Set up: Coach rolls or hits from about 40 ft. Fielders take turns; one player at first catches throws.
Infield group: Easy grounders. Field the ball out in front, glove down early, then throw to first.
Outfield group: Charge the grounder, crow hop, and throw through the cutoff.
Watch for: Glove on the ground before the ball gets there.

Forehand & backhand

Set up: Coach rolls two or three steps to each side, alternating. Reset to ready after each rep.
Infield group: Grounders to both sides. Bend at the knees and keep your eyes close to the glove.
Outfield group: Balls hit into the gap. Take the angle that cuts the ball off, not the one that chases it.
Watch for: Bend the knees, not the waist.

Transfers & exchange

Set up: Partners 30 ft apart, closer for young players. Count clean catch-and-throws in 30 seconds.
Infield group: Partners play catch. Glove to hand in one motion, quick feet into the throw.
Outfield group: Catch, crow hop, and make a long throw to the cutoff.
Watch for: Hands meet in the middle of the body.

Fly balls & routes

Set up: Coach tosses high balls before hitting real ones. Tennis balls help beginners.
Infield group: Pop-ups around the mound and down the lines.
Outfield group: Angle drill: drop step, crossover, run to the spot, then find the ball.
Watch for: Ball over your head: drop step back first, not in.

Communication

Set up: Two or three fielders, one ball tossed between them. Nobody moves until someone calls it.
Infield group: Pop-up priority. The corners give way to the middle infielders.
Outfield group: Outfield weave. Call "I got it!" early, three times, and keep going until it is in the glove.
Watch for: Loud and early. Whoever did not call it peels off and backs up.

Relays & throwing accuracy

Set up: Two lines race across the outfield. A drop starts that line over.
Infield group: A relay line of three or four players. Move the ball down and back; spread out as arms get stronger.
Outfield group: Chest-high throws to the relay. No rainbows.
Watch for: Receiver shows a target, glove up and chest open.

Catcher receiving & blocking

Set up: Coach kneels 20 ft away and tosses balls in the dirt. Catcher, in full gear, keeps it in front.
Infield group: Force plays and tags at every bag.
Outfield group: Long toss ladder, starting at twenty feet and working out to forty.
Watch for: Catch and hold the pitch; drop to the knees to block.

General infield work / General outfield work

Set up: Use these when you just want reps. Coach hits a mix at game speed. Rotate positions every five reps.
Infield group: Grounders and routine plays at game speed.
Outfield group: Fly balls and footwork, or long toss while the infield works.
Watch for: Game-speed effort on every rep.

Game situations

Game situations: who goes where

Run these as a station or with the whole team in the field. Blue dots are infielders, green are outfielders, gold are runners. A faint ring marks each player’s normal spot and the arrow shows where they go; dashed lines are throws.

Cutoffs & relays

Infield: Gap to the left: SS goes out as the relay, lined up with the base. 2B trails; 3B covers the bag.

Outfield: Get to the ball, then a chest-high throw to the relay. The other outfielder backs up.

Bunt defense

Infield: Runner on first: corners and pitcher charge. 2B covers first, SS covers second.

Outfield: RF backs up first. CF backs up second.

First and third

Infield: Runner steals: 3B holds the bag, SS covers second, 2B is the cut, in line with home.

Outfield: CF backs up the throw to second. LF backs up third.

Double play feeds

Infield: Grounder to SS: chest-high feed to 2B on the bag, who touches it and throws to first.

Outfield: CF backs up second. RF backs up first.

Rundowns

Infield: Run the runner back to the base they came from. Two throws at most; P and 2B fill in behind.

Outfield: RF and CF drift in behind the bases.

Pop-up priority

Infield: Middle infielders take all they can reach. Corners and the pitcher give way.

Outfield: Coming in beats going back. Call it early and loud.

Backing up bases

Infield: On throws from the outfield, the pitcher backs up third or home.

Outfield: LF backs up third on throws from right. RF backs up first on throws across the infield.

Finishing games

Eight finishing games for the end of practice

Drills with a twist. Keep score and make it fun. The last ten minutes are the ones they talk about in the car.

6 vs 6 scrimmage 20 min · 12+ players

Coach pitches to keep it moving. Two short-handed sides, everyone in the field. Rotate positions between innings.

Two-pitch game 15 min · 12+ players

Coach pitches, two pitches per hitter, and they must swing at the second. Full defense. Lots of reps, very little time.

Live BP with full defense 20 min · 10+ players

Hitters take live rounds while a full defense plays every ball out. Fielders call the base before the pitch.

Arena baseball 15 min · 10+ players

Home and second base only. The hitter runs to second and back; the defense races the ball home. Everyone bats, then switch.

21 clean outs 12 min · any number of players

Coach hits. The defense needs 21 clean outs; an error takes one away. Time it, and beat it next practice.

Rundown tournament 10 min · any number of players

Runners between two bases, two fielders each. Two throws at most. The runner who is tagged rotates to defense.

Relay race — infield baserunning 8 min · any number of players

Two teams run home to first to second and back. Tag the next runner. Hit the inside corner of each bag.

Relay race — outfield throws 8 min · any number of players

Two lines from the outfield fence to the infield. The ball travels by chest-high relay throws. A drop goes back one thrower.

Adjust the practice for age

Age	Station length	Bullpen pitches per arm	Throwing warm-up
8U	5–8 min	10	10 ft, out to 20. Two hands, step and throw.
10U	6–9 min	12	15 ft, out to 30.
11–12	7–10 min	15	20 ft, out to 40, then long toss.
13–14	8–12 min	20	20 ft, out to 60, then long toss.
15–18	10–14 min	25	Long toss out to 90 ft, then back down.

8U coach-pitch? Skip the bullpen and add a hitting or baserunning station.

Softball. Every station and game here runs the same way. Pitchers work from the circle.

Coaching points

A minute of talk, not five. Show it once, then let them do it.
Every rep has a target. Call the base before the ball is hit.
Nobody stands still. If they are waiting, they are not learning.
Fix one thing at a time. Praise effort out loud; correct quietly.

Safety. Helmets on anyone batting or running bases. Catchers in full gear, including in the bullpen. Keep throwing lines pointed away from other groups, and nobody stands near a swinging bat.