Getting Started in Select Baseball

What is Select baseball?

Select baseball programs offer a progressive path of competition opportunities for players and teams as they improve their skills and want to continue to play more competitive baseball. With each level of progression so does the commitment required from players, parents and managers alike. Select baseball provides the following:

• Provides levels of competitions suited to varying player skills - Select, Elite, Premier
• Offers an abundance of tournament and league opportunities throughout the year nationally
• Multiple annual championships options at all levels
• Team balancing through classification - Teams are evaluated on an annual basis by the Nations Baseball sanctioning body for performance and reclassified as required by the Nations Baseball strength rating standards. This is done in effort to balance play and promote the best competition levels between the Select levels of play.

Who is Select baseball for?

Select baseball programs are for the player or team that wants to progress to the next level of competition from the Metro recreational programs. Select baseball also addresses specific situations that may not align with the Metro. A few reasons to move to Select baseball could include:

• As a player with exceptional skill they need to opportunity to play with and against like skilled players
• Looking to play more baseball year round with players and parents that are committed to playing
• For a group of players that want to stay together from season to season and avoid Metro team building limitations
• If as a manager you want total control of your roster, Select baseball is the program for that, not Metro  

It generally means more competition, more practice, more commitment - simply more baseball.

How do I get started in Select baseball at SKSA?

Getting started in select baseball requires commitment above that from the Metro recreational programs. Players, managers and parents alike need to be committed to the concept in order for it to be successful. A few things to consider about what is needed to get started:

For teams/managers these are the basics steps needed to get started:

1. To get started you need to create a team on the Nations Baseball site (www.nations-baseball.com) and add your players to your roster. There are fees associated to this and the details are on the site. The registration includes insurance for your team and players at Nations events.
2. Select teams must build and manage their own rosters - you may need to hold tryouts
3. Select teams are responsible for their own uniforms and equipment
4. You can look for players looking for teams on the SKSA Select Player Forums as well as post entries for holding tryouts
5. Check the SKSA website at baseball.sksa.com for league and tournament play opportunities
6. If you play in SKSA leagues you can register to rent SKSA fields to hold practices and tryouts - > Field Rental Information

For players looking for teams a great place to start is the SKSA Select Player Forums. A few things to consider:

• Understand that you will be under taking an agreement directly with the team/manager - not SKSA
• Carefully consider joining any team and understand the commitment required ahead of time
• There are tryouts for area teams and academy based teams throughout the year - search for and check their web sites