Anyone have experience with the USSSA Elite World Series?

quote:

Originally posted by ctandc:
My USSSA Team will be 13U Tomorrow. We are considering capping off the season with a "big" tourney at the end of the year.

Right now it's looking like the USSSA 13U Elite World Series.

Any other good options?

Just looking for a good competition, in an environment / location where the kids and the
families can have some fun as well.

Unless I'm missing something, that tournament began today (07/31). The Elite WS is a tournament that you must qualify for by first winning or otherwise gaining a birth in a Super NIT. Again, I might have misunderstood exactly which tournament you were referring to.

I have very fond memories of what was then the 14u Elite 16 event. USSSA's 13u event used to be held in the Winston-Salem area and involved over 100 teams; not sure if they still do that or if the qualifying/Elite 24 process has supplanted it at the 13u level. now.

But yes, for the Elite 24 you do have to qualify and that ain't easy. Sometimes a player -- especially a top pitcher -- can jump onto a roster of a qualifying team just to do this event. USSSA is pretty lax about letting teams add ringers, right up to the last minute.

I should have pointed out...

This is planning for the end of the 2010 Season. So this would be July of 2010.

And I understand about qualifying for it. Just asking for people's experiences who have been there.

ctandc,
The Elite is one of the top tournaments in the country. As was mentioned above, you have to win a berth in one of the Super NIT's. Not to say that your team cannot do that, but you can ask teams like the VA Shredders (a team from your state), it can get expensive chasing the Super NIT's from state to state.

I would almost recommend teams find a tournament they can register for and plan out ahead of time. Running from state to state in the spring gets tough on parents. Not to mention the $1000 registration fee for the Elite after you qualify.

There will be 32 teams down there starting tomorrow that are happy to be there, though.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

So it's 32 teams now?

Wow! That's getting to be a pretty big tournament, considering you still have to qualify for it.

At least, maybe it's easier to get in now?

Not any easier at 13U. There are some really good teams at this age group. I think all but 3 teams qualified. Those three got at-large bids, but attended 2 or 3 Super NIT's along the way.

Everyone thought that by expanding to 32, it would water down the talent, but if you look at the teams, that is definately not the case.

Son went to the Elite as 2007 13U and 2008 14u.
It was an excellent tourney with lots of competitive teams. The opposing fans were great too as most people were supportive of all the boys.

The 13U's played in the back set of fields that are the furthest from the Milk House. It's a very loooong walk from the parking lot. The fields were excellent but the fan seating and available shade for siblings was horrible. There is also nothing to do for the younger kids. There was not enough seating for everyone so the kids ran around looking for something to do. I saw plenty of parents getting frustrated trying to entertain iritated, hot and bored kids, while trying to keep them from baking in the sun and still watch their team play. Florida is miserable in the Summer. Come prepared for a hot muggy sauna with a thunderstorm just about every day.

Our team also enjoyed the Triple Crown Slump Buster in Omaha during the College World Series and the Triple Crown World Series in Steamboat, Colorado Now that's a great place to combine a family vacation with a baseball tourney. BTW, the hot springs in the Mtn's are great. It took the parents a while to figure out why the boys wanted to go at night until we saw the sign that said clothing optional after 9pm. Go early or leave late and spend a few days in Estes Park on the Fall River.

ctandc
I recommend the Elite 32. My son had the priveledge to play in 2008 (13U) and 2009 (14U). Now is the time to begin planning your course for the playing the ELite 32.
If you are interested in finding out how well your team/players stack up against many of the best teams/players from across the country ....this is one of the better tourney out there.
It will be a bit pricey if you choose to chase the SNIT's to qualify.
And as we all know Orlando is not cheap either.
Lastly, understand that many of the teams will/do pick up guest players to add to current rosters. So you would be advised to strongly consider doing the same. It seems it is all about the pitching depth as the week long tourney plays out.
Good luck in whatever you decide!!

quote:

Originally posted by TXBUCK:
... Lastly, understand that many of the teams will/do pick up guest players to add to current rosters. So you would be advised to strongly consider doing the same. It seems it is all about the pitching depth as the week long tourney plays out.
Good luck in whatever you decide!!

Every game is extremely important even the pool games. It's all about pitching depth. Teams need at least 4 top notch pitchers and a couple solid relievers to make a run at the Championship. Teams also carry multiple solid catchers. The heat is a huge drain on them. Given the number of high quality hitters, very few pitches are delivered over the middle of the plate. You will need at least 2 catchers that can keep the pass balls to a minimum. Also, teams like to steal a lot and put pressure on the pichers and catchers. A good arm behind the dish is a must.

Teams expand their rosters to add pitching, catching or base runnig speed. Squads typically have 15 - 18 kids. USSSA only allows 3 adds and 3 drops after the roster is frozen. Several teams will carry a 17-20 man roster during the season with several kids simply on the roster incase the team goes to the Elite. Typically the extra kids are non-usssa (e.g. Nations or AAU) kids or play up during the regular season and play onlevel during the Elite.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

Actually my thinking behind the ELite 32, is trying to make a run with the team I'll have all year. No add-ons, no ringers...

I know very well how many teams add players just for the big events. But to compete with the team we've had for the whole season, win or lose, I think the message to the boys would be worth it's weight in gold.

I see it in Cooperstown all the time. Teams show up with completely different rosters. What's the point? I mean anyone can comb an area and pick up 12-15 players that can go win tournaments. I'd rather see my team play well as a TEAM...the same team they had all season.

