travel teams in Northeastern IN

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Jul 22, 2020
32
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I plan on having my daughter try out for some travel teams in this area. I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge of the travel teams, she's trying out for just about all of them in hopes of making at least 1. Not sure how far any of them travel, but I think at least one is more regional ie programs in other states. The teams would be Summit City Sluggers, Summit City Select, Gators and Huntertown Lions. Or is there another team in that area she should look into.

I want to make sure she's in a program that is competitive and can help build her skillset. What are some things I should be looking for, and questions I should ask? She'll be 12U this year.
 
Apr 20, 2015
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The gators north branch is a new branch of the gators organization out of Indianapolis. Like most organizations that branch out like this there is very little quality control. In Indy where the main branch is their teams are hit or miss...some good, some not. IMO they've become a B organization with an occasional local/regional A team but aren't really competitive on a national level like IMG or the Bandits.

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Jul 22, 2020
32
8
The gators north branch is a new branch of the gators organization out of Indianapolis. Like most organizations that branch out like this there is very little quality control. In Indy where the main branch is their teams are hit or miss...some good, some not. IMO they've become a B organization with an occasional local/regional A team but aren't really competitive on a national level like IMG or the Bandits.

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Thanks for the response, this would be her first travel team, not sure she is ready to try out for a team that competitive. I'm looking more for a team that can get her closer to that point.
img is just to far south, the only 12 u program I could find were out of Westfield which is almost 2 hours south of us. Same w/the bandits I looked them up, they are also out of Indy.
I think the closest team to me like that is the Gators, who you said aren't that level and NIE, I've also heard good things about Shock and Venom, but again a little farther out then I'm willing to go until I know she's actually at that level.
 
Last edited:
Mar 26, 2016
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Try to find the team with the best coaches, at a young age that matters a ton, but dont just leave it to the coaches for development, most development comes at home. Don't let distance be a deciding factor if your family can work that out. Find some good private instruction go once a month and work on what is learned every couple days at home.
 
Jul 22, 2020
32
8
Try to find the team with the best coaches, at a young age that matters a ton, but dont just leave it to the coaches for development, most development comes at home. Don't let distance be a deciding factor if your family can work that out. Find some good private instruction go once a month and work on what is learned every couple days at home.

Distance wouldn't matter as much if my son didn't also have after school baseball and band. He's got another 1-2 years before he can drive. I hate being late, and prefer to be early, but having to try and drop him off and then get 30-40 min's down the road, if not 1+hr is asking a lot. DW isn't a ton of help in this as she's the won that works the long hours. I work from home 40hrs, but she's 60+ minimum.

We do use private coaches, and I work w/them on my own some. making sure they do their drills and some warmup stuff. I wish I had done that sooner though, DS is a freshman this year and has an outside shot of making the freshman squad(the HS team is crazy competitive and normally knows who will be on the team the year prior. He started at 11, and if I had given him the private training 2yrs ago he likely would be counted in that group, he's taken to pitching pretty easy and after 3 private hitting sessions w/a private coach has gone from striking out/grounders w/the occasional line drive to hitting home runs and deep drives w/the occasional strike out and grounder. He doesn't get a lot of good looks anymore, and the kids he's playing against are mostly travel players and HS varsity players. We started doing the same w/my daughter last year to learn to pitch, and it's worked in her favor in throwing/catching and hitting.
 
Jul 22, 2020
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what I'm trying to balance is, quality coaches and competition played. Not sure how much a good coach is going to teach her if they are only playing other local teams. The team she wants to play out for the most doesn't do a ton of travel and normally just a few tourny's, but they now have a retired HS softball HC, and the guy that runs it is really good by far the best coach she has had.
Another team has great coaches throughout the system some of the best in the area from what I understand, but again not near as travel/tourney heavy. Also the fields they play at I have real questions about the umpires there is a pretty obvious that have for certain teams/coaches. Even if she ends up on one of the favored teams it doesn't help her grow if the umps are calling in her teams favor.
The last is more regional probably a larger cost but will face much better competition. I don't know much about the coaches though, other then they went from local program to being asked to join a regional one which seems to say something good about them...at least I hope.
There's 2 other teams, one that wants to stay 11U as long as possible and admitted they are just building a program and actively avoids facing top competition b/c they aren't ready but might have to go 12U for lack of 09 kids interest. The other isn't sure they have the interest enough in a 12 U program and all their 12U girls are moving up to 14U.
 
Mar 1, 2018
154
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Central Indiana
I plan on having my daughter try out for some travel teams in this area. I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge of the travel teams, she's trying out for just about all of them in hopes of making at least 1. Not sure how far any of them travel, but I think at least one is more regional ie programs in other states. The teams would be Summit City Sluggers, Summit City Select, Gators and Huntertown Lions. Or is there another team in that area she should look into.

I want to make sure she's in a program that is competitive and can help build her skillset. What are some things I should be looking for, and questions I should ask? She'll be 12U this year.

Indiana Magic Gold has northern 11U and 12U teams. One of the best orgs:



Also might check out this listing of other teams in the region:

 
Jul 22, 2020
32
8
Indiana Magic Gold has northern 11U and 12U teams. One of the best orgs:



Also might check out this listing of other teams in the region:



That link was really helpful, thank you. We would be in area 3 in the 12U, no Magic Gold, but Elite does have tryouts for 12U and I got her signed up. I would guess if the Gators aren't as good, Elite are likely the closest thing in this area to Magic.
 
Apr 20, 2015
961
93
I would say all the teams in that link are pretty equal. None would have a presence on the national stage, or really even the regional one. Summit city does have a college prep program at the older ages focusing on mostly d3, juco and naia. Gators as an organization has college prep as a goal at the older levels but as I said before the outlying branches have much more variability than the main organization in Indy. Good luck!

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Jul 22, 2020
32
8
I would say all the teams in that link are pretty equal. None would have a presence on the national stage, or really even the regional one. Summit city does have a college prep program at the older ages focusing on mostly d3, juco and naia. Gators as an organization has college prep as a goal at the older levels but as I said before the outlying branches have much more variability than the main organization in Indy. Good luck!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Thanks for the input, Summit City? Sluggers or Select? I'd like to see at least a regional presence but really I just want a team that can develop her from where she is to HS. She's a big strong girl 6'2" 120lbs at 11, and she has talent but it's all going to be wasted keeping her in a rec league or sub par coaches. If in a few years she's obviously one of the best players in the area maybe we look at a team farther out w/more presence like Magic Gold, but at 12 and her first travel team I'm not sure a 2hr drive and a country wide travel schedule is needed.
 

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