Difference Between Travel (Open) Division vs Recreational Division at 12YO & Younger
Note1: There are plenty of players that will play in our recreational divisions that are skilled enough to play travel ball. But they choose recreational ball as they are looking to have less baseball/softball time than most travel teams require.

 ·    Commitment: Travel ball is a step up competitively from recreational ball. It can be a considerable increase in player commitment, skill level and dedication depending on the team. The number of games and practices vary by team but in almost every case, the commitment is definitely more than recreational ball.

·    Experience/Expectation: For travel ball, playing time is between coach and player/family. Many of our families have a great experience but a few can be challenged with it based on playing time, frequency of practice/games, player expectation, etc.

·    League Play with us: Travel teams in our open division will play most of their league games at Civitan Park or Crockett Park. League play through our club is limited to weekday games. As of now, league play is limited to baseball and not offered to softball because we don't have enough teams.

·    Tournaments: Some of our travel teams will play tournaments most weekends. Others will play periodically. Those tournaments will occur mostly across different parks across middle Tennessee although some teams do travel outside the area. Baseball usually occurs over Saturday and Sunday, while softball is often all day on a Saturday.

·    Costs: The cost varies by team and is dependent upon the number of tournaments, practice approach, paid coach, etc. Travel ball will cost more than recreational ball, sometimes a lot more.

·    How to find a team: We will share tryout info for travel teams if requested by a team.

·    When is my player ready: Generally, your player needs to be above average skill. Above average as a parent can be hard to determine so ask some of your past head coaches for their thoughts. We sometimes hear parents say they want a greater challenge for their player. While understandable, the skill needs to be there. Otherwise, disappointment and discouragement may occur.

Note: Being above average does not mean the player should play travel ball. The player can still find many challenges in playing recreational ball.