BURNSVILLE TRAVELING BASEBALL (BTB) 2016 New to Traveling Baseball Parent Info January 2016

"I like that my child gets to travel to all of the different cities, more exposure, and better competition." “I like getting to know other kids from different communities. My player has made quite a few "out of town" friends. Everyone is starting to recognize each other.” “A very enjoyable way to spend the spring and summer.” “The opportunity to play competitive baseball in a fun environment where the team is like a family. The traveling baseball community is a close group that supports the kids and families.” “It gives my player an opportunity to be a leader on his team”

Agenda  Background info  Schedule/Tournaments  Coaches  Commitment  Additional Info  Questions

Traveling Baseball Background Info  Players ages 9 through 15 years old. Third-graders who are still 8 years old can also try out for the 10U level along with the 9-year-olds.  Minors are 10, 11, 12 U teams  Majors are 13, 14, 15 U teams  Season  All teams complete play by the last weekend of July.  There are free weekends during the season, usually two per month  No games are played Memorial Day weekend or July 4 th

Number of Teamsage player s year /17 teams participated in state tournament

Schedule  16 league games and 4 tournaments. Average season is games.  Typical pre-season week (April)  Indoor practices  Outdoor practices when fields open  4-6 sessions/week  Typical in-season (May-June) week  one or two practices  two league games  Tournaments on weekends  League games played during the week against other communities like Apple Valley, Lakeville, Bloomington and Eden Prairie…Waconia

Tournaments  Three local/Twin Cities weekend tournaments  One out-of-town tournament  Ten-year-old tournaments are all local  Tournaments begin Friday evening/Saturday morning and conclude on Sunday afternoon (if your team advances)  Teams may qualify for state tournaments (up to 3), which are held during the month of July  May take up entire weekend depending on schedule/weather

Traveling Baseball Background Info  Fees for 2016 Traveling Baseball  Total $390; includes non-refundable $40 tryout fee and a $30 BAC administrative fee.  The deposit collected at the time of registration is equal to the total In-House fee plus the non-refundable tryout fee  Scholarships available for those in ISD 191’s free/reduced lunch program.

Coach Selection and Playing Time Coaches  Coaches selected via application and interview process  Head Coaches have demonstrated baseball experience/coaching experience  Assistant Coaches selected by head coach  All must pass background check  All must adhere to coaches code of conduct  Expectations of practice frequency and player development  Coaches feedback survey Playing time  BTB promotes and tracks a fair-play policy  5% guideline for all players (not applicable for 14/15)  Attendance and attitude may influence this depending on coaches’ policies

Uniforms  2-3 Jerseys  1 pair of pants  Fitted hat  Warm-up jacket Potential additional costs:  Names on jerseys/numbers on hats  Indoor practice costs  Additional pants  Gate fees for state tournaments  Additional equipment

Tryouts and Team Selection Tryouts start on March 15 th /conclude March 20 th. 2 sessions of tryouts Minors hitting tryouts at Triple Play Sports in Prior Lake on Tuesday, March 15 th. Majors hitting tryouts at the Savage Dome on March 19 th or 20 th. Fielding, pitching/catching, for all players March at the Savage Dome. Players that have made a BTB team will be posted on the Burnsville Traveling Baseball Website by March 21st. Tryout schedules will be handed out at the pre-tryout Parent Meeting on Wednesday, March 8, Potential for reassignment to In-House. All players not making a traveling team will be reassigned to an In-House team if they choose that option at the time of registration. No player is denied the opportunity to play baseball. Because of the timing of tryouts, In-House reassignments cannot be guaranteed placement on their neighborhood team.

Tryout Equipment and Prep Equipment Tennis shoes or rubber molded cleats Athletic supporter with a protective cup for indoor fielding Tennis shoes only for hitting Glove Bat Batting helmet Do not wear anything with your name visible Prep Playing catch Hitting cages Grounders and fly balls Age Hitting Speeds MPH PitchingBases Home to 2nd ’60’85’ ’65’92’ ’75’106’ ’80’113’ ’90’127’ ’90’127’

“I get to make friends from other schools” “I play different positions” “ I like going out of town” “Spending time with my teammates” “Playing against other teams not from here”

Family Commitment Parents are expected to get their child to all games and practices on time Families are required to volunteer at the Burnsville Invitational Tournament (June 3-5) and the MBT State Tournament (July 15-17) This works out to 2 or 3 shifts per family for each of the two weekend tournaments This is a commitment for not only the player but the family

9/10-year-old policy BTB will allow 9-year-olds to try out at 10-year-old age level. A 9-year-old is defined as a player who is 9 years old by August 31st, and 10-year-olds are eligible to make any 10-year-old team, including 10AAA BTB will determine how many 9-year-olds make a team based on registration numbers After the first season playing as a 9-year-old on a 10-year-old team, the player must commit to either moving up the next year to play at 11s with his grade level (typically a 9-year-old in 4 th grade as of April 30 th, 2016), or remain at the 10s the following year (typically a 9-year-old in 3 rd grade his first year playing 10s). Once a player commits to playing up with their grade after that first year, he may not elect to move down in later seasons (i.e. play at 11s two years in a row). A player who elects to play at 10s again a year after playing as a 9-year-old may elect to move up an age level in later seasons (i.e. play second year at the 10s but then skip to 12s to play with his grade the following season) 4 th -grade player priority over 3 rd -grade selection

Bat rules: For the 2016 MBL/MBT season, the bat rules will remain the same as The 10U bat rules for MBL/MBT are: Bats with a 2 1/4" barrel can have an unlimited weight differential, but bats with a barrel between 2 1/2" and 2 3/4" must have a -10 differential or less (i.e. 30” – 20.0 oz.) Sample bat

Volunteer Baseball Board Mark Nesvig (president) David Limberg (vice president) Teresa Christenson (secretary) Tim Hull (treasurer) Nikki Saf-Sanders (minors director) Tim Burns (majors director) Brook Dawson (tournament director)

Additional info The Burnsville Traveling Baseball website: and we will respond in a timely Metro Baseball Leagues website can be found at You can visit our information table at in-person registrations (Feb. 6 and 18) to obtain additional information. Parent pre-tryout meeting and all-parent meeting