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.

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.

Many a young boy goes to bed at night and dreams of baseball. So why not help that process along with baseball bedding, which is a stylish addition to any school-aged baseball fan’s bedroom.

Baseball bedding can feature a whole host of themes. It can be repeating bats, repeating gloves or repeating balls. Or it can be a mix of these three essential pieces of baseball equipment. One popular set of baseball bedding features the logos of all 30 baseball teams — which would be good for a Major League Baseball fan who doesn’t necessarily have a favorite teams.

But perhaps the most popular kind of baseball bedding is team specific. For example a set of New York Yankee bedding that would feature the Bronx Bomber’s navy blue, white and grey team colors and their iconic intertwined NY logo. You can get baseball bedding for any major league team.

Typically baseball bedding comes in twin size, often as a five piece set that includes a comforter. Although you can also find baseball crib linings for the littlest fans and baseball bedding for bed sizes larger than twin for those who aren’t kids anymore.

While baseball bedding is a good idea for a married couple who both share an affinity for the sport or for the same big league team, it is not necessarily a great choice for a single adult baseball fan because it might signal to a potential romantic partner that the displayer of such sports-themed sheets is not ready for a mature relationship.

It would also be a little creepy for a fan of any age to have baseball bedding of their favorite player, rather than just their favorite team. Perhaps this is the reason there doesn’t seem to be any Derek Jeter baseball sets, to use an example of a popular player who you can’t have embroidered on your sheets.

You can buy baseball bedding just about anywhere you can buy regular bedding, most sporting goods stores, Major League Baseball’s website and on your favorite team’s official website. Baseball bedding should run between $25 and $150 depending on the size and the quality of the set. Make sure to use the Internet to price baseball bedding before making a final purchase. Sweet baseball dreams!

Since 2008 Cooperstown Baseball Classic has been hosting wood bat youth baseball tournaments in historic Cooperstown, New York as well as locations in Ohio and Missouri. They also operate under the name Backyard Baseball.

The goal of the Cooperstown Baseball Classics is to provide affordable, low price, family-oriented weekend youth baseball tournaments. And what better place to do that than Cooperstown’s Clark Sports Center, which is just down the road from the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Cooperstown Baseball Classic offers tournament play in the 9U, 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U, 14U, 15U, 16U and 19U age group. The cut off date for group is May 1. 14U and up teams use Major League Baseball field dimensions and play seven innings games. The younger groups play six innings and use pitching distance of 47 to 50 feet and base paths of 60 to 70 feet, depending on the age. 11U and up can take leads and at those levels balks are called

There is no in designated hitter in Cooperstown Baseball Classics, but teams can add up to two extra batters to the lineup as long as they declare the extra hitters before the game starts. These extra hitters have to hit 10th and 11th and you can remove them from the game without penalty at any point. (But you can’t put them back in.) The extra hitters can enter the game defensively. Starters can reenter the game defensively once, but once a substitute is removed he is no longer eligible to play. Roster are limited to 15 players. Only wood bats are allowed, with no composite or bamboo bats permitted.

Courtesy runners are allowed for the catcher or pitcher of record. Base runners must try to avoid contact while sliding and there is no head first sliding into home plate. There are no pitch count restrictions in Cooperstown Baseball tournaments. Ejected players are ineligible for the next two games, and ejected coaches are forced to leave the premises.

It cost $625 to register a team in the Cooperstown Baseball classic. The tournaments tend to be in the summer months and run either the weekend or Friday to Sunday. The price includes three guaranteed games, weather permitting. The winning team in each age group receives a trophy and the runner up a medal.

There are also typically three skills competition at on site: around the horn; inside the park speed competition and a home run derby. A limited number of each team players can compete in each skill competition.

Their Missouri tournaments take place in Altenburg under the Backyard Baseball banner. They run $325 per team for the 14U and 15U and four hundred fifty dollars a team for 19U.

The Ohio tournaments are in Willoughby Hills and they cost $295 for 8U coach pitch and $395 for the rest. Both the Ohio and Missouri tournaments also have skills competitions. Game results for all tournaments are displayed on Twitter. For information on how to register go to the cbsclassic website.

