Travel Team 9u-12u

Mars Community Based Travel Teams - 9u through 12u.

Our Travel Teams are designed to be a Community Based travel team to be competitive with local communities and will have the following elements:

1. Team Winter Training:  1 day per week Team Practices during the winter.   This will be focused on player development/improving fundamentals/repetition. 
2. Competitive Baseball from April 1 through July 31 (varies by team situation):  Coaches are encouraged to develop all players on the team by offering a variety of game situations – league and tournament play.  Some teams will play early season tournaments while other age groups will play in early season leagues such as the Jake Cooper League. 
3. In-house Baseball:  will continue to be required for all players from 9U through 12U because it is the foundation of our organization.  Travel team players benefit from playing in-house baseball because that will provide them an opportunity to play positions other than the limited number of positions that they will play on their travel team.
4. Monthly Payments:  The cost of the Travel Team and In-House Baseball will be broken up into monthly payments to make it budget friendly to families.  Travel team billing will begin in November.

If you are interested in having your son participate on a Mars Travel Team, click Register Now.  By registering, you are indicating that you are interested but you are NOT committing at this time. 

Please REGISTER ASAP.  There is a $75 fee for participating on a Travel Team payable prior to the tryout.  This fee will be refunded if your child is not selected for a team.  However, this fee will NOT be refunded if your child is selected but opts not to participate on a team.   

If you need more information, please e-mail  .

See below for some additional information.

1. Why We Support Mars Community Travel Teams (See “Mars Baseball Mission Statement” and “What is a Travel Team” below)
   1. Community based baseball is a special experience for the players and families that allow players to represent our community on the field and play with their friends while participating in competitive baseball against local communities. 
   2. Whether a player decides to compete for a local AAU Program or not our goal is always to bring them together for the summer to represent our community and field the best teams that we can, while also fielding teams at various skill levels. 
   3. Players will be able to train close to home in the winter (No Off Season) and practice and play games on Mars Baseball Association fields.
   4. Coaches and parents will have control over their winter training schedule as well as their spring and summer tournament baseball schedule.
   5. The Mars Travel Baseball Program will be significantly less expensive because volunteer coaches will be managing teams and all expenses are divided evenly across all players on the team. 

2. What We Expect Summer Mars Travel Baseball to Look Like
   1. 9u-12u:  Blue, Gold, and possibly White, Travel Teams will be formed in the fall and run from January 1 through July 31.  This will vary by team and age group. 
   2. 7u-8u:  Two to three teams (dependent on registration numbers) that are divided evenly, to provide the best opportunity for player development.  Team will be divided evenly based on a spring evaluation.     

3. What is Mars Baseball?  Mars Baseball Association is a recreational baseball league. Because of that mission, we are committed to providing in-house baseball opportunities to players regardless of ability and/or commitment to baseball.

However, we recognize that some players are very passionate about baseball and they are looking for more opportunities to develop their baseball skills and play highly competitive baseball.

Note that because our mission is to be a recreational baseball league, all baseball players are required to play in-house baseball during the spring season to be eligible for competitive baseball opportunities. Additionally, we do not permit Mars Travel Teams to schedule any practices or games that conflict with in-house baseball.

4. What is a travel team?  Travel teams (Teams) are an opportunity for the most dedicated players in our association (MBA) to participate in tournaments and competitive league play against other talented and dedicated players in the area. 

The goal for 9u-12u Teams is to play to win while exhibiting good sportsmanship and striving to improve the skills and future development of all players in a competitive environment.

Playing to win is the goal of MBA Teams and it is the goal of teams playing against MBA Teams. Managers, players, coaches and parents are expected to strive for that goal while representing our community and the MBA in a manner in which we can all be proud. 

The goal for 7u and 8u Teams is to grow the players’ love for the game of baseball while teaching the basics of fundamental game play, playing multiple positions in the field and increasing their number of repetitions.

The 9u-12u tournament season is unlike the in-house season because, in the tournament season, there is limited guaranteed playing time and players usually play only a limited number of positions. It is the Manager’s duty to provide the team with its best opportunity to win. This will include making discretionary player selections, development of players through practice and instruction, strategy and game decisions and determining lineups. Managers have a duty to assign defensive positions and batting order based on what is best for the TEAM.

We want parents to understand MBA’s philosophy to avoid any conflicts or confrontations during the tournament season due to a lack of playing time or a player’s assignment to a specific position for the entire season.   Parents are welcome to discuss playing situations with managers, but the Association asks that parents wait 24 hours after the last competitive event to talk with a coach.It is the Manager’s responsibility to provide constructive feedback to the parents and recommendations for improvement.