Brandon Valley Baseball Association

Age Levels – 9u, 10u, 11u, & 12u

9U-12U Eligibility

12U: Players currently in 6th grade(unless age 13 on January 1)

11U: Players currently in 5th grade(unless age 12 on January 1)

10U: Players currently in 4th grade(unless age 11 on January 1)

9U: Players currently in 3rd grade(unless age 10 on January 1)

All players retain the option to "play up" one grade if deemed appropriate through the tryout process 

This creates uniformity from 9u-14u in determining eligibility, no matter where you go to play tournaments, this also removes the potential jump from 11u to 13u for players moving into 7th grade 

 
Evaluations –  It is the Association’s goal to provide an opportunity to all players to participate in an evaluation process for placement on a travel team.  The objective for player placement is to form teams of similarly skilled players and to place all players who want to participate in travel baseball.   We believe our defined and well documented process for meeting this objective is solid. There is diversity (different points of evaluation) and anonymity built into the process which results in a fair and unbiased method of producing accurate placements.  Placement is not guaranteed, but it is our desire to be as fair, transparent, and consistent as we possibly can be within the constraints of registration numbers, age cut-offs, and coach volunteers.
 
Cost per player – The travel team registration fee will be utilized for tournament entry fees and team baseballs. 

• 12U & 11U --$175
• 10U & 9U ---$175

 
Practice Schedule – The Association will provide access to a field for one practice per week with additional practices scheduled at the coach’s discretion.
 
Game Schedule – The schedules will be determined by the coach and families based on player availability and the cost of tournament entry fees.  Typically, teams compete in weekend tournaments, but following the BVBA league season, weekday games may be scheduled.  Teams may travel outside of South Dakota for tournaments, but a majority of the tournaments are local such as the four BVBA sponsored events.  In general, the tournaments start in late April and conclude in early August.  On average, travel teams compete in 2-3 tournaments per month.  In the 2014 season, the 11 year old travel team played in 35 games and 9 weekend tournaments in addition to their league play.
 
Equipment – The Association provides each team with Catcher’s Gear and  Batting Helmets. Players will provide their own Bats, Spikes, Gloves, and Uniforms. 

BVBA Travel Team Program Goals -  The BVBA's goal in hosting a travel team program is to provide an opportunity for all players in the BV School District interested in playing travel baseball.  The evaluation process will allow all players to play with players with a similar skill level while meeting new kids in our community.  Winning is not the #1 goal of these programs.  Inclusion, development, teamwork and fun are goals of all BVBA travel teams.