Todd Frazier (center) celebrates LLWS win in 1998

Every August since 1947, the best baseball playing 12- and 13-years olds in the world gather in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania to see who emerges the Little League World Series champions.

The  youngsters are first playing for the LLWS title. However, like any kid who picks up a ball and bat, they are also striving to play on a Major League diamond one day. There are currently seven players on big league rosters who also played in the Little League World Series.

Ranger Jurickson Profar and Oriole Jonathan Schoop played together on the 2004 LLWS winning squad from the small Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao. Reds third baseman Todd Frazier won the 1998 LLWS with the team from Toms River, New Jersey. Americans Colby Rasmus and Lance Lynn, Canadian Michael Saunders and Venezuelan Yusmeiro Petit also participated in the Little League World Series.

Here is a list of the all the prominent  Major League players who had previously suited up in the Little League World Series:

Wilson Alverez, Jason Bay, Derek Bell, Sean Burroughs, Charlie Hayes, Ken Hubbs, Carney Lansford, Jason Marquis, Lloyd McClendon, Lastings Milledge, Boog Powell, Gary Sheffield, Jason Varitek (one of two players to participate in the Little League, College and Major League World Series), Dan Wilson and Rick Wise.

Stars of other sports have also played in the Little League World Series.

NFL quarterbacks Brian Sipe and Matt Cassel both went to the LLWS, as did NASCAR driver Austin Dillon.  NHL great Chris Drury first made a name for himself as the star of the LLWS from Trumbell Ct., which won it all in 1989.  898 point scorer Ray Farraro was a LLWS participant, as were Pierre Turgeon and Stepahne Matteau, who played together on the 1982 LLWS squad from Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec.

Chris Drury

So far, so good, as Horton has led the Ducks to three NCAA tournaments in four years. Will 2014 be the year Oregon baseball finally breaks through to the College World Series, and proves themselves worthy in-state rivals for Oregon State, who won back-to-back National Championships in 2006 and 2007?

The Ducks 2014 baseball schedule is below. Conference match ups are marked with an *.