The Longmont Baseball League is youth baseball association based in Longmont, Colorado. Longmont Baseball features a summer recreational program for 5u, 6u, 7u, 8u, 9u, 10u, 11u, 12u, 13u, 14u, 15u, 16u, 17u, and 18u. The cut off date for an age group is April 30. Rosters cannot have more than 13 players. The season runs from late May to mid July and each team plays twelve games. Games are on weekend evenings and some Saturdays. Rain outs are not rescheduled.

Five and six year olds do T-Ball and the cost for those age groups is ninety dollars per player. Seven and eight year olds use a pitch machine, and it is also ninety bucks a person. Nine to twelve year olds run $120 a season and thirteen and up cost $130. And the end of the season there is an all-star game for the nine to fourteen year olds and there is an end the of the season tournament for nine to eighteen year olds.

Longmont baseball also has a competitive league which is divided into AA and AAA. AAA is the highest level and AAA teams plays from January to July. These teams usually also participate in fall baseball and will often practice in the winter. AAA teams play in tournaments just about every weekend as many of these teams are attempting to win a state title.

AA teams compete from the beginning of March to July. They tend to practice two to three times a week and play tournaments every other week.

The league can be very expensive, even with many of the team’s using sponsorships and fundraising to defray some of the costs. AAA teams should be around $750 per season per player and AA about five hundred dollars. And this doesn’t include uniforms and registration fees for the tournament. Parents of AAA and AA players are also warned that their child won’t be able to take summer vacations, due to the demands of the schedule.

Tryouts for competitive teams are held in August for the upcoming season.

Competitive leagues are divided 9U, 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U and 14U. Nine to twelve year olds play six innings, and thirteen and fourteen year olds play seven. Longmont Baseball League competitive teams can bat traditional nine player lineups, ten player lineups with an extra hitter, or continuous line up when all present uniformed players hit. Once the team declares what type of lineup they are using they need to stick with it throughout the game. If a team uses the continuous lineup the extra players may move freely into and between any defensive position besides pitcher.

In Longmont Baseball League competitive play pitchers don’t need to pitch all four pitches of intentional walks, instead the pitcher can just signal a free pass.

Base runners are obligated to either slide or try to avoid contact on a close play. If he violates this regulations he will be ejected. During six inning games, the mercy rule is called when a team is up by fifteen after three innings and eight after four. In seven inning games, the mercy rule triggers when a team is up by fifteen after three, twelve after four and ten after five.

Established in 2008, New York Elite Baseball is a youth baseball league that plays in the Hudson Valley of New York State and Connecticut. It plays in over fifty locations — usually high school and Little League Fields — in that region.

New York Elite Baseball has three different seasons throughout the year. In 2014, the spring season lasts from March 30 to June 1. The summer season is from June 10 to August 10. The fall season runs September 8 to October 27. It costs $275 to join a team in any of those seasons. Over a hundred teams participated in the Fall of 2013 season and over three hundred fifty for all of 2013.

New York Elite baseball has leagues in the 9U, 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U, 14U, 15U, 16U, 17/18U age groups. Some of these age groups also feature elite leagues. The cut off date for age eligibility is April 30.

New York Elite Baseball will host eleven weekend tournaments in 2014, including competitions on Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day and a pair of wood bat competitions. These tournaments are held at state of the art facilities which have restrooms,concession stands, ample parking and field crews which keep the grounds in top-tip shape. New York Elite Baseball tournaments have featured teams from eight states and Canada. Costs for tournaments tend to around six hundred dollars per team.

During tournaments, rosters can be no larger than twenty players, and  only three adults are allowed in the dugout. Rosters are locked after the first game played and players can only be listed on one tournament team. There will be two umpires provided. During tournament teams are given twelve balls to last the weekend. If these run out they will have to provide their own.

During league play 13u to 18u will play on a Major League sized field. Each team will be provided two baseballs before the game begins. Metal spikes are allowed. All bats must meet BBCOR -3 standards.

League games are seven innings, and there is no time limit. Doubleheaders are also seven innings each and a game doesn’t count unless the losing team plays at least five innings. The mercy rule kicks in if a team is ahead by more than ten run after completing five innings.

A team is required to be able to field nine players, and will be given up to twenty minutes after game time to round up nine players. If they fail to do so the game is a forfeit. If a team loses a player to injury they are allowed to play with eight, however an out will be recorded in the missing ninth player’s spot in the lineup. If a player ejection results in the team having eight players the game is a forfeit. Starters may re-enter the game once, provided they keep the same spot in the lineup the whole time.

