Five Fletcher little league teams qualify for state tournament

Hayden Herrin believes backyards are the most fertile training ground a young baseball player can have.

Skill development is not specific to backyards, of course. A street to play catch in, or field within walking distance works too. Herrin’s point is that young baseball players can only learn so much from weekly 60-minute practices and games.

“I can drive by the baseball field or a parent’s house, just cruising through town, and you see parents out there playing catch,” said Herrin, coach of multiple Fletcher little league baseball teams. “Hitting ground balls. Hitting. Doing things like that makes a difference.”

The dedication of kids and parents is what has elevated Fletcher little league teams to the top of the OK Kids Baseball Association scene. Five Fletcher teams — 6U T-ball, 8U coach pitch, two 10U teams and 12U softball — qualified for the Oklahoma state baseball tournament.

The state tournaments run from June 26-30.

While a couple of the Fletcher teams have already been knocked out, there were three still competing and fighting to make the finals Friday night. Hopefully we will be able to include the final results in The Sunday Constitution.

Herrin, who was a standout in basketball and baseball at Fletcher, said he matches the investment from players and parents with his unique coaching style.

“I only know how to give 100%,” Herrin said. “I don’t have a calm bone in my body. I’m sure I upset a bunch of people about how I coach and the way I get on to the kids. But I also praise them a ton.”

To qualify for state, each of the five Fletcher teams had to win their regional tournament, which ran from June 20-24. Some regional tournaments were hosted in Fletcher, and others took place in Chickasha and Elgin.

Even at the 6U and 8U levels, Herrin said the Fletcher teams have improved drastically in a relatively short period of time.

“From the start of the season to now, it’s night and day,” Herrin said. “Now we’re making outs at every base. We’re throwing the ball across the field. Last year we were just rolling the ball to first base…That goes back to parents playing catch at home with their kids. You don’t get that practicing once a day or twice a week. It’s a huge commitment by the parents and they’ve bought in exponentially.”

Herrin said the buy-in parents and coaches are displaying at the T-ball level to the 12U level across baseball and softball in Fletcher is setting Fletcher up for success in the future.

“It’s a huge commitment,” Herrin said. “Is this what you want to do for your mini vacation for the summer? Watch your kids in 107-degree weather? And (parents) do, without hesitation. They are all in.”