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Originally posted by Maroon and White:
Does anyone know of any 16U summer ball teams in Indiana, preferably Central and Northern Indiana? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Maroon, there are lots and lots of 16U summer teams out there--some good and some bad. Just need to do some homework and investigate. Look at what each club's competition is, what tourneys they play in, etc. There are lots of so-called "travel" or "elite" teams that don't play much outside of their immediate area except for a few tournaments--most likely not the most challenging teams to play for. We're from Ft. Wayne and have always chosen to play for central Indiana select teams, as we believe the competition is at least a bit tougher. Check out the Indy Bulldogs, Indiana Bulls, Indiana Yankees, Indy Bandits for starters. Also, since you're in Mishawaka, you might check out Derek Jeter's old select team up in Kalamazoo--don't recall their name but should be easy to find online. We played them a few years ago when my son was 11 and with the Indy Bandits and they played in the Southwest Ohio League with us which is an excellent league--composed of over 200 teams from Florida to Wisconsin and centered in Cincinnati. Excellent competition. Another league that has fairly good competition is the SANDLOTT League--check out teams from your area that compete in it and you may find a couple that fit your needs. Keep in mind a good team is going to be expensive and probably run anywhere from $800 to a couple of thousand or more to just be on the team and that won't include travel, hotel expenses. Also, if you're willing to travel to central Indiana, you might check out the Lafayette area--they have several excellent teams and programs.
If you're interested, my son's Indy Bulldogs 16U coach is still looking for a couple of players. You can reach him by phoning Jamie Roudebush at 317-696-8972 and he may want to give you a tryout.
I take it you go to Mishawaka High? I have a history there--several of my uncles attended there a long time ago and starred. Ask your coaches if they remember Bill and Rich Edgerton. Bill ended up graduating in Penn's first class and played pro ball for about 8 years and Rich ended up going to Indiana State and becoming a Little All-America. Talking about the early sixties... Two other of their brothers played for Adams--Paul and Melv and also played college ball. Good baseball up there. We may see you at tourney time. My boy plays for Snider.
I see a baseball academy on U.S. 31 South when I go visit my mom who lives on Michigan St. Is that still open? If so, there are probably some guys there who can steer you to a good program.
Hope this helps and good luck in the upcoming season.
Mishawaka has a rich athletic tradition you should be very proud of. The "real" Hoosiers coach (Marv - forgot his last name! -my bad!) ended up coaching there after leaving Milan after winning the state championship when the basketball championship wasn't all messed up with classes like it is now and actually representated an accomplishment.
Hope this helps.
