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Baseball Tournaments in DC and Surrounding Areas

Triple Crown Sports
Search for baseball tournaments in DC and surrounding states.


Articles For Those New to Travel Baseball

What is Travel Baseball?
Clarkstown Baseball Association provides a cut and dry overview of what travel or elite baseball is and the differences between it and "Recreational" baseball.

Choosing a Youth Travel Baseball Team
This is a great introductory article for those new to the travel baseball scene that can help you narrow down what you are looking for.

Picking the Right Travel Baseball Team
By John Pinkman
Taking a look at Coaches, Mission, costs, size of team and much more.

Overuse Injuries in Youth Baseball
Pitchers aren't the only ones with overuse injuries in baseball. Check out the latest data and prevention tactics.

Pros and Cons of Parent Coaches and Being One Yourself
Parent coaches in travel baseball, good thing or bad thing? Is it a good fit for you?

Youth Sports: Maintaining Reasonable Expectations
What are the chances your kid will play college baseball or softball? Professional baseball or softball? You should read this article.

Where the Elite Kids Shouldn't Meet
By Tim Keown, ESPN Writer
A raw and honest look into Travel / Elite Baseball


Sites, Organizations and Articles We Like

American Legion Baseball
Teams from 50 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. Regional tournaments, State tournaments and a World Series make this one of the most popular baseball organizations around.

Dixie Youth Baseball
They play great baseball and players have an opportunity to play in tournaments and a league World Series. Find a team or start a franchise.

Babe Ruth League Youth Baseball
Great organization and great baseball. This is another option for youth baseball players to continue developing their skills. Start or find a charter here.

Travel Ball Select
Travel Ball News, Forums, Scores, Travel Ball TV and other cool stuff.

Game Changer
Sign your team up, keep stats during the game, track other teams. It's great!


Little League News

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College Baseball News

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MLB News and Rumors from Yard Barker

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pitcher in travel baseball
travel baseball baserunner

Travel Baseball Teams in the DC Area

MLB Players from the District of Columbia

The District of Columbia has played an important role in United States baseball history. It's not over yet! There are eight active players, according to Baseball Almanac. The list includes Denard Span, L.J. Hoes, Emmanuel Burriss, Jay Sborz, and Ryan Hanigan.

Some even play for the hometown team.

Denard Span

Denard Span was born in D.C. in 1984. He was playing T-ball at four. His family didn't have a lot of money for sports instruction; he did have an older brother to emulate. When he got old enough, he played baseball at Tampa Catholic High School.

Span recalls getting an invitation to try out for an elite team as a teen: one with some well-known names. He went -- and he realized that he had talent on a par with the teens who were expected to be high draft picks. He told the Washington Post that he had expected those teens to be seven feet tall (http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/denard-span-comes-to-washington-nationals-ready-to-take-step-up-in-his-career).

Span was a 1st round draft pick in 2002 when he was just 18. He chose pro baseball over college football. He played for Elizabethton, Quad Cities, New Britain, and Rochester while in the Twins farm system. It was still a long road. His major league debut didn't come until 2008. He has suggested that it was getting his vision corrected that helped him finally become a successful major leaguer.

Span is with the Washington Nationals.

L.J. Hoes

L.J. Hoes was born in 1990 in DC. He played in Little League. He also watched baseball as a kid – year after year, he had season tickets to see the Baltimore Orioles.

Hoes went to St. John's College High School; most of his baseball time was spent playing outfield.

Hoes’ summer team was the Dirtbags (http://www.perfectgame.org/players/playerprofile.aspx?ID=54651). He did a little showcase play as a teen.

Hoes was selected in the 3rd round of the 2008 draft. He was 18. He moved up from the GCL Orioles to AAA Norfolk; there were other stops along the way. Playing for the Bowie Baysox was special because his youth had been spent in Bowie, Maryland.

Hoes’ major league debut came in September of 2012. He has played a few major league games, but 2014 is his first time on an opening day roster. He expressed mixed feelings about leaving the home team -- the Orioles -- but says he will be glad to get consistent playing time in the majors (http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2013/8/12/4616360/hoes-adjusting-to-life-after-the-trade-from-his-hometown-team-astros-orioles).

He wears the number that belonged to an uncle he never got to meet. He feels gratitude for the grandfather who supported him.

Learning from the Pros

Today's youth are also out there on the playing field. For some youth, team sports provide an opportunity to develop self-confidence, master skills, and learn to function as part of a team.

For others, it's also about dreams. L.J. Hoes told Chasing MLB Dreams, “All of my coaches have helped me develop because they have so much wisdom and advice to give about the game (http://chasingmlbdreams.com/2012/03/29/chasing-the-dream-the-l-j-hoes-story-and-interview/)”.

Span, on the other hand, has said that after he opted to go pro, he sometimes received so much instruction that it felt like a barrage. He turned to yoga to help him prepare mentally for his career.

While their stories may be different, both got plenty of opportunity to play when they were growing up. Both had people who supported them.

As L.J. Hoes said on making his first opening day roster, "Tuesday I'm going to cry. This is something I've worked for every day of my life since I was eight or nine years old (http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/03/31/4031126/jersey-number-has-special-meaning.html)."

Travel Baseball Teams in DC

Teams are coming soon!

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