Owlz Mission Statement
The Illinois Diamond Owlz NFP strives to teach our young adults the fundamentals of teamwork and commitment through baseball with the ultimate goal of shaping lives to be productive and responsible citizens. This association includes parents and players that desire to obtain a more substantial understanding of baseball. Year-round instruction for players includes, but is not limited to, individual skills assessment and development, fundamentals of team play and the importance of proper social and civic behavior by giving back to their communities.
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The Illinois Diamond Owlz NFP was established as a Club Baseball Organization that promotes the learning of baseball at a higher level. Players and families in our organization are dedicated to receiving quality instruction from current and former minor league ball players and the desire to play top teams, tournaments and national events year round.
Dedicated coach's work with the players toward a common goal that includes the development of young athletes into outstanding students, conscientious citizens and skilled players through their participation in the game of baseball. The importance of school and academic commitments is continuously emphasized.
This organization is dedicated and designed to promote self- esteem and self- confidence, while team concept is stressed. The idea that members of a team function together as a complete unit, consistently lifting each other to a higher level, is incorporated into the development of building and refining individual skills.
The coaches encourage the ability to understand game strategy as well as physical play by not only spending time at practice with skill drills, but also instructing players on the principles of baseball. This enables the student player to develop both physically and mentally.
Each year, our players and organization make donations to various Children's organizations in the Chicago area. Our goal is to empower young athletes, through the game of baseball, by developing Character-building traits that will positively impact their future.
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WHY PLAY FOR THE ILLINOIS DIAMOND OWLZ?
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One of the features and trademarks of our team is our winter workout sessions with instructors that work with the players to develop sound baseball fundamentals. The committed players on our team will attend a series of off-season pitching, catching, fielding and hitting clinics. These indoor practice sessions focus on the continued development of the proper baseball skills required to make our players successful not only now but in their future should they express interest to play baseball at the high school level and beyond. Our pitching and catching workouts are held annually with instructor R.C. Lichtenstien who is currently an instructional pitching coach in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization. Pitchers and catchers report to work out sessions in the beginning of January and work with R.C. through the end of February on pitching drills, which stress the proper throwing mechanics for the young arm. Considerable time is also dedicated to other skills such as pick-off moves, holding runners on base, pitching from a windup and a stretch, and fielding the position. Catchers work on the fundamentals of proper primary and secondary stances, transfer and throw with the proper footwork, as well as blocking, fielding bunts, foul balls and relaying signs to the pitcher.
In addition to the pitching and catching sessions, the players also concurrently receive extensive hitting and fielding instruction to include conditioning training. Our 2005-2008 team has had a great opportunity to work with Jared Koutnik in the fundamentals of hitting and fielding. Jared spent six years playing baseball for the New York Yankees organization as a shortstop. Jared teaches our kids the proper hitting fundamentals with a short swing, front to rear weight transfer and a balanced approach to finishing the swing. With defense being the true foundation of an excellent team, a great deal of emphasis is placed on position fielding and the strategies of defensive baseball. Jared continually stresses to the kids that it is more important to learn and practice baseball techniques the correct way, especially at an early age, before bad habits are formed and, later, become very difficult to correct.
Our instructors are excellent with the kids and are truly professional in their approach to teaching the fundamentals of baseball. The kids that have had the opportunity to receive such in depth instruction from former and current big league players such as R.C. and Jared have displayed a definite advantage over other players in their age group. The information and training they have received is priceless, and their relationship with these individuals is something our kids will remember forever.
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| Shown above Jared Koutnik who spent the last 6 years in the Yankees Organization as a Short Stop works with our team on covering second on a steal. |
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