December may seem like a strange time to get updates on baseball programs in Hastings, but to baseball people, it is a year-round endeavor. This is especially true for organizations like the Hastings Youth Athletic Association (HYAA), Raider Nation, the Hastings Hawks and Hastings High School.

HYAA and Raider Nation

At one time in Hastings baseball history, all of the summer baseball for youth was organized under one roof. 13 years ago, the in-house baseball and travelling baseball split. The younger in-house teams becoming Raider Nation while the older traveling teams stayed with HYAA. This decision in the eyes of many was both needed at the time but also detrimental to Hastings Baseball in general. It meant the need for two boards, kids and parents needed to decide where to play instead of focusing on the development of the kids and the success of baseball in Hastings.

That is no longer a problem, according to a statement from HYAA: “We are proud to announce that Raider Nation Baseball and Hastings Youth Athletic Association have merged baseball programs to come together as one Baseball organization to serve the residents of Hastings.

“Over the past 13 years, HYAA and Raider Nation Baseball have worked as separate youth baseball organizations in Hastings:

• Raider Nation Baseball: Tball Thru Minors (third Graders) In-House Baseball

• HYAA: 9U (third Graders) thru 12th Grade Traveling Baseball WEARE NOW ONE PROGRAM! We are excited to bring board members from Raider Nation Baseball to HYAA to continue all programs and work to develop the best possible Youth Baseball Program in the area.

If you have any questions, please reach out to any of the below Baseball contacts at HYAA: In-House Baseball Director

• Brian Davis

Travel Baseball Director

• Jason Stoffel

VFW/Legion Baseball Director

• Robb Svoboda In addition, if you are looking to make an impact on the lives of young kids, HYAA has additional openings for the following positions:

• Director of Travel Softball

• Director of In-House Softball Please reach out to Sherri Leflay, President, at [email protected] or (651) 2783801 if you are interested or would like more information!

See you on the Diamond!” This is a good thing for Hastings youth on the baseball and softball side of things. Having one organization that is committed to teaching the lessons of life through organized sports builds a love of the game, hopefully without the politics. The combining of the two board of directors spreads the work out among volunteers, a win for everyone involved.