Live Exposure

Julie Thompson – A Baseball Factory Parent’s Perspective

One thing we did right in Kyle’s college search process was to take advantage of opportunities for live exposure—in fact, I wish we had done more of it. Getting live exposure was key in generating and securing interest from coaches. We were a bit limited by Kyle wanting to look only at schools in warm climates—a plane ride away, that is—but hey, what’s life without a challenge?

Kyle attended Baseball Factory tournaments and Team One showcases in Florida, Arizona, and one close to home in New England. Prior to heading to Florida and Arizona, Kyle contacted coaches in the area to let them know he had an interest in their schools and would be attending the tournament. Sometimes they responded to Kyle’s emails, and sometimes they didn’t. Kyle’s attendance (and thankfully, solid performance!) at the Florida tournament opened the door for his meeting with the coach at the school he ultimately chose. Also, we made sure to tour as many campuses as we could. With locations like Florida and Arizona, it was a dirty job….Kyle forwarded his player page to coaches that did not go to the showcase or could not meet with us.

Kyle also attended a couple of camps. Again, I wish we had done more of it, but done so selectively. Camps can be a great opportunity for exposure, and a chance to see how your son likes that particular college’s environment. Since the players on the school’s baseball team usually work the camps, your son also can get an idea about how he might fit from a personality standpoint. I would strongly suggest doing some research before sending your money in, however. It can be a costly approach and you want as much of a return as possible. Make sure that the coach is interested in your son as a prospect, not just a camper.

Here’s what not to do. Kyle had been invited to a camp called ‘Elite Recruits’ (or something similar to that) at a school and location in which he had an interest. Because of a schedule conflict with American Legion baseball, he passed. Shortly thereafter, Kyle received an invitation to another camp at the school—this one spent part of the time specializing in catching, one of Kyle’s positions. We spoke with the man running the camp, and decided it would be a good opportunity. We forgot one critical question, though—Will the head coach be there?

We had flown across the country for this camp. We met with our contact—someone affiliated with the baseball program—for about an hour-and-a-half, touring the campus. He also met with us briefly after the first two days, telling us he would see us after the third and final day, and give Kyle an evaluation. A couple of the assistant coaches ran the camp, along with the players. They were nice guys. Kyle really liked them, and they were complimentary to Kyle. Noticeably missing, though, was the head coach. Apparently, he had gone on vacation. He came to the camp for about 15 minutes on the last day. He sought out one of the campers—someone local he clearly had scouted—then left…no introduction to Kyle, who had flown across the country to be there. And oh…our contact who was going to give us the evaluation after the last day…didn’t show…had an obligation outside of the area. Kyle got some great comments from the players, but we didn’t get a lot of feedback or contact after we returned home. Lesson learned—find out if the camp really is an ‘Elite Recruit’ camp or just a fundraiser for the team. And make sure the head coach is going to be there.

I also would recommend attending local showcases and your state’s version of the Olympics, whether your son wants to stay in the area for college, or not. Scouts “know people who know people.” One of our sons got recruited by a school in the Mid-Atlantic region because their scout was friends with a scout in our area who had seen Brian play. Don’t just ‘throw it out there,’ though. With time and money involved, do some homework. Find out which coaches have committed to the showcases, and how well-attended the events are expected to be. If possible, talk with families who have attended them in the past. Find out their experience. This part of the college search can be an exciting and fun time—and an important one for opening doors for your son’s future.



Julie Thompson is a parent of a former Baseball Factory Exclusive Program player. She has volunteered to share her opinions, observations and general thoughts regarding the college recruiting and player development process. She will share what worked and what didn’t for her son, in the hope that other parents and players may benefit from her experience.

LIVE: From the Under Armour Southeast Tournament

Becky Oldham: We're There

For the updated tournament schedule and game results, visit the Team One web site.

Tuesday, June 10 - Day 5

The championship round of the Under Armour Southeast Tournament was underway early Tuesday morning as Diamond Vision Elite defeated the Palm Beach Clippers (18) 2-0 in a close match-up, advancing to the next round. They would face the number one seed, Palm Beach PAL, who had a bye in the first round. Orlando Baseball Academy, the Columbus Explorers and Treasure Coast Young Guns also advanced to the second round. In their first game of the championship round Palm Beach PAL handled Diamond Vision Elite with a 3-0 victory. Their win secured a match against Orlando Baseball Academy to determine who would advance to the championship game. Meanwhile, a very exciting game began to unfold on the neighboring field. In a back and forth match-up, the Columbus Explorers battled the Treasure Coast Young Guns in a game that took them into the 14^th inning. Enforcing the International Tiebreaker Rule , starting the inning with a runner on second base, the Columbus Explores mustered enough offense in the bottom of the 14^th to score the winning run, defeating the Young Guns and advancing to the championship game.

The Explorers would face the winner of another exciting match-up that was underway between the Orlando Baseball Academy and Palm Beach PAL. Orlando jumped to an early lead but Palm Beach staged a rally, coming from behind to defeat the Orlando Baseball Academy 4-3 to advance to the championship. Having thrown a few of their fielders on the way to their 14-inning victory, the Explorers headed into the championship game to face the number one seed Palm Beach PAL. The game proved to be yet another close match-up, but in the end the PAL were able to defeat the Explorers 4-2 to win their first ever Under Armour Southeast Tournament.

Despite the inclement weather, the Under Armour Southeast Tournament was a success. Over the course of the five day event 30 college coaches and six Major League Organizations were in attendance. Even though the rain cut the game play short, our staff worked hard to ensure teams were still able to get quality games in. Thanks to all the players, parents and coaches; the tournament could not have continued without your patience. Special thanks also goes out to the Roger Dean Staff for keeping the fields in such great condition throughout the tournament and for accommodating the daily changes to the schedule. Next year let’s hope for better conditions!