TXBuck - You have a PM.

CT - my son is there now playing in the 13U division. All of the teams are getting to play at least one of their pool games in the big stadium. Some of the bracket games will also be played there and the championship game is scheduled there also. It's a big thrill for the kids (and the parents) to play on the field where the Braves host spring training.

If you are not there with your son, expect them to come back 10 pounds lighter if you aren't used to the humidity. My 14U son lost a ton of weight due to the humidity. Kid looked like a skeleton and they fed them very well indeed. Florida is brutal in the summer, worse than Phoenix.

Thanks for all the feedback....it definitely looks like what we'll be shooting for next year.

Thanks again.

lodi14 jr is also here at Disney right now.Met EC Dad and watched EC jr pitch against the Banditos this am. Great job kid! We went 1-1-1 in pool play and are seeded 5th in our pool.Double elim starts this afternoon.Good luck to all the teams.

How did the Banditos look?! They sure are huge!!!

quote:

Florida is brutal in the summer, worse than Phoenix.

You must be with the Visitors Bureau...

Come to Phoenix, it's 110 today, but it's a dry heat....

Hawk,
My son lost 10+ pounds in a week playing the 14U elite 32. It almost killed him. He looked gaunt when he came home. He left, 175 pounds and came back around 160+. It was brutal. He is still recovering.

Give me the 110 and 10% humidity anyday over 96 and 90% humidity. We will not be going back anytime soon. But we were in Utah last weekend. Now that was great!

Hardnose, the Banditos dont really have their bats going yet(for them)Most teams would love to struggle like the Banditos.East Coob,Rawlings Elite,HB Nitro,Terror,Germantown Giants as well as the Banditos all look really strong.Honestly anyone on a roll here could do alot of damage.Everyone has their pitchers lined up.The studs will take the bump this evening or tomorrow morning.BEWARE OF THE CURVEBALL!! All these kids down here can rip fastballs.The are kids down here are throwing 84-86.How whould you like to face that from 54ft?

Imagine facing 83 from only 50 ft. Have you gotten to see Michael Blasko play yet? He flat out brings it.

We played at the Eite 32 in July as a 12U. It seems that your team just completed there 12U year and will be 13 U next summer. The tournament is very competitive and has many of the tops teams in the country. You've got to take plenty of pitching and be ready to get after it. We qualified in the Dallas (SNIT) after trying to qualify in Arizona. If you plan on qualifying you have to be prepared $$ and time wise. Its the best tournament that selcet baseball has for the younger ages.

hardnosed,
Blasko is a good pitcher (I like watching him play SS), but the best all-around pitcher we faced was Jacob Barfield with the TX Stampede. He threw hard, but also had some really good supporting pitches to go with it. Matt Vogel with Tri-State Arsenal was probably throwing the hardest.

It was great to see all these ballplayers in one place. It will be interesting to see them progress from here on.

I have seen Barfield play a few times. But never seen him throw. You know he's gonna hit being related to Jesse Barfield. How hard was the Vogel kid throwing?

Lodi jr played with Vogel last year in Cooperstown. I remember him coming home and talking about how hard he threw.

Vogel was probably throwing around 85. Last year we faced him in the Championship game at Cooperstown and he was hitting close to 83 then. That was gas at 50'.

85 at 54 is still gas. But as the saying goes, good batters can catch up to a rocket if that is all you are throwing. He came out, in the Elite, when we got a 5-0 lead on him.

Barfield was probably throwing in the low 80's as well. I thought his arm was going to fall off, though when he got to about 107 pitches.

EC you guys looked really good down there. When I watched your team play tha Banditos I knew then and there it was going to be a long tournament for anyone that had to face you guys.Like you said anybody can hit the fastball and you guys proved it.What really stood out for me was the quality of pitching at Disney. Every team had kids throwing in the 80's but those that kept the batters off pace were the real studs.EC jr pitched outstanding from what I watched. Little lodi only pitched 1 inning.He did a good job coming in with the bases loaded and striking out 2 and getting a ground ball back to him.

From what I have heard Barfield usually goes out and throws a lot and is still effective. There was talk at the beginning of the year in 50 degree weather that he went out and threw 100+ pitches against the Banditos.

After Barfield came off the mound they put him at 3B. The first ground ball to him that he had to throw to 1b almost made him pass out. He was holding his shoulder and wencing. They took him out of the game then. He had pitched a great game to that point. No sense getting him hurt.

Sounds like they already hurt him.

Apparently so. Does USSSA have an inning/pitch limit at the Elite World Series?

7 in a day, 11 of the course of 3 days

Just an update to this..I appreciate all the feedback...but it looks we're going to look for something else. I had no idea the "Elite World Series" was played on 54/80 fields at 13U.

Every game / tourney we played this past Fall was 60/90. Even the kids kind of acted weird when they found out it was 54/80.

Just seems odd to me.

I'll keep looking.

ctandc,
As you've probably noticed, nearly all top 13 Y/O WS events across the country are 54-80. Triple Crown D1 this summer in Steamboat area should again bring in many of the toughest teams from CA, AZ, TX & OK. While the west event is 54-80, Triple Crown's 13 D1 WS in Myrtle Beach SC is 60-90. Might ck into Qualifiers for it.

http://www.triplecrownsports.c...il.asp?tournyid=3709