New York Elite Baseball allows designated hitters and extra hitters. The extra hitter has to be declared before the start of the game and must be kept in the lineup until the end of the game. Teams also have the option of batting their entire roster, but if they do they have to stick with it until the game’s completion. There are no courtesy runners in New York Elite Baseball.

The home team is responsible for providing two umpires for each game, and the two teams will split the umpire’s fees.

During league play, rosters are locked ten days into the season.

The recruiting process for college baseball can be intense and cut-throat. This is because Division 1 college baseball programs have only 11.7 scholarships to divide among their rosters of thirty to thirty-five student athletes. D2 programs have nine, NAIA teams have 12 and D3 programs don’t offer scholarships.

So there is really two things going on in the College Baseball recruiting process. First, you want to get asked to join the team. Second, you want to try to get the most scholarship money as possible from a fairly small pool.

The NCSA is an organization that helps high school baseball players with the college recruitment process. Any potential recruit should check out their website and use it as a resource. Here are some frequently asked questions about college baseball recruiting.

Should I play travel baseball?
College baseball programs want to see a potential recruit playing both high school baseball and travel baseball in the summer. Travel baseball is ultimately going to be more important in most program’s evaluations. That is because the competition level is going to be higher. It’s also because travel baseball takes place in the summer when the college baseball season is over, allowing the coaches to take in the games themselves. However don’t overlook high school baseball. College baseball programs will still pay attention to your scholastic performances and also use your high school baseball career to gauge your potential as a teammate.

Are academics important?
Yes. First good grades show that the recruit is responsible. Secondly, a college coach doesn’t want to have to deal with a player who might struggle with a university course load and may even become ruled academically ineligible. And, thirdly, remember that D1 schools have only 11.7 athletic scholarships to spread among thirty to thirty-five players. So baseball programs try to get their players money in other ways and having good grades and strong standardized tests in high school make it easier for them to find you alternative scholarship money.

What kind of baseball video should I make for coaches?
The most important thing a student athlete can do in a video he makes for recruitment purposes is to show off his skills. While some coaches will occasionally request game footage, what they really want to see is a player’s ability to repeat a skill — such as his swing or his pitching motion — over and over again. And that should be the centerpiece of any baseball video made for college coaches.

Should I go to college camps or showcases?
It is recommended that high school student athletes go to two to three college camps and one to two showcases a year. The student-athlete should pick what showcases to attend based on what college programs he wants to get the attention of, and should take advantage of showcases which will feature representatives from those college. Camps are a good way to impress college programs that already have you on their radar. The downside to this strategy is it can be quite expensive, with camps and showcases running between a couple hundred and a up to thousand dollars depending on their length and reputation.

One final point. Just because it is late in the recruiting game and you haven’t heard from any of the programs you are looking at don’t give up. Many top high school recruits will end up entering the Major League Baseball draft, thus opening up a spot and/or scholarship money at the college they would have attended if they didn’t go pro. This also creates a trickle down effect that could potentially open up late spots and/or money at baseball programs well down the collegiate food chain.

Economic factors certainly come into play when considering youth baseball gloves. On the one hand (so to speak) you want to buy your burgeoning slugger or fireballer a glove that works well and they can feel proud of. But on the other hand their little hands will soon be ready for a full size glove so the shelf-life of a youth baseball glove is a lot shorter than the one you are going to buy your kid when they get a little older.

We’ve compiled a list of four youth baseball gloves that are reasonably priced and well-made enough to be handed down to any younger brothers or sisters your well appointed ballplayer may have. While these gloves can purchased on their respective companies’ websites, sometimes you might get a better deal at third a party website such as Amazon or at your local sport goods store.

Franklin Sports Field Flex Teeball Glove and Ball $13
Before baseball comes teeball. And if the shelf-life of a youth baseball glove is sort the window of usefulness of a tee-ball glove is miniscule. But don’t worry, the Franklin Sports Field Flex Teeball Glove only cost about as much as few lattes. And it comes with a free tee ball! This 9.5 inch glove is not fancy, but it does come with embossed leather textured shell material and shok-sorb palm padding. Those who have bought the glove report it doesn’t feel or look like the cheap plastic gloves you’d expect at such a low price point and that their kids seem to like the mitt.

