Riley Recreation League: Travel

Questions and Answers about travel baseball at Riley

Q: We don’t live in Vigo County. Can our son play regular season and/or travel baseball at Riley?

A: Yes and yes. Those who do not live in Vigo County can play both regular season baseball and travel baseball at Riley. The only option not available to non-Vigo County residents is the Cal Ripken all-star team which, because of Cal Ripken rules, must be made up of only Vigo County players. The team will consist of players who play in our league and who choose not to play travel baseball or are not selected for travel baseball.

Q: If my son plays travel baseball at Riley, we he still be able to play regular season in his home league?

A: Yes.

Q: Can he play all-stars for his home league all-star team?

A: No. There will be conflicts between the Riley travel teams and league all-star teams. The player cannot play both.

Q: What will be the cost of travel baseball?

A: This depends on the number of games each travel team decides to play. We anticipate, however, that for the first year, the cost per player will be at least $300, not including the cost of travel for the parents. In the future, we hope to defray the cost per player by hosting travel tournaments. By hosting, not only does the Riley team play in a free tournament, but it is anticipated that the net proceeds of the tournament will be shared by the league and the travel age group that hosted and worked the tournament.

Q: How far will teams travel?

A: We anticipate that the Riley travel teams will get stronger and more competitive as time goes by, and will therefore be able to compete in regional and national tournaments. How far each team decides to travel will be decided by the team coaching staff and parents. At the outset, however, we believe that most travel games will be played in neighboring cities such as Indianapolis, Columbus, Bloomington, etc., although regional travel to cities such as Chicago, St. Louis, Louisville, etc., on a limited basis should not be ruled out.

Q: Will Riley host travel tournaments?

A: Riley has hosted a Riley Invitational for several years. It has become a very successful and popular tournament. Riley has also hosted Cal Ripken state tournaments annually, and has also hosted one Cal Ripken Ohio Valley Regional Tournament. We know how to host tournaments. We anticipate the Riley will continue to host tournaments of this nature, as well as travel tournaments. We will host more tournaments as the travel program grows and as we add new fields. The board has not yet decided what tournaments we will host in 2013.

Q: Who are the travel team coaches?

A: The 8U coach is Jim Winning.  The 9 year-old coach is David Owen.  The 10 year-old coach is Darby Kline.  The 11 year-old coach is Tom Cannon.  The 12 year-old coach is Rusty Gonser.  The 13 year-old coach is Tim Hayes.

Q:  What kind of success did the Riley travel teams have in their first year of travel ball?

 A:  It was a very successful year.  While some age groups had more success than others, the boys all played a full summer of baseball and continued with the development of their baseball skills.  The 8u team won the Riley Invitational, and played well in both the Cal Ripken state tournament and the Ohio Valley Regional.  The 9 year-olds won the Riley Invitational, as well as other tournaments, but capped off a great season by winning the USSSA Class AA World Series in Columbus, Indiana!  The 10 year-olds qualified for and participated in the USSSA Class AA World Series in Kingsport, TN.  The 11 year-olds played well in early tournaments in Fishers, and later won the Riley Invitational.  The 12 year-olds were runners-up in the USSSA Class AA World Series Qualifier in Fishers, Indiana, and followed that up by winning the USSSA Class AA state title in Columbus, Indiana.  They also participated in the USSSA Class AA World Series in Kingsport, TN, and were the #1 seed after pool play before being eliminated in bracket play.

Q: What if I have other questions?

A: Just e-mail travelbaseball@rileyrecleague.org. Also, questions will be answered at tryouts by coaches and league officials.

Chloe Cannon

Kendal Edmondson

Karson Hart

Micah Huckaby

Hanna Krockenberger

Allison McNeill

Kaylee Miller

Trinity Rogers

Christina Richards

Paityn Shipley

Demi Wolfe

Coach Shalane Huckaby 

9U - David Owen - dmowenfamily@gmail.com  cell: 812-208-1023

10s- Darby Kline - dkline@ma.rr.com  cell: 812-236-9714

11s- Tom Cannon - tcannon@iuhealth.org   cell: 812-562-0177

12s- Rusty Gonser - rgonser@gmail.com  cell:     517-930-2401

13s- Tim Hayes - tim@timhayeslaw.com  cell:317-727-8466