Monday, June 8 - Day 4

Despite the fourth straight morning of clear skies and the anticipation of a full day of baseball, the forecast for Jupiter, Florida remained grim. Local forecasts were again calling for a chance of severe thunderstorms, though by now we had just come to expect rain anytime after noon. On a positive note, considering the amount of rainfall that occurred over the three days thus far, the fields at Roger Dean were in immaculate condition. This allowed for games to begin at 8:30 a.m. and like the previous day, games that were in progress Sunday afternoon when the storm hit were scheduled to resume at this time slot. Utilizing all eight of the available fields on both sides of the complex, the previously interrupted games were completed. In an effort to get in as many games as possible a new time limit was set at an hour and a half, as opposed to the originally set two-hour time limit per game. The second round of games was completed in time to start the third round at approximately 11:30 a.m. Then the rain came. By now the first sign of rain was enough to send the fans running for cover, and for good reason. However, unlike previous days, this storm cleared up and the sun reappeared. Pending field conditions, games were set to resume at 5:00 p.m.

By 5:00 two fields looked more suitable for a swim than a baseball game, their condition would remain unplayable for the rest of the evening. The grounds crew worked to make the other six field’s game ready as more dark clouds loomed in the distance. Those with Doppler radar could see the large cells in the area and once again we prepared for Mother Nature. Despite the threatening skies games got underway around 7:00 p.m. To our luck, finally, the storms did not pass over Roger Dean and we were able to complete 15 games before the night was out. Due to the complexity of the schedule and the amount of games completed as a result of the weather, the championship round was reformatted. All teams were seeded within their pool, with the top seed advancing to a single elimination championship round Tuesday. The nine teams to secure championship round seeds were:

Palm Beach PAL
Columbus Explorers
Florida Hardballers
All American Prospects
Orlando Baseball Academy
Treasure Coast Young Guns
Palm Beach Elite
Diamond Vision Elite
Palm Beach Clippers 18

For teams who did not advance to the championship round, consolation games were set for Tuesday morning on the available fields.


Sunday, June 7 – Day 3
As a result of the heavy rain on both Friday and Saturday, today’s schedule was booked full from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to get as many games played as possible. Any games that were in progress Saturday afternoon and interrupted by the storms were rescheduled for the 8:30 a.m. round on Sunday. Team Mizuno, the Atlanta Blue Jays, Palm Beach Clippers 16, Triple Threat Baseball, South Florida Snappers Green, Treasure Coast Young Guns, Palm Beach Select and Florida Raiders all returned to the field to secure a win. All other games began immediately following the make-ups, and the skies stayed blue into the early afternoon. Around 3:00 p.m., with games in progress, violent storms hit the Roger Dean Complex for the third straight day. Rain poured relentlessly until the remainder of the games had to be called off.

To stay up-to-date with the new game schedule for Monday, June 8, check Team One Baseball’s website at www.teamonebaseball.com.


Saturday, June 6 – Day 2:
Day Two began with as equal promise as the first day of the tournament. Blue skies and sunshine greeted the families and friends who flowed through the gates to support their teams. More coaches and scouts showed up to find prospects for their programs. In order to fit as many of Friday’s games in as possible, Saturday’s first round of games kicked off at 8:30 a.m. A packed schedule of games was set to follow, with the last scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m. In a late morning game that drew much attention from coaches and scouts on hand, the Columbus Explorers took on the Orlando Scorpions. The Explorers scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning to make the score 7-3 in their favor. Columbus would go on to defeat the Scorpions 8 – 3.

In another morning game across the complex, a walk followed by a single kicked off a big inning for the Baseball Factory Navy. Capitalizing on a few of the Florida Raiders’ errors, the Baseball Factory Navy was led by outfielder, New Jersey native, Joseph D’Annunzio and a third baseman/catcher out of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tanner Ashcraft. Their efforts were enough to lead the Baseball Factory Navy team to a 5 – 3 victory. Other teams who emerged victorious from the Saturday morning games included the St. Thomas Raiders, the Columbus Explorers, the Florida Hardballers and the Atlanta Blue Jays. But as the Atlanta Blue Jays took the field for their second game of the day, dark clouds loomed in left field. Though the Jays were able to build a 4-0 lead through two and a half innings, the rain began to fall hard on the Roger Dean Complex for the second straight day. Unfortunately for the players, the storm was even more powerful than Friday’s and the fields were under water. Inches of rain accumulated, resulting in all remaining games being postponed.

Look for tournament play to resume Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Let’s just hope for sunshine and blue skies!


Friday, June 5 – Day 1:
Day One of the Under Armour Southeast Tournament, powered by Team One Baseball in Jupiter, Florida began with sunny skies and high hopes. The first tournament games kicked off just before noon at the Roger Dean Sports Complex. This year’s tournament promised to be a thrilling one, with 45 teams scheduled to participate over the five day event. The air was filled with excitement as the games got under way Friday at the Spring Training home of the Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals, with 23 college coaches and 6 pro affiliates in attendance. A few of the teams to enjoy early victories were the Columbus Explorers, the Bomber Bruins, the Palm Beach PAL and the Palm Beach Clippers 18U. Unfortunately, the first day was abruptly halted, as dark clouds opened over the complex and emptied enough rain to halt the schedule until 7:00 p.m. Games were set to resume, and the Gardens Gators and Treasure Coast Young Guns began play, until Mother Nature responded with another round of storms. As Day 1 concluded in a wash-out, games were pushed back to a packed Saturday schedule.


Becky Oldham is the Marketing Associate at Baseball Factory. Becky started with Baseball Factory at the end of 2008.