The Virginia Cardinals 17u team will hold an open tryout for players in the high school classes of 2013 (rising juniors) and 2014 (rising sophomores) on Wednesday, August 10, on the stadium field at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland. The starting time and itinerary are TBA. [Edit: See below. 4:00 p.m. starting time!]
While tryouts are open to any interested 2013-14 Virginia player and to players of all positions, players must RSVP for the tryout by e-mailing me at bradmarrs@verizon.net
The Cardinals program is coming off a strong showing at Perfect Game's WWBA 17u event in and about East Cobb, GA, where the team went 5-2 and was the only Virginia team to win a tournament playoff game. The team's five victories included a tournament-leading four shutouts and a fifth game with only one unearned run allowed. The team also "run ruled" four of its opponents. The Cardinals are also just coming off a sweep to the title of Triple Crown's 17u national championship.
As you may know, the Cardinals are substantially different from most other travel programs in that we are fully financially sponsored. The Cardinals charge no participation fees and we also provide hotel accommodations and we assist with arranging car pool travel. Players must provide only their own equipment and their food during travel. We hope through this process to help many players who otherwise could not afford to participate in an elite travel baseball program.
The Cardinals are also different in that we provide year-round advice and guidance through the recruiting process that extends well beyond the playing field. Through this process, we placed 9 out of our 9 2011 players in our first year in operation. Already this year we have 7 commitments for players in our class of 2012 and 1 in our class of 2013, to schools including UVA (3), Virginia Tech (1), Radford (3) and William & Mary (1) to this point, with several more to come. We exist not just to compete on the field, but to serve players and their families as a college baseball placement program.
The Cardinals provide management by a former professional player, with assistance from coaches with collegiate experience both on the field and through the recruiting process.
While there is no charge to play for the Cardinals, there is a code of conduct and a substantial team commitment which are required of all players and their parents. Details will be provided to players upon their RSVP'ing for the tryout day.
Again, to RSVP for tryout day, e-mail me at bradmarrs@verizon.net
I will then keep you posted on details of tryout day as they firm up.
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