One of our players most loved baseball outfield drill is called “Gone, Gone, Gone, Nope, Nice Catch”. Believe it or not, it has paid off in two or more of our high school games and I love hearing the boys just saying, “just the way we practiced it”.
Gone, Gone, Gone, Nope, Nice Catch
I line my outfielders up in a line in left center field about 25 to 30 yards from the fence.
I stand on the right field line and hit fly balls just trying to drop it over the center field fence.
Players love trying to run over, find the warning track and fence and jump to try and catch the ball before it becomes a homerun.
Important note: keep one player outside the fence helps to retrieve the “gone, gone, gone, balls”.
Tip for Outfielders
This is what has been working for us when teaching outfielders which step to take first on a fly ball.
- If the ball is hit above the brim of their cap then take a step back because the trajectory of the ball is over their head.
- If it is below the brim then look to come up on the ball.
- And, if it is hit right at their brim then hold and read for a moment.