Fri, Feb 14 Hawaii – Honolulu 8:35 p.m.
Sat, Feb 15 Hawaii – Honolulu 3:05 p.m
Sun, Feb 16 Hawaii – Honolulu 3:05 p.m.
Mon, Feb 17 Hawaii – Honolulu 3:05 p.m.
Fri, Feb 21 Loyola Marymount Los Angeles 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Feb 22 Loyola Marymount Los Angeles 1:00 p.m.
Sun, Feb 23 Loyola Marymount Los Angeles 1:00 p.m.
Tue, Feb 25 Portland – Eugene, Ore. 6:00 p.m.
Fri, Feb 28 Cal State Fullerton Eugene, Ore. 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Mar 01 Cal State Fullerton Eugene, Ore. 2:00 p.m.
Sun, Mar 02 Cal State Fullerton Eugene, Ore. 12:00 p.m.
Tue, Mar 04 Seattle – – Eugene, Ore. 3:00 p.m.
Tue, Mar 04 Seattle – – Eugene, Ore. 6:00 p.m.
Fri, Mar 07 Ohio State – – Eugene, Ore. 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Mar 08 Ohio State – – Eugene, Ore. 4:00 p.m.
Sun, Mar 09 Ohio State – – Eugene, Ore. 12:00 p.m.
Fri, Mar 14 USC * – – Eugene, Ore. 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Mar 15 USC * – – Eugene, Ore. 2:00 p.m.
Sun, Mar 16 USC * – – Eugene, Ore. 12:00 p.m.
Fri, Mar 21 Utah * – – Eugene, Ore. 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Mar 22 Utah * – – Eugene, Ore. 2:00 p.m.
Sun, Mar 23 Utah * – – Eugene, Ore. 11:00 a.m.
Tue, Mar 25 San Francisco – – San Francisco 2:00 p.m.
Wed, Mar 26 San Francisco – – San Francisco. 2:00 p.m.
Fri, Mar 28 Stanford * – – Stanford, Calif. 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Mar 29 Stanford * – – Stanford, Calif. 2:00 p.m.
Sun, Mar 30 Stanford * – – Stanford, Calif. 1:00 p.m.
Tue, Apr 01 Gonzaga – – Spokane, Wash. 6:00 p.m.
Wed, Apr 02 Gonzaga – – Spokane, Wash. 3:00 p.m.
Fri, Apr 04 Washington * – – Seattle, Wash. 7:00 p.m.
Sat, Apr 05 Washington * – – Seattle, Wash. 7:00 p.m.
Sun, Apr 06 Washington * – – Seattle, Wash. 3:00 p.m.
Tue, Apr 08 Portland – – Eugene, Ore. 6:00 p.m.
Wed, Apr 09 Portland – – Portland, Ore. 3:00 p.m.
Fri, Apr 11 UC Riverside – – Eugene, Ore. 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Apr 12 UC Riverside – – Eugene, Ore. 2:00 p.m.
Sun, Apr 13 UC Riverside – – Eugene, Ore. 12:00 p.m.
Mon, Apr 14 San Diego – – Eugene, Ore. 1:00 p.m.
Thu, Apr 17 Washington State * – Eugene, Ore. 6:00 p.m.
Fri, Apr 18 Washington State * – Eugene, Ore. 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Apr 19 Washington State * – Eugene, Ore. 2:00 p.m.
Fri, Apr 25 Oregon State * – Corvallis, Ore. 7:00 p.m.
Sat, Apr 26 Oregon State * – Corvallis, Ore. 7:30 p.m.
Sun, Apr 27 Oregon State * – Corvallis, Ore. 1:00 p.m.
Fri, May 02 Arizona * – – Eugene, Ore. 7:00 p.m.
Sat, May 03 Arizona * – – Eugene, Ore. 3:00 p.m.
Sun, May 04 Arizona * – – Eugene, Ore. 4:00 p.m.
Tue, May 06 Oregon State – – Eugene, Ore. 6:00 p.m.
Wed, May 07 Portland – – Portland, Ore. 3:00 p.m.
Fri, May 09 Arizona State * – Tempe, Ariz. 6:30 p.m.
Sat, May 10 Arizona State * – Tempe, Ariz. 6:30 p.m.
Sun, May 11 Arizona State * – Tempe, Ariz. 12:00 p.m.
Tue, May 13 Pacific – – Eugene, Ore. 6:00 p.m.
Fri, May 16 UCLA * – – Los Angeles 7:00 p.m.
Sat, May 17 UCLA * – – Los Angeles 7:00 p.m.
Sun, May 18 UCLA * – – Los Angeles 12:00 p.m.
Tue, May 20 Oregon State – – Eugene, Ore. 7:00 p.m.
Thu, May 22 California * – – Eugene, Ore. 7:00 p.m.
Fri, May 23 California * – – Eugene, Ore. 7:00 p.m.
Sat, May 24 California * – – Eugene, Ore. 7:00 p.m.

NCAA Regionals Fri, May 31 to Mon, Jun 02
NCAA Super Regional Fri, Jun 06 to Mon, Jun 09
Fri, Jun 06 TBA – – TBA TBA
College World Series Sat, Jun 14 – Wed Jun 25 — Omaha, Neb

The NCAA baseball regionals are part of the NCAA Division 1 Baseball Championship. Every year around Memorial Day a selection committee decides the 64 teams who will make up the NCAA Baseball tournament. 30 teams get automatic births from winning their conference and 34 are selected at-large.

The first step in the process is deciding the 16 teams which will host a NCAA baseball regional. Next, each region will get three lesser seeded teams leading to a double elimination round robin tournament played at the host teams stadium. Eight of the regional hosts will also be given a national seed, meaning they are guaranteed to host again in the next round.

The winner of each regional will advance to a best of three super regional with the winner of that making the eight team College World Series.

