LOWER GWYNEDD BASEBALL CLUB FAQs

Below are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding Lower Gwynedd Baseball Club (LG Baseball Club).  These FAQs are qualified in their entirety by the Lower Gwynedd Baseball Club 2024 Operating Rules.  In the event of a conflict between these FAQs and the LG Baseball Operating Rules, the LG Baseball Operating Rules will control. 

To register for a tryout, click here.

WHAT IS LOWER GWYNEDD  BASEBALL CLUB

LG Baseball Club is an independent travel baseball organization intended to operate closely with Lower Gwynedd Little League (LGLL).  LG Baseball Club programs are intended to supplement, not replace, LGLL programs.  As such, all LG Baseball Club activities must co-exist with the LGLL recreational baseball programs (LGLL Rec) during the Spring Season and Little League International tournament teams sponsored by LGLL during the Summer Season. LG Baseball Club is designed to provide for the advanced development of a young baseball player, which is in addition to the development provided by LGLL programs.  The ultimate goal of LG Baseball Club is to better prepare LGLL players for success in the Little League International tournaments.

WHAT IS TRAVEL BASEBALL?

Travel baseball is competitive. Travel teams play competitive schedules. Although teaching is always a focus, travel teams will play to win.  At the younger levels, some LGLL Rec teams play in non-competitive divisions or in competitive divisions where the focus is clearly on teaching fundamentals. Travel is different. During the travel season, your child may not get a “turn” to play a particular position and may not play as many innings per game as some other players. Playing time and positioning is at the sole discretion of the travel team manager.

HOW OLD DO YOU HAVE TO BE IN ORDER TO TRYOUT FOR OUR TRAVEL TEAMS?

Travel teams begin at age 7, although some 6-year-olds will be invited to participate on the 7U “Blue” team.

WHAT TEAM SHOULD MY CHILD TRYOUT FOR AND WHAT IS THEIR TRAVEL AGE?

All players should tryout for their respective travel aged team. LG Baseball Club teams will be formed using Baseball League Ages as determined by Little League, which are determined on the players age as of August 31st of each year.  Click here to help calculate your player’s baseball age.

WHAT IS THE COMMITMENT?

When your child decides to try out for a travel team, you have to understand it is a choice not to be taken lightly both as an individual player and as a family. 

If your child makes a team you may be spending up to 3 -5 days a week on a field during the season in addition to an extended summer and optional fall season and winter workouts. In essence, you have chosen to make travel baseball an integral part of your summer until the end of July. Players are expected to attend all games and practices. We hope you make this choice and have the opportunity to share an amazing summer with your child playing baseball.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU PLAY?

Our teams play year-round. Teams are formed around April 1st and will begin practicing and playing games shortly thereafter.  The tournament season begins in mid-June (although some teams may elect to play in earlier tournaments that do not conflict with the LGLL Rec Spring Season) and runs through July, which is the most intense of the seasons. The teams then continue to practice and play in the fall, usually just on the weekends and will attempt to accommodate in-season sports. During the winter, the team will work out once per week, usually from January-March, again, attempting to accommodate in-season sports.

LG Baseball Club activities are intended co-exist with the LGLL Rec during the Spring and Little League International tournament teams sponsored by LGLL during the Summer.  Accordingly, procedures have been put in place to ensure priority is given to LGLL programs.

A general guideline of what to expect within each age group (in addition to LGLL Rec / tournament teams) can be found below:

7U –

• Play 15-20 games (inclusive of tournaments)
• Enter 1-2 tournaments
• Practice 1 day per week in the Summer Season.  During the Spring Season, practices may be conducted, but the manager should use their discretion taking into consideration the age of the players and the demands of LGLL Rec.
• 7U teams shall only participate in Machine Pitch games.

8U –

• Play 20-25 games (inclusive of tournaments)
• Enter 3-4 tournaments
• Practice 1/2 days per week in the Summer Season. During the Spring Season, practices may be conducted, but the manager should use their discretion taking into consideration the age of the players and the demands of LGLL Rec.
• 8U teams should transition from Machine Pitch to Player Pitch during the Summer Season.  While 8U teams are encouraged to participate in Machine Pitch tournaments throughout the Summer Season, at least one (1) tournament entered should be a Player Pitch tournament.

9U –

• Play 20-25 games (inclusive of tournaments)
• Enter 3-4 tournaments
• Practice 2 days per week in the Summer Season. During the Spring Season, practices may be conducted, but the manager should use their discretion taking into consideration the age of the players and the demands of LGLL Rec.

10U –

• Play 25-30 games (inclusive of tournaments)
• Enter 3-4 tournaments
• Practice 2/3 days per week in the Summer Season. During the Spring Season, practices may be conducted, but the manager should use their discretion taking into consideration the age of the players and the demands of LGLL Rec.

11U –

• Play 25-30 games (inclusive of tournaments)
• Enter 3-4 tournaments
• Practice 2/3 days per week in the Summer Season. During the Spring Season, practices may be conducted, but the manager should use their discretion taking into consideration the age of the players and the demands of LGLL Rec.

12U –

• Play 25-30 games (inclusive of tournaments)
• Enter 3-4 tournaments
• Practice 2/3 days per week in the Summer Season. During the Spring Season, practices may be conducted, but the manager should use their discretion taking into consideration the age of the players and the demands of LGLL Rec.

WHEN ARE THE GAMES AND PRACTICES?

