As mentioned above by Lion, this can start at the very lowest community level. The school my son goes to is a 3A powerhouse, but there is another 3A school in this state with a remarkable tradition that starter 24 years ago. At that point they had little to no baseball tradition. They have since played in 20 of the past 24 state title games (winning 10). It's also not necessarily about talent. However, their teams starting at about age 8 all carry the high school name and colors. They are close to the high school coaches and get help. They aren't even that good at the younger levels. When I first moved to Lamar, I wasn't familiar with 3A baseball. However, I had heard of eaton because they routinely fielded travel squads. What I did know about them was that they were alway just somewhat successful at the USSSA AA level. Certainly not youth powerhouse programs. However, they buy into the high school championship atmosphere from an early age. The talented players stay in the program and play together often for 10-12 years. They have it drilled into their heads from the very earliest baseball ages that they WILL play high school ball and they WILL compete for state titles.