game on
travel ball
The Truths in
the TRAVEL
“Som
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y bes
early
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base
ories
b
a
ll car
tourn
in my
eer w
amen
ere p
ts wit
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my T
izatio
in
ravel
ns an
B
built
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with
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lasted
ther p
ships
layer
to thi
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s that
s day
.” - M
have
ike C
orrea
The topic of travel baseball will come up in your
baseball circle if it has not already. If you have
been around youth baseball very long, you will
soon hear from other baseball parents and
baseball coaches the topic of travel ball.
Parents will likely hear how much their child will improve once
they switch over to travel ball and feel the pressure to provide
their child with the best opportunities. Before you listen to the
hype, hear from a college baseball coach about the reality of
Travel Ball and if it is worth switching from recreational baseball.
We spoke to Mike Correa, a baseball coach from Faulkner
University, and here’s what he had to say about Travel Ball:
What do you think of Travel Ball?
I believe if run correctly, a Travel Ball organization can do great
things for players. It allows them to meet new players and play
in various tournaments in different parts of their region. Some
of my best memories in my early baseball career were playing in
tournaments with my Travel Ball organizations and the relation-
ships I built with the other players that have lasted to this day.
Have you seen a difference in players that
played Travel Ball?
For the most part, no. Some organizations pride themselves in
player development and really help a kid improve their skills.
While some organizations simply try to gather the best players in
order to win tournaments. We’ve had players come through our
program who never played travel ball due to the cost that are just
as good if not better than the ones who did play travel ball.
Advantages of Travel Ball?
Along with meeting other players and creating great friendships,
it allows them to play in front of a good amount of college coach-
es and sometimes professional scouts. Some travel teams play
in large tournaments around the country which creates a huge
opportunity to be seen by a large amount of colleges that aren’t
geographically close to where they live.
Some issues you have seen from Travel Ball?
Each tournament the team plays in charges a fee for each team
to participate, and it’s up to the players (parents) to help pay
that fee. But some organizations charge a ridiculous amount to
play by selling the fact that they’ll get the best exposure playing
for them versus other organizations. A lot of parents cannot
afford certain Travel Ball organizations’ cost with the fees, travel
expenses, jerseys, etc.
What percentage of players on your team
played Travel Ball?
I would say just about all of our players at some point in their
career have played on a Travel Ball team. Some have played for
very well-known Travel Ball organizations and some have played
for smaller local travel teams.
Is Travel Ball participation considered in
recruitment or scholarship offers?
For our program, Travel Ball participation isn’t factored at all in
our recruiting process. We just try to find the best players avail-
able, regardless of if they have played in a Travel Ball organiza-
tion or not.
While Travel Ball provides a lot of benefits and
exposure for student athletes, any baseball player has
the capability to be just as skilled and receive the same
consideration for scholarships. If Travel Ball is an
affordable option, it does provide positive benefits, but
it is not the only way a baseball player can succeed and
make a college or professional team.
www.potentialmagazine.com
Spring 2020 |
37