During the Spring, practices and games will typically be on Fridays and Sundays to avoid conflicts with LGLL Rec.  During the Summer, practices and games may be any day of the week and tournaments are typically held over the weekends. 

WHERE DO YOU TRAVEL?

Most teams stay local and play within the Philadelphia area. Older teams may play in a limited number of “overnight” tournaments which will be communicated by the manager well in advance.

WE HAVE A VACATION PLANNED. CAN WE STILL PLAY?

We want all travel players committed to the program. Having said that, if it's a one time thing it needs to be discussed upfront with that particular manager. If you have other plans every weekend, then travel is not going to work for you or the team.

WHEN ARE TRYOUTS?

8U-12U teams are usually formed by April 1st.  7U teams are typically formed by May 15th.

WILL THERE BE TWO TEAMS IN AN AGE GROUP?

The Board, in its discretion, may decide to field a second team in an age division if it feels there are enough players with competitive baseball skills required remaining following selection of the first team, subject to an acceptable manager being determined to lead the team.  LG Baseball Club will make every effort to support two teams in the 7U-9U age divisions.

HOW MANY MAKE THE TEAM?

The maximum roster size for any LG Baseball Club team is 14 players, although a manager may determine to roster a lesser number of players. 

WHAT IS THE PLAYER SELECTION CRITERIA?

While it would seem obvious that the best baseball players would make a travel team, this is not always the case. The selection process involves the evaluation of many tangibles and intangibles. Some of these include:

• Eligibility - All LG Baseball Club players will be required to (i) register with LGLL for the applicable Spring season and (ii) meet the criteria established by the Little League “Residency and School Attendance Player Eligibility Requirement” for LGLL or have a valid waiver. 
• Baseball Talent and Ability - Evaluated at the tryout and past performance on travel teams and LGLL Rec.
• Past Performance - Players that have proven to succeed in their respective levels in earlier seasons will be provided greater preference over players that have not succeeded or played at that level. We will not penalize a player for a “bad” tryout if the player has shown to regularly succeed at his level.
• Athleticism and ability to improve - More athletic players and players that have strong baseball foundational skills and the potential to improve are given greater preference. With practice and additional skills training, these players usually out-perform the less athletic player.
• Team Composition - At the older age groups, we consider total team composition in order to form a well-balanced team. We need to make sure we have enough players on a roster that can sufficiently cover all positions. At the younger age groups, we place less emphasis on this as we encourage managers to experiment players at several different positions in order to verify where a player has an aptitude for a particular position.
• Coachability - If a child has shown an inability to follow direction, lacks focus, or has been a behavioral problem, he/she might not be selected, even if he/she is one of the best players in the division. Conversely, a child who shows a strong willingness to learn and improve, but is not one of the top players, might be selected.
• Sportsmanship - A child who has exhibited a lack of sportsmanship towards his/her teammates, opponents, coaches or parents may be excluded from consideration. Additionally, if a parent has exhibited a lack of sportsmanship toward players, coaches, other parents or umpires, the parent's child may be excluded from consideration.
• Commitment - If a child has shown prior disregard for practice and/or game dates he/she might not be selected, even if he/she is one of the best players in the division.
• Parental issues - We consider parents/guardians' on and off-field behavior. Parents are expected to be supportive of the team and the team’s coaching staff and their coaching decisions. If a parent has known behavior issues, it can affect the child’s selection to a travel team.

IS THERE GUARANTEED PLAYING TIME OR POSITIONS?

There is no guarantee of any playing time and no guarantee as to which field position a player will play.  There is also no guarantee of position in batting order. In each and every case above the travel team manager determines each player’s participation.

WHAT DOES IT COST TO PLAY TRAVEL?

We will strive to keep our registration fees relatively low to defray any administrative costs and expenses such as insurance, website hosting, volunteer backcheck fees, etc.  We expect the total upfront investment for each player to be $250 or less to cover registration fees and uniform costs. 

Each LG Baseball Club team may require additional funds beyond registration fees /uniform costs to cover team specific expenses such as league/tournament entry fees, umpires, facility usage fees, etc. Each manager will be responsible for communicating with their team regarding the need for any additional funding and will be split evenly amongst the players. 

CAN TEAMS FUNDRAISE?

To help offset the cost associated with each LG Baseball Club team, each team may establish fundraising events throughout the year.  The Board must specifically approve all team specific fundraising to ensure there is no detrimental impact on LGLL or any other LG Baseball Club team. 

WHO DO I SPEAK WITH IF I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE PROCESS?

The Board will consider any complaints regarding Board members, managers, coaches, parents, players, fans or spectators brought to its attention in writing by the complaining party.  Complaints should be sent to [email protected].

WHEN AND HOW DO I PAY FOR THE SEASON?

The registration fee is expected to be paid within 48 hours of after being selected to the team. Each manager is responsible for communicating with their team regarding the need for additional funding and ensuring such funds are paid to LG Baseball Club in a timely manner.  ALL PAYMENTS SHOULD BE MADE TO LG BASEBALL CLUB AND NOT TO A TEAM MANAGER.  Any money received by LG Baseball Club for the benefit of a specific team will be separately accounted for and disbursed by LG Baseball Club to pay for approved expenses of such team upon request of the team’s manager.  Payments can be made via Venmo (@LGTravelBaseball).

Uniform fees will be paid directly to the uniform vendor and information will be communicated during roster announcements.