The NCAA moved to a the regional format in 1975 and since then Florida State holds the record for most times hosting a NCAA baseball regional with 30. LSU is second at 21 times. Despite their history of getting great seeds and hosting regionals Florida State has ever won a National Championship.

The most people to ever watch a NCAA baseball regional game was Dudy Noble Field on Mississippi State’s campus where, on May 27, 1990, 11,496 fans watched the Bulldogs take on Florida State.

The longest college baseball game in NCAA history, a matchup between the University of Texas and Boston College, took place at a NCAA baseball regional in Austin, Texas on May 30, 2009. UT ended up winning the contest 3-2 after 25 innings.

Since 1977, Collegiate Baseball Magazine has been crowning a national champion in high school baseball. The only school to win the title twice is Bishop Amat in La Puente CA, who won back to back in 2001 and 2002. Check out the full list of high school baseball national champions below.

1977: Redwood HS, Larkspur, CA (33-4)
1978: Southeast HS, Wichita, KS (23-0)
1979: White Oak HS, NC (22-0)
1980: Bullard HS, Fresno, CA (28-2)
1981: Bowie HS, MD (22-0)
1982: Madison Central, Richmond, KY (40-0)
1983: Northwest HS, Omaha, NE (21-1)
1984: Tate HS, Pensacola, FL (38-1)
1985: Miami Lakes HS, Hialeah, FL (32-1),Oak Forest HS, IL (36-1)
1986: Esperanza HS, Anaheim, CA (25-3-1)
1987: LaPorte HS, IN (34-2) , Cooper HS, Abilene, TX (33-3)
1988: Memorial HS, West New York, NJ (28-1)
1989: Sarasota HS, FL (32-1)
1990: Carlsbad HS, NM (32-1)
1991: Northeast HS, Pasadena, MD (24-0)
1992: Cherry Hill West HS, NJ (27-3)
1993: Arundel HS, MD (21-1)
1994: Start HS, Toledo, OH (31-0)
1995: Germantown HS, TN (38-0)
1996: Westminster Christian, Miami, FL (36-0-1)
1997: George Washington, New York, NY (44-2)
1998: Edwardsville HS, IL (40-4)
1999: Lassiter HS, Marietta, GA (35-2)
2000: Gloucester Catholic, Gloucester City, NJ (33-1)
2001: Bishop Amat, La Puente, CA (27-2)
2002: Bishop Amat, La Puente, CA (28-2)
2003: Chatsworth HS, CA (33-1)
2004: La Cueva HS, Albuquerque, NM (28-0)
2005: Russell County, Seale, AL (38-1)
2006: The Woodlands, TX (36-1)
2007: Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, NJ (32-1)
2008: Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, NJ (30-0)
2009: Menchville, Newport News, VA (26-2)
2010: Sumrall HS, MS (35-1)
2011: Broken Arrow HS, OK (36-2)
2012: Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas, NV (39-3)
2013: Pensacola Catholic, Pensacola, FL (30-0)
Recently more organizations have gotten into the high school baseball ratings game. Here are the various 2013 National Champions by ranking authority:

USAToday Sports Super 25: Pensacola Catholic, Pensacola, FL. (30-0)
MaxPreps Xcellent 50: Pensacola Catholic, Pensacola, FL. (30-0)
Freeman Computer Rankings: Harvard-Westlake, Studio City, CA (28-4)

2013 was a big year for Vanderbilt baseball. They had a team record 54 victories against 12 loses and they won their second SEC title in three years under coach Tim Corbin. In the NCAA Tournament the Commodores made it to the Super Regionals, but lost there, denying the program their second second ever trip to the College World Series.

It may be tough for Vandy to repeat this success in 2014, with many key 2013 contributors like SEC Player of the Year Tony Kemp having moved on to the next level. The Vanderbilt 2014 baseball schedule is below. SEC games are marked with an asterisk.

