Two different questions. 1.Does anyone have any insight into the best travel programs in the Pittsburgh area? 2. Does anyone know if there is a good Driveline Instructor in region?
Thanks!
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HS grad year?
2019
For youth teams there is Beaver Valley but I think your son may be beyond their age cut offs. US Elite is one I've heard of but don't know much about them.
No first hand experience with these teams, but here are the ones I've run across:
US Elite http://uselitebaseball.com
Team All American http://www.goteamallamerican.com
Keystone Railsplitters https://keystonebaseballclub.wordpress.com
Northeast Pride http://nepridebaseball.com
US Elite is PA based and gets many/most of the top players in Pittsburgh.
Mark Helsel runs a first class program. My son came up through this program even though we are in VA. Every player on his team's roster went D1.
Diamond Dawgs- they have a team for all age groups.
I may be a bit off base here but is American Legion still big in PA,? woulndt that be an option for you?
I'm in Pittsburgh.
Two teams I'd recommend are steel city Wildcats and steel city spikes. Fall team is allegheny pirates. My son played for wildcats and pirates. Had great experiences with both. It really depends on what you are looking for There are plus and minus to any of these teams. Feel free to message me if you'd like to discuss details.
Laker27 posted:I may be a bit off base here but is American Legion still big in PA,? woulndt that be an option for you?
At the risk of offending someone. My opinion is that legion in this area has been relegated to a rec league status. Not very competitive here
Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it!
Eastern PA here. I've heard mixed opinions on US Elite. My personal experience is that they are real good at recruiting/marketing, not so sure about development, as evidenced by the D1 commits. They were developed elsewhere, recruited by US Elite, got exposure, and committed. They don't practice together, just show up and play.
As for DriveLine, I don't know about Pittsburgh, but I can tell you GoWags in Harrisburg is running a DriveLine inspired program. My 2019 went to a Florida Baseball Ranch Boot Camp (Randy Sullivan) weekend event they hosted and it was the best baseball development event we've ever attended.
I read that US Elite was under the name of a sponsor a few years back. The sponsor dropped the organization. Not sure what happened.
D.C. Baseball posted:I read that US Elite was under the name of a sponsor a few years back. The sponsor dropped the organization. Not sure what happened.
Correct. They were with Chandler. Actually, it was the other way around - Helsel dropped Chandler. I was considering them then, and talked with Chandler to see about the future. They weren't happy with how it went down.
US Elite is similar to a dating service, you develop else where. As long as you understand what they are I think there is a place for them.
I know what went down. My son and his team and coach were smack in the middle of it. It was nothing other than a difference in strategy/approach....just like any business situation. Neither side was right or wrong. Moreover, it is the definition of "water under the bridge" and entirely irrelevant to the current state of affairs. Just look at Helsel's track record. College coaches at the highest levels know and trust him. It is hard to develop specific baseball skills when you have teams made up of rosters with players all over (a certain organization called the EvoCanes does it same way 
) but man do they get talented players exposure. My son joined Chandler/US Elite fall of his sophomore year. Two winters later, most of the roster was the same - inevitably there is turnover as some players don't develop as do others - and every player (100%) was committed to a D1 including the likes of UVA, Nebraska, Maryland, Penn State, VA Tech, Notre Dame, Penn, Yale, Fordham, etc). Mark also helps develop boys into men and character. It is a big focus of his. I once watched him spend an hour showing a roster of players the proper way to meet and address a college coach (hand shake, look in eyes, use his name, provide your name, etc.). Then he role played with every one of them. He also would get on the phone and role play as if he was a college coach/RC talking to players on the phone, preparing them for those discussions. For some reason, there seems to be differing opinions on his program. Count mine as one who is a big supporter. I know several dozen other parents/families who would agree.
And I agree with Old_School. It is what it is and you have to know what and why you are doing there.
I know Mark as well, in my opinion he's a solid guy and wants what's best for the young men on his team. My son didn't play for him, but would have this past fall in Jupiter if things had worked out a bit differently on our end.
US Elite is a solid option if you are good enough to make the team, and depending on what your goals are. If it's important to be seen by big programs outside western PA, and you don't mind the travel, playing for US Elite is a good option.
On the other hand, if your goal is to play college ball within 2-4 hours of Pittsburgh- there's no need to travel all over the country if you don't want to. The teams I mentioned earlier are good options- well known by all the coaches within a 4-6 hour drive, and you will be seen by all of them multiple times.
pabaseballdad posted:Laker27 posted:I may be a bit off base here but is American Legion still big in PA,? woulndt that be an option for you?
At the risk of offending someone. My opinion is that legion in this area has been relegated to a rec league status. Not very competitive here
No offense taken, however I have seen the complexion of summer ball change considerably. Seems like lotsa kids "gotta git their numbers"…." Need my Ks, need my Ribbies, need ny knocks"…. Pitchers are turning into hired guns and showing up only when they are scheduled to throw. Just looks like we have gotten away from team baseball……True story from a recent sizable showcase tournament…...
Me. "Whats the name of your 3rd baseman, he swings it very well"
Him " Its either Mike or Mark, I dont know his last name"
Me."Wheres he go to school?"
Him." I think either Pioneer, or West High, I'm not sure"
Naturally I know every kids name that ever played for me, and his parents brothers and sisters and even their dogs, as well as his school…..Then again I am very old