Welcome to the Orchard Park Quakers Travel Baseball Program.  For those of you new to the program, please read through the information below to find out more about our competitive travel baseball teams.  Travel baseball teams are vastly rewarding and fun for all, but it does require a high level of commitment from players and parents.

Tryouts:

Travel begins with the 7u "Flying Hotdogs" Development Team. This team is formed in early May.   We only field one team at this level and they compete in 8u Orchard Park Quakers tournament.   The 8u -16u  tryouts occur annually at Orchard Park Little League Fields in early to mid August. Boys will be evaluated in the areas of pitching, hitting, fielding, throwing and running. The 7u, 8u , and 9u tryouts will be conducted by the Coaches identified for those age groups as well as  the Baseball Committee members, using experienced, knowledgeable, baseball evaluators. At 10u and older, each teams manager and committee will conduct their respective tryouts. He may use any combination of OPLL managers / coaches to assist him in evaluating at team tryouts. 

Selection Process:

Orchard Park Quakers will attempt to field two - three teams at every level, 8u - 17u.  Our goal is to assemble teams at each level of play with the purpose of playing competitive baseball.  We typically have a large number of boys that tryout every year, unfortunately, some boys will not make a Orchard Park Quakers Travel Baseball team for their particular level. If your child does not make the travel team, we strongly encourage them to continue with the house program and continue to develop their skills with the coaches in the Orchard Park Baseball Academy. 

Orchard Park Quakers has opened its registration to all interested players.   Our teams are designated "Quakers- Coaches Name" starting at 8u. The teams can conduct tryouts independently or with the other coaches. For 8u, the top 24 players will be divided evenly between the two teams.  If there are enough interested players, we would then field a third team.

Some or all of the factors described below will be taken into consideration when selecting a player to a team.

• Prior year’s performance and commitment on a travel team, if applicable.

• Attitude , hustle, and ability to process the game.

• House league evaluations from the prior season, if applicable.

• Interviews with the previous team manager and assistant coaches, if applicable.

• Tryout scores following the skills evaluation at tryouts

• Personal knowledge of a players strengths or weaknesses

• A players role on the team

Roster Announcements:

We anticipate that the final selection process will be completed by most teams the same day, or with in a few days after tryouts are complete. Due to every team being a little different regarding the amount of kids trying out, it may take certain teams a little longer than others.  It is the responsibility of the player’s parent/guardian to ensure that the league has been given the proper email/phone number at or prior to tryouts. The final rosters will be placed on our website at www.opll.org under Travel Baseball tab.

Once the rosters are announced the decision of the selection committee will be final. Any questions following the selection process can be addressed to Chris Valiquette. 

Travel Program Team Requirements:

Orchard Park travel baseball team expectations will differ between each level and coach.  The 8u-12u travel teams will practice 1-2 times per week and play in roughly 3- 6 tournaments.  Each travel team 8u-12u will also be registered to play in a local travel league.  Leagues generally consist of a minimum of 10-18 games plus playoffs.  Players on 8u-11u  travel teams are required to participate in the house program, with the exception of the 12u teams.  Any 12u player who makes their school modified team may opt out of house baseball. 

The 13-17 year olds will have a much more complex schedule, where they will elect to play in a wide array of games, leagues, and tournaments.  At 13 and up, there is no house requirement for the boys, so a coach may enter tournaments in May, June, July, and or August in conjunction with some form of travel league. 

Off Season Training:

Following the August tryouts,  training can begin for some teams as early as November, with indoor practices. Each coach reserves the right to have a specialized off season training program, consisting of a membership to our OPLL Fieldhouse. This membership includes one (1) 90- minute dedicated team session and each team member gets 12 individual rentals per month to train.  A parent should contact the coach prior to tryouts to determine their projected plan, if it's a concern to the parent.  Every age will have a different schedule depending on the coach and training facilities availability.

Individual costs:

There is a non-refundable $200 deposit required within 3 days of committing to the team.  This $200 does go toward the individuals total travel fee. 

Travel team fees are collected by the coach or team manager and will be used to cover things such as the OPLL Travel Insurance, Indoor Fieldhouse Space and the OPLL travel fee ($110 for field maintenance),  practice gear, bags/helmets, uniforms, umpire fees, tournament registration, off season training costs, etc. 

Estimated Player Costs -

7u $300-$400            8u-17u $900-$1,500               

Cost is ultimately determined by the coach.  Fees involved are directly formed from the teams expenses which can vary widely depending on your off season training plan and the number of tournaments your team participates in.   Please note that at 12u, many teams choose to participate in the Cooperstown Dreamspark Tournament which will increase the individual costs closer to $2,000.  Fundraising opportunities are also coach/team decisions. 

Uniforms:

Uniforms are standard from ages 7u- 12u, and usually need to be replaced due to kids growing every year, or every other year. At 13u and up, the jerseys may differ pending approval by the travel committee.  Teams can use a combination of OPLL approved colors : Maroon, Gray, Black and White.  

Questions and inquiries may be directed to the President or Director of Travel Baseball.

Thanks to all for participating!