12U - Medeiros 2019/2020

12U - Medeiros

Our goals last year as we formed a new 12U team were for the girls to have fun, to improve, to have success and for the experience to be so positive that every girl and family would want to stay together for years to come. We were overwhelmingly successful in achieving those goals. As we head to 2019/2020 our goals are largely the same.

We are interested in finding young athletes who are skilled players, who want to compete and get better, are coachable, who fit in with our returning girls and who are able to strike that balance between playing hard while having fun.

We will play an ASA A/B schedule in 2019/2020.

The coaches who will lead our team are:

Frank Medeiros

Chris Jeub

I am thrilled to Manage of our 2nd year (2007) 12U team and appreciate that you have come to our site to learn about our staff.

My story starts with me sharing that I was a reasonably accomplished baseball player through high school. I was recruited to play at a small college, but unfortunately life had other plans for me. Although my playing days came to an end my love for the game continued. I remained engaged and took advantage of every opportunity to learn more about the game, as well as to improve my skills for sharing that knowledge with others. I didn't know it at the time but coaching was in my DNA.

Fast forward a few years and it was time for our children to start playing sports. Thus began my official coaching career. I coached 5 seasons of CYO basketball and 7 seasons of Tigard Little league softball. That brings us to the fall of 2017.

I had a vision and desire to create an even better playing environment for our girls than what we experienced previously. So I partnered with Jon Schwartz to revive the Tigard Blast and move to club play. We did that by forming a new 12u team together.

The hallmark of all my teams is that the girls have fun, develop as people and players, and that my teams improve over the course of the season. My core values as a coach are:

First and foremost, it is about the girls.
Focus on the whole person, not just the softball player
Open communication with parents
Use of focused drills to improve softball skills.
Creating a sisterhood amongst the girls on the team.
Expect the girls to always demonstrate respect for each other, opponents and umpires.
Definitely play to win but never adopt a win at all costs approach.

I think I am especially good at analyzing girl’s play, assessing areas for improvement and creating plans to develop girl’s skills. I am a teacher at heart on the softball field.

I strive to keep my practices dynamic and fast moving; I like to use drills which simulate game experiences while also developing core skills.

Two principles I try to apply whenever I interact with the girls on the field are the Boy Scout’s EDGE method for teaching (Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable) and using the ASA “Sandwich” technique for correcting mistakes with positive reinforcement (Positive statement > Correction > Positive statement).

On a personal level, I have been married to my wife for 20 years. We are blessed to have two great kids. We have lived in Tigard for 15 years.

My love for the diamond, and the games of baseball & softball, was a gift to me from my father. He put a glove on one hand and a ball in the other, and the rest is history. He spent countless hours with me at the field hitting ground balls, throwing batting practice, coaching me and my teammates, serving on various league boards, and generally supporting me on my personal baseball odyssey. I share this with you because he was a major force in shaping me into the man and coach I am today. He was always a dad first, but also a teacher and motivator whenever I stepped across the white line and onto the diamond. It is those lessons that I have carried on with my son and daughter today, teaching them the many aspects of baseball and softball, and what it means to honor the game and love these sports.

As a softball coach, I am a teacher first and foremost. Throughout my playing days I was blessed to play for many excellent coaches who were amazing teachers. It is those lessons learned, and coaching and teaching techniques I was immersed in, that I bring to the diamond each day. Each player has unique talents, and I believe it is our job as coaches to find and nurture those talents so that each young lady plays beyond what she believes she can achieve. Some of the core principles I practice and preach include:

Softball is a game. Let’s have some fun!
Don’t tell the girls what to do; show them. Explain why something is important and how it will impact their performance (and possibly that of their teammates).
We can control two things – Attitude & Effort. These two denominators will shape and define your experience every day and how you contribute to the team. They also can be applied to everything the ladies do when they’re off the field (school work, family life, etc).
Focus on the work you need to do, but be sure to pick up your teammates. Encourage them. Cheer their victories. And most importantly, lift them up when they’re down because you can’t compete without them.
Never stop seeking to improve. Be better by the end of practice than you were when you started practice.
Push yourself. Surprise yourself with the plays you can make and the hits you can get that you thought you couldn’t.
Believe in yourself, and play for your teammates.
Win and lose with dignity and humility.

On a personal chord, I’m a native Oregonian and my family and I live in the Tigard community. I played baseball from little league through college until a shredded rotator cuff abruptly ended my journey. I love being on the field with my kids and yours, and it is my honor to help shape their softball experience.

The Blast is doing great things, and I hope you will consider trying out with us.

Thank you for considering the Blast. If you have questions about our program or are interested in joining our teams, please use the Contact Us or Pre-Register forms at the top of this page.