The Hard 9 Baseball Club was formed by 9 players of a travel ball club. When the travel ball club decided that it was more important to win than to teach players the skills of the game, and more importantly to have some fun, the 9 players decided that wasn’t for them. The players, twelve year olds, contacted their coach Vern Hildebrandt who was also concerned with the direction the team was taking, and said, “let’s go coach, the Hard 9 will go with you”. And here we are, the Hard 9, a team formed by real ball players.
We are a baseball club that is committed to teaching players the skills and work ethic they will need to prepare for the next level whether its high school, college or the major leagues. The Hard 9 coaching staff is comprised of former MLB, Minor League, and Division 1 players who are dedicated to teach our athletes what it takes to make it in their local high school baseball programs. Hard 9 players learn the skills to play multiple positions in multiple game situations which enables them to succeed at every part of the game.
Playing with the Hard 9 is a privilege. The coaches work with each player to determine the position they will be most successful at. They encourage them to question what they don’t understand, to stand up and speak for themselves. Hard 9 players run the game, and they run it to win. They never give up. This is how baseball works after little league, in high school and beyond.
We are a team that believes you get out what you put in…and while we expect our players to work hard, we also play hard….we are the Hard 9.
Vern Hildebrandt