02/14/14 at Long Beach State Long Beach, Calif. TBA
02/15/14 at Long Beach State Long Beach, Calif. TBA
02/16/14 at Long Beach State Long Beach, Calif. TBA
02/19/14 vs. Lipscomb Nashville, Tenn. 4:00 p.m. CT
02/21/14 vs. UIC Nashville, Tenn. 4:00 p.m. CT
02/22/14 vs. UIC Nashville, Tenn. 2:00 p.m. CT
02/23/14 vs. UIC Nashville, Tenn. 1:00 p.m. CT
02/25/14 vs. Western Kentucky Nashville, Tenn. 4:00 p.m. CT
02/26/14 vs. Evansville Nashville, Tenn. 4:00 p.m. CT
02/28/14 vs. Stanford Nashville, Tenn. 4:00 p.m. CT
03/01/14 vs. Stanford Nashville, Tenn. 2:00 p.m. CT
03/02/14 vs. Stanford Nashville, Tenn. 1:00 p.m. CT
03/04/14 vs. Tennessee Tech Nashville, Tenn. 4:00 p.m. CT
03/05/14 at Middle Tennessee State Murfreesboro, Tenn. TBA
03/07/14 vs. Winthrop Nashville, Tenn. 4:00 p.m. CT
03/08/14 vs. Winthrop Nashville, Tenn. 2:00 p.m. CT
03/09/14 vs. Winthrop Nashville, Tenn. 1:00 p.m. CT
03/11/14 vs. Eastern Illinois Nashville, Tenn. 6:30 p.m. CT
03/14/14 vs. LSU * Nashville, Tenn. 6:30 p.m. CT
03/15/14 vs. LSU * Nashville, Tenn. 2:00 p.m. CT
03/16/14 vs. LSU * Nashville, Tenn. 1:00 p.m. CT
03/18/14 at Belmont Nashville, Tenn. TBA
03/21/14 at Mississippi State * Starkville, Miss. TBA
03/22/14 at Mississippi State * Starkville, Miss. TBA
03/23/14 at Mississippi State * Starkville, Miss. TBA
03/25/14 vs. Belmont Nashville, Tenn. 6:30 p.m. CT
03/28/14 vs. Kentucky * Nashville, Tenn. 6:30 p.m. CT
03/29/14 vs. Kentucky * Nashville, Tenn. 2:00 p.m. CT
03/30/14 vs. Kentucky * Nashville, Tenn. 1:00 p.m. CT
04/01/14 vs. Tennessee-Martin Nashville, Tenn. 6:30 p.m. CT
04/04/14 at Tennessee * Knoxville, Tenn. 5:00 p.m. CT
04/05/14 at Tennessee * Knoxville, Tenn. 3:00 p.m. CT
04/06/14 at Tennessee * Knoxville, Tenn. 1:00 p.m. CT
04/11/14 vs. Texas A&M * Nashville, Tenn. 6:30 p.m. CT
04/12/14 vs. Texas A&M * Nashville, Tenn. 2:00 p.m. CT
04/13/14 vs. Texas A&M * Nashville, Tenn. 1:00 p.m. CT
04/15/14 vs. Middle Tennessee State Nashville, Tenn. 6:30 p.m. CT
04/18/14 at Arkansas * Fayetteville, Ark. TBA
04/19/14 at Arkansas * Fayetteville, Ark. TBA
04/20/14 at Arkansas * Fayetteville, Ark. TBA
04/22/14 vs. Memphis Jackson, Tenn. (Ballpark at Jackson) 6:30 p.m. CT
04/25/14 vs. Georgia * Nashville, Tenn. 6:30 p.m. CT
04/26/14 vs. Georgia * Nashville, Tenn. 2:00 p.m. CT
04/27/14 vs. Georgia * Nashville, Tenn. 1:00 p.m. CT
05/02/14 at Missouri * Columbia, Mo. TBA
05/03/14 at Missouri * Columbia, Mo. TBA
05/04/14 at Missouri * Columbia, Mo. TBA
05/06/14 vs. Louisville Nashville, Tenn. 6:30 p.m. CT
05/09/14 at Florida * Gainesville, Fla. 6:00 p.m. CT
05/10/14 at Florida * Gainesville, Fla. 6:00 p.m. CT
05/11/14 at Florida * Gainesville, Fla. 12:00 p.m. CT
05/13/14 vs. SEMO Nashville, Tenn. 6:30 p.m. CT
05/15/14 vs. South Carolina * Nashville, Tenn. 6:30 p.m. CT
05/16/14 vs. South Carolina * Nashville, Tenn. 6:30 p.m. CT
05/17/14 vs. South Carolina * Nashville, Tenn. 2:00 p.m. CT
Postseason

