Two local baseball coaches have created a new traveling team for players 14-and-under and will hold tryouts the first and third weekends of August.
Coaches Kelley Wilson and Mike Donaldson decided to create a traveling team so that players serious about playing baseball at the high school level and beyond can learn the skills they need and get the exposure that comes with regional competition.
“We’re not competing with the existing leagues and some of our kids may still continue to play for those leagues and this team,” Wilson said. “What we’ll offer is a chance to advance the kids a little more, teach them a little more and get them ready for another level. We’ll teach them a little more baseball than they’re ready for.”
The Delaware Legends will see a higher level of competition because they’ll compete against teams from all over the region, Wilson said.
Wilson and Donaldson will select between 12 and 14 players and will give each of them the opportunity to play, Wilson said. At this level, most of the team will be composed of 14-year-olds and 13-year-olds. But that is not to say coaches would not accept a kid who’s 12 and a good player, he said.
“The one thing that I see a lot of is kids not playing as much as I think they should,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons we got together – because of situations like that. Mike and I believe that if we choose a kid and want him on the team, we should be able to send him into the game and still be successful.”
Coaches will use practices to teach players about the game, character and how to hustle, Wilson said. When they play in a game, coaches just want them to have fun and feel good about themselves.
| Delaware Legends Tryouts August 2, 3, 16 & 17 Dickinson High School 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Call 368-1280 or e-mail Legendsbaseball@comcast.net |
The team will play fall ball, working around the schedules of players who play football or other sports, Wilson said. The Legends will then continue to workout once a week in the winter. But they will “play for real” during the spring and summer. The baseball team will travel for tournaments on the weekends and also play games against other travel teams during the week in the summer.
Wilson has been an assistant coach at Dickinson for seven years under head coach John Nelson. Donaldson coached at Midway Little League and coached Wilson’s son, Tyler. Tyler just completed Midway, where he played from the age of 7 to 12. Donaldson’s son, Mike, also played at Midway from 7 to 12 and played the last year at Piedmont Babe Ruth. Both will try out for the Legends.
Those who make the team will pay between $500 and $600 for everything, including all tournaments, all equipment, uniforms and travel.
For more information, call Wilson at (302) 368-1280 or Donaldson at (302) 234-2779. Queries can also be sent via e-mail to Legendsbaseball@comcast.net.
