About LYB

La Crosse Youth Baseball MissionLa Crosse Youth Baseball Bluff

  • To teach the great game of baseball in a positive, fun-filled environment
  • To develop a well-rounded set of baseball skills in each youth athlete
  • To facilitate hard work, being a team player, and good sportsmanship
  • To allow youth athletes the ability to enjoy being a baseball player, while still having time for other recreational activities/interests
  • To model the qualities of responsibility, sportsmanship and team work to our youth athletes

 

History of La Crosse Youth Baseball

LYB was formed in 1974 with Bluffview Park, 28th and Jackson, as its home field. The diamonds, fences and fields were funded and built by LYB. Traditionally, LYB has been made up of students from the middle of the city.  With the changing demographics of youth sports, LYB accepts youth baseball players from La Crosse and all of the surrounding areas.

 

Advantages of Being a Multisport Athlete

  • Playing multiple sports allows kids to develop a more diverse set of movement skills (aka athleticism)

 

  • The athleticism and movement skills developed before puberty provide a strong foundation for athletic success in high school and beyond

 

  • Youth athletes who specialize in one sport have significantly higher rates of injury and burnout than those who play multiple sports:
    • A Study by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health found that high school athletes who specialized in one sport were 70% more likely to suffer an injury.
    • Repetitive, over-use injuries account for 50% of all pediatric sports-related injuries (American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine – 2016)
    • Youth baseball players who pitch more than 100 innings per year are 3.5 times more likely to be injured than those who pitch less than 100 innings per year (American Journal of Sports Medicine – 2011)
    • Of the children who specialize in one sport, 70% discontinue that sport by age 13 (American Academy of Pediatrics – 2016)

 

  • Does specializing in one sport help my child’s chances of getting a college scholarship?
    • Less than 2% of high school athletes receive college scholarships, and the vast majority of scholarships awarded are partial scholarships worth less than one semester’s tuition cost (NCAA fact sheet – 2018)
    • Division 1 NCAA athletes are most likely to have played multiple sports in high school – AND –  the sport they play in college is most likely not the first sport played as a child.  (Current Sports Medicine Reports – 2010)