With the uncertainty of games and a solid calendar in the near future, we are now starting to take a prospect list of qualified athletes  interested in our Gold program for Fall, which is under the guidance and experience of Ohana co-directors, Shawn and Joey Quarles.  Our 16U and 18U Gold teams are hand-picked by the Quarles brothers to represent the Ohana Tigers brand nationally and against the very best teams across the country. These teams will be positioned on the most recruited fields in each tournament entered and will follow a college level itinerary in terms of development and accountability.  Our 18U Gold team has full equipment sponsorship from Louisville Slugger/Evoshield and our 16U Gold athletes often reap the benefits as well.

Staying in our mission, we always look within our Ohana first, for those athletes who might fit the bill and we know we have plenty of them!!! Sometimes it just takes a little nudge to get those competitive juices wanting more!

If you are an Ohana athlete In the graduating classes of 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 who is ready to step outside your comfort zone a little bit to compete at the very highest level week after week, fill out a Gold Prospect Questionnaire and someone will get back to you shortly (non-Ohana athletes may submit a prospect Questionnaire as well). Don't worry! Your submission is strictly CONFIDENTIAL. Submit your Questionnaire here.

Preparation and poise.  Approach and response.  Know what you want to do; know how to do it; know how to react to whatever results. Hitters heed: how you go about your business and how you react to what happens to you both are, theoretically within the boundaries of your control.  What happens to you (results), are not.

Learn the difference – and learn how to manage what you are allowed to manage.  The famous poem by Rudyard Kipling says in part, “If you can keep your head, when all about you are losing theirs…” The poem ends saying, “If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance, yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, and – which is more – you’ll be a man, my son!”

Read the entire article on our new blog, "Dugout Chattuh" by clicking here.

1. Learn the umpire’s strike zone as early in the game as possible.  The lowest strike, the highest strike, outside limit and inside limit.  Know what he will give you and what he won’t give you.  Most of the time, they will be consistent with their calls.
2. Get ahead of your “pitch count”.  Most often, first pitch strike is important, unless you consciously pitch outside the strike zone (pitch out, “fish” pitch, learning umpires strike zone).
3. Make every effort to get the first out in each inning.  Opposing teams have fewer scoring options with one out and no runner on base.
4. Pitch with efficiency by limiting the number of three ball counts.  In a 7 inning game, your pitch count goal should be about 80-85 pitches, (an average of 12 pitches per inning).  A pitchers strike to ball ratio should be approximately 2:1 (two strikes pitched for every ball). 
5. Pitchers must work at being good fielders.  Good fielding pitchers help their efficiency.
6. Know yourself!  On any given day, know which of your pitches is working most effectively during warm ups. Which of your pitches is not working well during warm ups.  Every pitcher should have 1 or 2 go to “OUT” pitches.  Following your pre-game warm up, it is IMPORTANT to share this information with your catcher and the coach calling pitches.
7. The most effective pitcher, is not necessarily the pitcher who can overpower a hitter.  The most effective pitchers are pitchers who keep hitters off balance (disrupt the hitter’s timing) by changing speeds and pitch location.  Learn to do this well.  You MUST have a “change up” that you can spot locate with consistency.
8. Good pitchers don’t get beat by the bottom half of the opposing team’s line-up.  Don’t give free bases (walks, hit batters, errors, etc.) to the bottom half (7, 8, and 9 hitters) of the opposing team’s line-up , however don’t take them for granite.
9. Good pitchers are able to get a strike out (K) when they need it. Good pitchers don’t give up a lot of home runs because of bad pitches, or POOR PITCH LOCATION.  Minimize the need to make a bad pitch (middle of the plate) by staying ahead of the count.  By being ahead of the count, pitchers can “work” the edges of the strike zone.
10. Be smart!  Think like a pitcher, not a thrower.