5/20 to 5/25 SEC Tournament, Hoover Met Stadium, Hoover Alabama
5/30 to 6/2, NCAA Regionals, Campus Sites
5/6 to 5/9 , NCAA Super Regionals, Campus Sites
6/14 to 6/25, College World Series, TD Ameritrade Park, Omaha, Neb.

Pastime Baseball hosts youth baseball tournaments in twenty-two states across the nation. The organization was conceived in 2006 as Hoosier Sports Academy and that year held tournaments in Indiana and Oklahoma for eight five teams from twelve states.

Sensing they were on to something big and national, they changed their name to Pastime Baseball in 2007. That year there events included 375 teams from twenty-four states and Canada. Scouts and college coaches also started to attend the tournaments, making them an even more attractive destination for traveling youth teams. The involvement of coaches and scouts at Pastime events continues to be one of its big draw to this day.

By 2010 there were fifteen hundred teams participating in Pastime Baseball Tournaments and teams were coming from as far as Texas. Pastime Baseball’s Tournaments have just been growing since then and out now they are nation’s leading self-sanctioned amateur baseball tournament host.

Pastime baseball tournaments are held during June and July. They tend to be played between Thursday and Sunday or Friday and Sunday, and offers guarantees of either three, four or five games weather permitting. Age groups include 9U, 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U, 14U, 15U, 16U, 17U, 18U, Pastime baseball offers national championship tournaments in the 14U to 18U divisions and World Series tournaments in the 15U to 18U divisions. They also offer wood bat national champions in the 14U and 15U division.

The price to enter tournaments is between $350 and $1250 a team. Shorter tournaments and younger teams are cheaper, and national championship tournaments cost more than regular invitationals. Teams that register before January 1 for the summer tournaments get a $25 discount

Pastime baseball tournaments are typically held at college facilities. Butler University, Notre Dame, Michigan State, University of Michigan, Oklahoma State and West Texas A&M. Some tournament games may also be played at local high school facilities. In addition to providing the venues, Pastime Baseball also provides the baseballs for the tournaments.

There is a generally a ten dollar gate fee for adults to attend the tournament, which is good for the whole weekend. Kids and senior can attend for free. Mizuno gloves and Rip-It BBCOR approved bats are among the sponsors of Pastime Tournaments.

Teams can register for tournaments on the Pastime Tournaments website. Most tournaments are open and can accommodate up to 48 teams. Traveling teams are required to stay at the Pastime tournament room block at the official host hotel. Failure to follow this rule can result in disqualification from the tournament.

In the past Pastime Baseball has offered camps in conjunction with some of their tournaments. This was in part to increase the players exposure to college coaches and scouts, but teams weren’t required to participate in the camps which came at an additional cost.

Pastime Tournaments contact number is 317-201-2358.

Jenks Baseball is a youth baseball organization operating out of Jenks, Oklahoma and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The league offers fall, summer and spring baseball leagues. In the spring league there are t-ball division for four to five year olds and then six year olds, which cost $110 per person. Coach pitch is for 7U and 8U and runs $130. Player pitch ($170) is for 9-14 year olds.

Uniforms cost extra and are at the discretion of the team’s coach. The cut off date for each age group in April 30. Players can play up an age group (or two ages groups with special permission) but can never play down an age group. The minimum players required for a team is ten, and any roster with more than thirteen players needs special league approval.

There are two levels of teams for each age group, competitive and instructional. Players have the option of trying out for the competitive team. If they are not selected they will be placed on an instructional team. Players also have the option of forming instructional teams with their friends. If these teams have less than ten players the league will fill out their rosters.