Rawlings Savage Series 10-inch Infield/Outfield Baseball Glove (PP100DP) $26
The Rawlings Savage Series Infield/Outfield glove is a cool looking mitt for a cool price. Featuring white leather laces and a conventional flex loop plus neo flex technology this glove is perfect for five to seven year olds. This 10 inch glove comes 90 percent broken in, good for impatient youngsters who just want to get right out on the ballfield. And it works for infielders and outfielders, which is great for little kids still trying to figure out where they belong on the field. Although small, those who have bought glove says it snaps around the ball with the same force a full-size model and most would recommend the mitt to a friend.

Mizuno Gpp1051 Prospect Series 10.5 Inch Utility Youth Baseball Glove $30
The Mizuno Gpp1051 Prospect Series is a great glove for when a youngster has graduated from tee ball but still isn’t quite ready for a full-sized adult glove. The 10.5 inch mitt features multiple technologies which help young hands close on the ball and grip it. It also has a parashock palm lining which protects growing pams from the sting of the ball and a special youth oriented tartan web pattern. The glove is available for right handed and left handed throwers and verified buyers report that the mitt is easy to break in and long lasting.

Nokona Bloodline Select BL-200 11.25″ Youth Baseball Glove $250
OK, we said this list was going to be only of reasonably priced gloves. But reasonable priced is a relative term and at only $250 bucks the Nokona Bloodline Select BL-200 is quite a bargain for somebody who is really rich and likes to spoil their children. Kidding aside, if you want a really high quality youth baseball glove and cost is not a factor this is a winner. Although it sounds vaguely Japanese, Nokona was actually founded in Texas and is one of the few glove manufacturers to still make their mitts in the United States. Although the Bloodline Select’s high quality leather is going to take a bit longer to break in than your normal glove its unique tanning process results in a glove that is unusually tough and sturdy.

Baseball Trading Pins have become quite popular over the years. A trading pin is simply a logoed pin that the wearer can stick on their uniform or lapel. Trading pins don’t have to be baseball themed — universities, police and fire departments, restaurants, and, of course girl, scouts are all organizations that issue pins to their members or employees.

Baseball trading pins are particularly popular with youth baseball teams, who show their hardball pride be wearing these pins in social settings or sticking them on a cork board in their room or garage. There is also a tradition among Little League players to trade these pins with their opponents during game play and especially tournaments. That is where the “trading” in baseball trading pins comes from. But don’t wear your baseball trading pins during games, as most youth baseball leagues ban jewelry of any kind during play.

There are many Internet sites that offer customizable baseball pins. However the process of having them made and delivered is fairly standard.

To start the process, you come up a with a design idea. This can can be fully developed concept or just a picture or a team logo. Then you send it in to the online vendor you have chosen to make your baseball trading pin. The vendor will likely want you to send the mock up on a computer file rather than mail it or fax it. After they receive your mock up, the vendor electronically sends you back a proof with a price quote. If that meets your needs, you are ready to go.

Custom baseball trading pins can be purchased in a variety of metals and colors. They can also be just about and shape. In fact, the shape of a baseball trading pin is usually one of its most distinguishing characteristics so you should take the time to come up with a shape that is unique and expresses how you feel about your baseball team.

The cost of baseball trading varies based on size and how many pins you order. The minimum lot is going to be around fifty, and that will cost between around $1.50 and $4.00 a pin, depending on size and material. But if are buying baseball trading pins to be traded at tournaments you will need much more than just fifty pins. In fact, it is recommended that each Little League player on the team should have between thirty-five and fifty pins to take to a tournament.

That it is because there will be many other teams at the competition, and the custom is to try to get as many of those other teams’ pins through “trades.” Larger pins can be beneficial in this informal marketplace because they often bring two for one deals.

Ordering more trading pins will also greatly lower their price per pin, and you should see the cost of a ¾ inch pin drop below two dollars when buying a lot of more than a hundred and one dollar when purchasing five hundred plus baseball trading pins

Although most baseball pin vendors offer delivery between three and eight days, it is recommended you get a jump on the tournament season by ordering your baseball trading pins in April or May. That way when your youth baseball team does start the summer tournament circuit they team’s players will have plenty of baseball trading pins to exchange with the players on other teams.