Dimatteo
 New! Our next featured player in the Junior Diamond Spotlight has displayed his talent in several states over the last few years. Logan Dimatteo has played at East Cobb, the Atlanta Braves spring training facility in Florida, Cooperstown as well as many sites around our state. He currently wears the uniform of the Upstate Mavericks 14U on weekends and will wear the uniform of J.L. Mann High in the weekday Diamond Prospects Fall Developmental League. We hooked up with him recently and we'll let you in on that conversation, next. Coming Thursday!
L-Day Bash
 New! With the holiday weekend upon us, some local teams and others from as far away as West Virginia converged on Cherry Park for a large tourney in Rock Hill. There were plenty of hits and cheering fans, but also some scary moments as these young players left it all on the field to try and claim victory. JrDP was there to take in the action and spent plenty of time field hopping to see some of the action from several age divisions. See who caught our eye this weekend at the U.S.S.S.A. Labor Day Bash. For more, click here.
Cherry Park
 New! The statue of the Mighty Casey greets visitors to only one park in South Carolina. Unlike the stalwart for the mythical Mudville nine, the City of Rock Hill didn't strike out with scenic Cherry Park. This venue holds its share of tournaments throughout the course of the year. Junior Diamond Prospects takes you there through the lens of our camera in this venue feature. To view, click here.
To view other venue features, click here.
Pipkin
  New! Sumter is one of the top baseball hotbeds in our state, with prospects popping up in about every class. Mark Pipkin has the potential to follow in the footsteps of many fine players from that area of the state that have gone on to play collegiately. We had a chance to chat with the Laurence Manning Academy 9th grader recently. You'll get to meet him, up close and personal, in the Junior Diamond Spotlight. To view, click here.
USSSA
 The Riverdawgs (pictured left) have jumped out to a 7-1 record at the start of the 2010-11 season and the #1 U.S.S.S.A. ranking among 10U AA teams. Included in their early season success is a first place finish at the Atomic City Summer Blast. To view the rankings by age division for this current season, click here.
Jeter
  New! His teammates call him "Big Blake" and it could be interpreted in more than one way. He is physically imposing. But he also has a reputation for hitting some big bombs. Blake Jeter is a 6th grader at Powdersville Middle School and currently plays for the 12U Carolina Sabercats and the 13U Longhorns. We met up with him recently for a Q and A. You'll get to know him in the Junior Diamond Spotlight. To view, click here.
B of the C's
 New! The 11U field of six teams in the U.S.S.S.A. Battle of the Carolinas all made their home in South Carolina and all arrived at Cherry Park ready to impress the fans. While there were some individual performances that stood out, the teamwork was apparent in the teams that separated themselves from the rest of the field. JrDP was on hand for the action on Saturday. See who impressed and put themselves in position to win it all in our Junior Diamond Recap. To view, click here.
Tobin
 New! The Lowcountry Bulldogs finished up as the top rated U.S.S.S.A. 11U Major team in the state for 2009-10. Their collective accomplishments included five championships in U-trip play alone. One of the stalwarts on this talented team from North Charleston is Brock Tobin. This 3B/RHP spent some time with us recently, talking about baseball and some off the field activities too. He's our next featured player in the Junior Diamond Spotlight. To view, click here.
LS Challenge II
  New! Our second featured contest on Sunday in the Late Summer Challenge was probably the best game we have seen in quite a while. And it came in the 10U division. It featured the Simpsonville Bombers and the Upstate Sliders for the 10U championship. This contest was a see-saw affair with good pitching on both sides and an exciting finish that had the parents and fans literally out of their seats. We'll recap it in our Junior Diamond Recap. For more, click here.
Parents
 After ten years of teaching, coaching and giving lessons DP's David List felt like it was time to share what he had noticed and analyzed during that time frame. Some of what he is about to share with you comes from his experience in the classroom and other parts comes from his experience as a coach and now parent. He gives each parent some practical advice of how they should approach their son's baseball career. This is a timely must-read for all coaches and parents of kids who play this great game. To view, click here.
Scouts
 Watch baseball, earn ca$h! JrDP Scouts needed: Do you consider your baseball background good enough to cover USSSA, AAU, Little League or Dixie Youth games? If so, we could use your help to write up contests in the 9-14 age groups across South Carolina. We have current needs in the Columbia, Aiken/North Augusta and Myrtle Beach areas. What better way to earn some extra spending money than watching Americas pasttime played by the stars of tomorrow. Anyone interested in being an area scout for Junior Diamond Prospects - and being compensated - should contact Richard Edwards at
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.
Lessons
  Baseball Lessons: Are you looking for individual baseball lessons during the fall and winter? There are qualified instructors in every part of the Palmetto state. To view a list of options statewide, click here.
Photos
 Junior Diamond Prospects subscribers can access our "Photo Gallery" (look under "Players" on home page). View photos of some of the top young prospects from around the state in game uniforms. We have over 400 players in our gallery now. During the 2010-11 season, we will be adding more and more of the better players that we see. Plus, we'll add more photos of the players already featured here. To view, click here.
