Why play tournament baseball?

7th and 8th grade players  may choose to play one of  three levels of baseball. Recreation baseball, travel baseball and tournament baseball.

 Recreation baseball is a great starting place for young players. A local community organization may have a recreation league that will be mixed with beginning players and average talented players and usually belong to an organization such as Cal Ripken or Little League. The games are usually played in-house two to three times a week and the teams will play each other multiple times. This is considered beginning level of baseball.

Full time travel baseball is considered a step up from recreational baseball. Travel teams usually belong to a travel league such as BMB or MAABA and the teams will travel to play other teams in the greater Baltimore or Washington D.C. area.  These team typically have a wider draw area and can attract a better talent level then a local community organized recreational baseball league. The travel leagues usually play two to three times a week with double header games on the weekend. Unfortunately for the Travel leagues, the better teams and some of the better talent is leaving the travel leagues and moving to become solely tournament teams. Coaches are finding and this has been my experience that the better tournaments are in June and July. Players who play in travel leagues usually develop arm issues or weakness by the end of the season due to over use. Especially  if the travel season is subject to frequent rain-outs. Last 2009 spring season, travel teams had to play five to six days in a week to play make-up games. Most travel teams were not deep enough in pitching and many players developed arm issues and were not able to play at full talent level in the summer tournaments.

Tournament baseball is a step up of from travel baseball. At the tournament level, players compete against the top players. The teams are comprised of serious baseball players who desire to play high school and college baseball.  Tournament level is where players experience the top pitching and fielding. There are very few errors and the hitting is excellent. We have found that players will play at the level of their opponents. If you want your son to setup and play at a his highest level of baseball, then tournament baseball is for him.

	Congratulations to the 2008 LUYAA Wood Bat Tournament Champions
2008 Maryland Elite 12U

	Maryland Elite 12U team kicks off the season with a 3-2 victory over the Frederick Hustlers
2008 Maryland Elite 12U

OUR MISSION:

Maryland Elite's mission is to prepare the player morally, mentally, and physically to compete and succeed at the highest level of baseball. Our goal is to provide an avenue where each player obtains sufficient knowledge and practice to become successful.

Coaching Methods:

Contrary to most coaches beliefs, yelling and screaming at the players is NOT motivation. Our coaching success over the years has come from producing a positive environment for the players to learn and improve their skill level. We differ from other travel organizations by not only looking for the best talent, but looking for players that haven't fully unleashed their talent. If your player has the desire to be a top player, we will help him find a way to unleash his talent. We will start by teaching proper baseball mechanics parallel to high school and college teaching. We continually drill the player to develop sound muscle memory. We video tape and work one-on-one with the player outside normal schedule practice days. Having our own indoor batting cage gives us the opportunity to offer unlimited instructional batting practice at no extra cost to the player. 

Travel Baseball:

Travel ball plays a vital role in any aspiring college baseball player's pursuit of a potential scholarship. Travel baseball is a very competitive. We will be playing against the top teams in Maryland. Challenge your son and watch his intensity build by playing travel baseball.

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