Combined Practice

Do it. It helps out the whole program. You definitely still need to find time to work with them separately. The higher-level nuance-type stuff is more needed by the varsity group, where more repetition and fundamentals is needed by the younger kids, so being together isn't always ideal. But for the fundamental baseball things I like having them together as much as possible.

Pros:
Younger kids get "varsity-level" coaching
Older kids get to help teach
Younger kids see older kids actions to emulate
Builds a real sense of program, not just classes or teams
All coaches see all kids skill level on a regular basis
Makes it easier on JV call-ups to fit right in the system

Cons:
Takes much more planning as drills must be structured for larger numbers
Need to have varsity players understand the importance of the leadership
Not as much time to work with varsity kids on some fine-tuning things

There are obvious things you will want to work with the teams separately on. Not everything you need to do with the Varsity will pertain to younger levels and vice-versa. But overall I like having them together. We have the space to have separate practices, but I still like having all of our kids together at times.

We have just V and JV, but we run them together for a few weeks when we are waiting for winter sports athletes to merge in and then while making decisions on squads. It is really tough. No matter how many stations you set up or how well organized it is, there are fewer quality reps and it takes too much time.
While I agree with Ironhorse that it can be good to combine AT TIMES, I think he missed that you are combining Frosh/Soph and not the V team or coaches so most of his PROS list does not apply.
Also, 3 coaches total for 35 kids across two lower levels is really short-changing the kids at a time when quality attention and instruction is most important.
I would suggest doing everything possible to get a few additional volunteers to help with the program. If the school is big enough for three squads, the area should be big enough to mine for some extra help. Talk to the local college or JC for recommendations on young players just out of the program. Perhaps there are HS grads in the area that were good players and are still in the area and available to help. Even if you have to get help from a (gasp) parent with decent credentials. No team should be run by just one coach, particularly Frosh/Soph where the players are less likely to be able to run their own stations effectively.
Then, schedule a good rotation for use of the baseball field, football field and cages, so that each squad gets fair share time. Cage time may also require coordination with the V squad if possible. I know that other programs in our area with three squads do it this way. With a little extra help and good planning, you should be able to maximize practice time for each squad more effectively than running 35 kids together for a whole season. JMO.

Cabbagedad,

The reason that we are considering this is that indeed we are having a very tough time finding volunteers. In the past our program has thrived because these individuals have put in their time and effort. But this year it appears as if we will not be as fortunate.

So I guess I should have asked which option is better:

1. Freshmen team (roughly 20 players) has 2 coaches and sophomore team (15 players) has 1 coach and practices are separate.

or

2. 35 players practice at same time with 3 coaches.

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks guys!

For the last 6 years I have been at a HS that has two programs. We have always done Individual defense, Team Defense, and 1st & 3rd situations together as a team. The only thing I have never done together is hit. I tried it one time and there is just not enough time because between the 2 teams we carry about 32.

I believe in this type of practice. It allows us to do more things because we have more bodies. It allows the practices to run at a faster pace and allows us to run more situations and get a trues look at what we want to see.

I am going to let you know that if you do decide to take this route things will be slow at first because the younger kids will slow things down. Do not slow down for them they will catch up, it will take about two weeks.

I does take planning and I have all of our drills and everything we do scripted out, seperate of the practice plan. This allows coaches to know exactly what where doing at a specific time because we might be spread across the field. For example....If Varsity is running 1st & 3rd offense all coaches are given a script of what offensive play we are running and what defensive play I want the JV to run.

I am currently at a program that has sent 3 players in 3 years to a D1 program. So as you can see we have some kids that are legit and some kids that are true freshman. We have a big difference in our SR. top end players and our bottom end Freshman, but it does work.

If you need any advice or have any questions please let me know.

What other limitations exist with time of day, time of year, cage size and access, etc.?

Our team has always done V and JV together and freshmen separate. Coaches get a good idea of the skill level of the JV players for call ups. They also get more advanced training which is good because many of them will be playing V the next year.

Another option is to do a half-and-half practice. Early in the season when you are going over the nuts and bolts - relays, rundowns, bunting, double plays, drill work - it's good to have V and JV together. Young kids learn how the system works and the older guys act as role models for how you expect a practice to be run. After warm-up, playing catch, and drill work, you can then split up to do the rep work (grounders, BP, etc.).
It does take some pre-planning to make sure everyone is kept moving in a safe way but it can be well worth it, at least for the first third or half of the season.

BaseballByTheYard.com

... by "split up" I mean go to your separate V and JV fields.

BaseballByTheYard.com