Velocity
  Ever wonder what the average velocity is for a particular age? Check out the peak velocity of some of the pitchers we have seen perform in person. You can find it on the tool bar under Players/Player Evaluations/Pitcher Velocity or to view it now, click here. We have over 300 players currently in our data base. Check back often as we will be updating this information as it comes in from our area scouts.
Tournaments
 JrDP will continue to be your #1 source for baseball tournaments in the state. Check out Tournament Central for upcoming events...
Labor Day Classic, Anderson, Gameday Sports, September 4-5... Labor Day Bash, Lexington, Gameday Sports, September 4-5... Labor Day Beach Bash, Myrtle Beach, Gameday Sports, September 4-5... Labor Day Bash, Rock Hill, Gameday Sports, September 4-5... Labor Day Celebration, Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach Sports, September 4-5... Chik-Fil-A Labor Day Showdown, Easley, GameOn/AAU, September 4-5... Labor Day tournament, Myrtle Beach, Ripken Experience, September 4-6
Subscribe!
 Junior Diamond Prospects is a subscription-based site. In order to bring you top-flight coverage across
South Carolina, JrDP is offering you a membership on a monthly or on an annual basis. Get all the insider information for just "pocket change" a day. Try a monthly subscription for only about 30 cents a day. Or better yet, take out an annual subscription for only about 15 cents a day. If you wish to subscribe, set up an account with Paypal first if you don't have one already, then return to JrDP, register (click on register under "Login Form" on left of home page) and connect the dots! For detailed instructions on how to subscribe, go to our FAQ page or click here.
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A new park being hailed by leaders as a sort of “Central Park” took further shape July 14 when the Greenville County Recreation District broke ground on four new baseball diamonds that will sit alongside Municipal Stadium on Mauldin Road.
The former Greenville Braves stadium will be renovated into the centerpiece of a $4 million investment to bring more baseball fields to the site just minutes from Mauldin.
The larger picture will show an 800-acre site that officials from several entities plan to develop into a giant park filled with trails, ball fields and perhaps a golf course near Lake Conestee.
It's a park that recreation district officials said was warranted for its central location in the county and its potential.
Construction has already begun to connect five miles of trails at the still un-named park to create a southern entrance to the Swamp Rabbit Trail, finishing a 17-mile section that would stretch north to Travelers Rest from Mauldin, said Jeff Beacham, executive director of the Lake Conestee Foundation.
For now, the new baseball fields will bring thousands of families to the park and will increase interest in the nature trails when the fields are completed, Beacham said.
The ball fields will become home to a Greenville Little League baseball program that has been stunted in its growth for lack of playing space. Officials hope to attract regional tournaments and traveling teams that would bring rental income to the site and a boost to local restaurants and hotels.
And with a good relationship with the city of Mauldin, the two could team to attract larger baseball tournaments to the area, said Gene Smith, executive director of the recreation department.
“This is going to be the center park, our own Greenville, South Carolina, Central Park,” said Greenville City Councilwoman Lillian Brock Flemming. “This is a great day.”
Greenville County has moved from “the bottom rung” of recreation “just a few years ago” to become “the envy of the nation,” County Council Chairman Butch Kirven said.
The park reflects a partnership between the city of Greenville, Greenville County Recreation District, Lake Conestee Foundation and Renewable Water Resources, formerly Western Carolina Regional Sewer Authority, which owns 200 acres near Interstate 85 that it has allowed to be used for the Swamp Rabbit Trail connection to be built on the banks of the Reedy River.
ReWa is committed to building an “urban city park,” said Ray Orvin, ReWa's executive director.
At the heart of the baseball complex will be renovations to turn Municipal Stadium into a 1,500-seat stadium with new restrooms in a more intimate atmosphere to watch Little League games, Smith said.
Four new fields will be split into two sizes. Two fields will have 225- to 250-foot fences and 60-foot base paths for younger players, a third field can be converted between a smaller and full-sized field, and another full-sized field will have a 380-foot fence, plans show.
One field may be left with a dirt infield for softball use.
The diamonds will each have batting cages, and a central media tower will have a view of each field, Smith said. Two parking lots will add 206 spaces to 1,400 available at Municipal Stadium.
The fields should be open by summer 2011, Smith said.
The project is funded through the county's restaurant tax as part of the recreation district's Tourism, Recreation and Athletics Coalition plan started in 2006, Smith said.
Its ability to attract regional and traveling tournaments to Greenville will make it a valuable use of those tax dollars that will benefit local hotels and restaurants, White said, while its strategic location close to Interstate 85 and central location in Greenville County make it an ideal recreation site for county residents, Smith said.
Another 150 acres the city of Greenville owns could become a golf course or some other green space on a closed landfill site, White said.
By Nathaniel Cary • Tribune-Times Writer • Published: July 20. 2010 10:39AM
Gene Smith, executive director of the Greenville County Recreation District, describes the new baseball complex at the grounds of the Municipal Stadium. (GWINN DAVIS/Staff)
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