caption: MONROE DOCTRINE: Members of the Princeton Little League (PLL) 8A team show off the trophies they earned from winning the Monroe Invitational. Pictured in the front row, from left, are Nick Mindish, Nich Trenholm, Jackson Rho, Jimmy Royer, Aakash Mehta, and Ben Kioko. In the middle row, from left, are Aidan Regan, Teddy Durbin, Jack Weiss, Judd Petrone, Tate Johnson, and Ben Amon. In the back row, from left, are Chris Trenholm, Judd Petrone, Joe Amon, manager Jon Durbin (Manager), assistant coach Tom Regan, assistant coach Ben Weiss, and Al Rho.

Demonstrating New Style and Substance, Princeton Little League Enjoys Big Summer

Bill Alden

It is orange and black and features a menacing tiger with claws thrust forward in a background shaped like a baseball diamond.

It is the Princeton Little League’s (PLL) new logo and it is being seen all over town on bumper-stickers and car magnets.

“The new logo is part of feeling good about what we are doing,” said Jon Durbin, the vice president of the PLL, noting that the installation of new scoreboards at Grover Park and the rebuilding of baseball diamonds at Grover and Farmview Fields also reflect the league’s new look.

“We wanted to increase our identity in town and this was a way to brand our identity.”

There is a lot of substance, however, to go with the PLL’s new style. Distressed by how the PLL’s 8-year-old teams fared in 2009 tournament play, Durbin went on a fact-finding mission.

“Last year when I coached the 8-year-old teams, we were getting mercy-ruled in most of the games,” recalled Durbin.

“I noticed that our fundamentals and skill level were well below that of the other teams. It caused me to take a hard look at things. I had no point of comparison outside of Princeton. I travelled around; I looked at Bordentown, Nottingham, and Montgomery. I called their coaches and talked to them about their programs.”

Durbin’s research led the PLL to adopt a more serious approach to player development.

“We decided that we needed to do a better job of teaching the game to all the players,” said Durbin. “We decided that we needed to be a year-round program.”

The first phase of that was a revamped fall ball program. “In the fall ball, we had pro coaches for the first two weeks,” said Durbin. “They showed the kids the best drills and ways to improve. We also had the father coaches there to learn how to teach the game better.”

The PLL’s diligence didn’t stop with the fall season. “We added a winter program,” said Durbin.

“We went to Game Time Performance based in Hamilton. For eight straight Sundays from mid-January to mid-February, we had 95 players give an hour and a half. They worked out in the tunnel, did soft-toss, and they hit off the tee.”

The focus on fundamentals continued after the completion of the 2010 regular season.

“This summer we hosted a week-long camp from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. everyday,” said Durbin, adding that the PLL changed the format of the younger leagues to feature pitching machines rather than coach pitch. “The people from Jack Cust Baseball Academy came in and we had 60 players take part.”

The work paid dividends over the summer tournament season as PLL clubs enjoyed the most success in recent memory.

The PLL 7/8, or 8B, team won the Branchburg Tournament title while the 8A team brought home championship trophies in both the Monroe Invitational and Montgomery Invitational tournaments.

The 9U-B team reached the semis of the East Brunswick Tournament with the 9U team advancing to the title games in both the “Clash in the Country” in Amwell and the Montgomery Invitational.

The 10U team made the semifinals of the South Brunswick Tournament while the 12U team played in four tournaments, marking the first time that group of players has competed in a full summer schedule.

The highlight of the summer for PLL came when the Princeton 11s made it to the championship round of the District 12 tournament, marking an apparent first in program history.

In Durbin’s view, the success of the 11s, who are coached by Matt Frawley, sets a good example for the younger players coming through the program

“Matt’s group has been an inspiration,” said Durbin, noting that about 350 kids played in the PLL this season, a marked increase since 2008. “It is great that they have done so well. They have gone their own way.”

The PLL leadership is determined to keep things going in the right direction. “We have a core group of people on the board, who are really dedicated to the league,” added Durbin, citing PLL President Kurt Marttila, Equipment Manager Justin Doran, Treasurer William McArthur, and Player Agent Chris Lawn, who set up the league’s computerized draft system. “Everyone is plugged in and engaged in doing well.”

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