The spring season runs between late March and early June. Games are played Monday through Friday at either Six PM or 7:45 PM. There are also games all day Saturday. Sunday is only for rain out makeups.

For the 11 and up players Jenks Youth Baseball games are six innings and no inning can began after the game has hit its hour and a half time limit. (The younger kids play five innings.) There is a seven run limit in each inning. The run limit can be exceeded on a home run with players on base. Pitchers are only allowed to pitch eighteen outs per week. The extra outs in double or triple plays don’t count against this total. Starting pitchers can return to the game once after being replaced, however relief pitchers cannot return after being removed. Balks are enforced in age groups 11 and up. Stealing and leading off are allowed in this age groups as weel and the dropped third strike rule is in effect.

There are no DH’s in Jenks Youth Baseball. Coaches can subsite defensive players freely within the inning.

Bats for the kid’s pitch leagues can made of wood, metal or composite but can not exceed 36 inches or 2 ¾ inch diameter. Base runners are obligated to avoid contact with fielders if possible, and can not attempt to jump over them to avoid a tag. Players who violate this rule will be called out and possibly ejected. Fielders and base runners are forbidden from digging into the dirt with their cleats and will be ejected without warning if they do so.

In addition to hosting youth baseball leagues at two locations, Jenks Youth Baseball offers baseball camps and private instruction. Mike Ponio, a former college pitcher at the University of Oklahoma, runs these camps and also works with the Jenks Baseball teams on their pitching mechanics and fundamentals.

Norcal Baseball is a youth baseball organization based in the San Francisco bay area. It was established in 1992 as a single AAU team. But oh what a team it was, featuring Major Leaguers Jimmy Rollins and Pat Burrell. With future stars like that it should be no surprise that the squad won the 1992 15U national championship.

And from this early success was launched a comprehensive youth baseball league with a mission of producing players who will be able to play college and pro ball. As of 2013, 35 Norcal baseball alum of have suited up in the Major Leagues and over 350 have played college baseball with 200 of those collegians competing on the Division one level.

Norcal baseball has 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U, 14U, 15U, 16U, 17U and 18U teams. To join one of these teams, a player will have to try out. The tryout is in August for fall ball and is divided into one tryout for nine to fifteen year olds and another for sixteen to eighteen year olds.

Norcal baseball isn’t just looking for the best players. They are are looking for the best players who are willing to commit what it takes to compete on a national level. Norcal Baseball is arguably the number one youth baseball organization in America. A player who makes a Norcal team will not only receive top notch coaching but they will bey exposed to college coaches and pro scouts, greatly improving their chances to either be drafted or enter college on a baseball scholarship.

Norcal Baseball sends their teams to national tournaments, such as the USA Baseball Championships in Arizona, the Continental Amateur Baseball Association Championship in Indiana, TBS in Georgia and USSSA tournaments in Northern California, Southern California, Las Vegas.

Norcal also hosts an annual summer tournament, the Norcal World Series.

It cost between twenty and thirty five dollars to attend a NorCal Baseball tryout. Once you make the team there is about a two-hundred fifty dollar fee and then travel and tournament fees on top of that. Norcal asks that you contact them directly for the exact up to date fee structure. A non-profit organization, Norcal tries to keep its fees as reasonable as possible.

NorCal baseball also offers two training programs. The first, a velocity training program is a fourteen week (38 session) total arm conditioning and strengthening program. Players who have taken it have reported improvements from 3.7 to 9.4 MPH on their fastball. The cost of the program is $895.

NorCal also sometimes runs an eight week catching an agility program. Although this program is not currently available.

List of NorCal alum who have played Major League baseball:

Brandon Buckley, Scott Harrison, Jamal Harrison, Brent Howard, Todd Johannes, Mike Rose, Cy Simonton, Pat Burrell, Justin Gemoll, Bobby Hill, Jason Hill, Tony Johnson, Ashanti Davison, Jimmy Rollins, Jason Dennis, Jamie Eppeneder, Ronny French, Brian Manfred, Xavier Nady, Matt Riley, Mike Tonis, Brandon Gemoll, Ronny Johnson, Mike Rouse, J.J. Sherrill, Steve Skinner, Chad Fillinger, Dontrelle Willis, Reed Johnson, Josh Kreuzer, Dave McKae, Nash Robertson, Jonathan Tucker, Jonny Ash, Julian Benavidez, Chris Campos, Chris Carter, Armand Gaerlan, Matt Goodson, J.P. Howell, Casey McGehee, Nate Sutton, Jordan Brown, Chris Gruler, John Jaso, Drew Olson, Dustin Realini, Troy Tulowitzki, Karl Bolt, Josh Butler, Lauren Gagnier, Steve Lerud, Brandon Morrow, Steve Singleton, Nick Moresi, Brad Bergesen, Matthew Mitchell.

Hitters baseball is a youth baseball organization based in Racine, Wisconsin. It has been run by R.J. Fergus for the last 18 years. Hitters Baseball operate out of the Hitters Center and Hitters Baseball Academy in Racine, but they also hold tournaments in other locations in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois.

Hitters Baseball has youth teams from the 12 and under to 18 and under division. They operate on three competitive levels. First is their BLUE level, which is their most senior level. These are traveling teams which play on elite summer and fall schedules. The next level is GREY, their junior level, and WHITE, their sophomore level. GREY and WHITE only play fall schedules. Players tryout for these teams in August, for the upcoming fall season and then the following summer season. Tryouts take place at their Racine facility and also Carthage College in Kenosha. The Hitters Baseball Academy is a member of both Premier Baseball and Mid-America Baseball.

The Hitters Baseball Academy, a 20,000 indoor facility with 11 batting cages and four pitchers mounds, offers camp sessions all year round. Camps include velocity program, hitting camp, fall speed and conditioning, infield/throwing camp, high school throwing and fielding camp and high school hitting camp. Campers can also purchase an hour of individual lessons from R.J. Fergus and the other instructors for $70. (Or $35 for the half hour.) Their camps tend to be reasonably priced. Some are as inexpensive as $60 for an entire camp and the longer camps typically come to less than $20 an hour. You can also rent out the cages at Hitters baseball Academy for $35 an hour between 3 PM and 9 PM on summer weekdays and for most of the day on summer weekends.

One of the features of The Hitter’s academy website is that it keeps statistics on all of its current players. Each name on the statistical table is hyperlinked to player page which includes information such as age, height, weight, position and team. There is also a game-by-game log of all of the player’s statistics that season. Yes, these youth players get the Big League treatment when it comes to their statistics.

Since 2000, 29 Hitters Baseball alumni have signed professional baseball contracts. Well over a hundred have gone on to play college baseball.

The Hitters baseball organization prides itself on the ability to get campers and players exposure to college coaches and pro scouts, who attend their games and camps.

There are many positive testimonials for both Hitters Baseball and the Hitters Baseball Academy posted on their respective webpages. If you are interested in learning more about high level youth baseball in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois you should definitely check Hitters Baseball out.

The USC Trojan have twelve national championships, easily the most in NCAA Division One baseball history. However USC baseball has struggled in recent years and haven’t made the NCAA tournament since 2005, let alone the College World Series.

In 2013 Dan Hubbs was thrust into the Trojan’s head coach position after Frank Cruz resigned that post just two days before the season began rather than face charges he knowingly exceeded the NCAA’s weekly limit on practice time. Although Hubbs struggled in his first year to a 20 – 36 record he was given a contract extension. With the 24th best recruiting class in the nation, expect USC to begin inching back to their past glory in 2014. Their schedule is below, PAC-12 games are marked with an asterisk.

11/17/13     vs. San Diego     Dedeaux Field     11:00 a.m. PT

11/23/13     at Long Beach State     Long Beach, Calif.     12:00 p.m. PT

02/14/14     vs. Northwestern     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT

02/15/14     vs. Northwestern     Dedeaux Field     2:00 p.m. PT

02/16/14     vs. Northwestern     Dedeaux Field     1:00 p.m. PT

02/18/14     vs. Cal State Fullerton     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT

02/21/14     vs. North Dakota State     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT

02/22/14     vs. North Dakota State     Dedeaux Field     2:00 p.m. PT

02/23/14     vs. North Dakota State     Dedeaux Field     1:00 p.m. PT

02/25/14     at Long Beach State     Long Beach, Calif.     6:00 p.m. PT

02/28/14     vs. Cal Poly     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT

03/01/14     vs. Cal Poly     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT

03/02/14     vs. Cal Poly     Dedeaux Field     1:00 p.m. PT

03/03/14     Waseda University (Ex.)     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT

03/04/14     at UC Irvine     Irvine, Calif.     6:30 p.m. PT

03/07/14     vs. Houston     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT  Dodgertown Classic

03/08/14     vs. Pepperdine     Dedeaux Field     2:00 p.m. PT Dodgertown Classic

03/09/14     vs. UCLA     Dodger Stadium     TBA Dodgertown Classic

03/11/14     vs. Loyola Marymount     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT

03/14/14     at Oregon     Eugene, Ore.     TBA *

03/15/14     at Oregon     Eugene, Ore.     TBA *

03/16/14     at Oregon     Eugene, Ore.     TBA *

03/18/14     vs. Stony Brook     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT

03/21/14     at Stanford     Stanford, Calif.     TBA *

03/22/14     at Stanford     Stanford, Calif.     TBA *

03/23/14     at Stanford     Stanford, Calif.     TBA *

03/25/14     at Loyola Marymount     Los Angeles, Calif.     TBA

03/28/14     vs. Washington     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT *

03/29/14     vs. Washington     Dedeaux Field     2:00 p.m. PT *

03/30/14     vs. Washington     Dedeaux Field     1:00 p.m. PT *

04/01/14     vs. Long Beach State     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT

04/04/14     at Arizona State     Tempe, Ariz.     TBA *

04/05/14     at Arizona State     Tempe, Ariz.     TBA *

04/06/14     at Arizona State     Tempe, Ariz.     TBA *

04/08/14     at Pepperdine     Malibu, Calif.     3:00 p.m. PT

04/11/14     vs. Utah     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT *

04/12/14     vs. Utah     Dedeaux Field     2:00 p.m. PT *

04/13/14     vs. Utah     Dedeaux Field     1:00 p.m. PT *

04/17/14     vs. Arizona     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT *

04/18/14     vs. Arizona     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT *

04/19/14     vs. Arizona     Dedeaux Field     1:00 p.m. PT *

04/22/14     vs. Hawai’i     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT

04/25/14     at UCLA     Westwood, Calif.     TBA *

04/26/14     at UCLA     Westwood, Calif.     TBA *

04/27/14     at UCLA     Westwood, Calif.     TBA *

04/29/14     vs. UC Irvine     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT

05/02/14     at Washington State     Pullman, Wash.     TBA *

05/03/14     at Washington State     Pullman, Wash.     TBA *

05/04/14     at Washington State     Pullman, Wash.     TBA *

05/09/14     vs. California     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT *

05/10/14     vs. California     Dedeaux Field     2:00 p.m. PT *

05/11/14     vs. California     Dedeaux Field     1:00 p.m. PT *

05/20/14     at Cal State Fullerton     Fullerton, Calif.     6:00 p.m. PT

05/23/14     vs. Oregon State     Dedeaux Field     6:00 p.m. PT *

05/24/14     vs. Oregon State     Dedeaux Field     2:00 p.m. PT *

05/25/14     vs. Oregon State     Dedeaux Field     1:00 p.m. PT *

May 30-June 2     NCAA Regionals     TBD     TBD

June 6-9     NCAA Super Regionals     TBD     TBD

June 13-24     College World Series     Omaha, Neb.     TBD