Q. How many teams do you have?
A. Ten to twelve teams depending where there are more than one team in a certain age category: 9U, 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U, 14U, 15U & 16U Mickey Mantle, 17U & 18U Connie Mack.
Q. What are the age requirements?
A.
- 9U - Born May 1, 1999 or later
- 10U - Born May 1, 1998 or later
- 11U - Born May 1, 1997 or later
- 12U - Born May 1, 1996 or later
- 13U - Born May 1, 1995 or later
- 14U - Born May 1, 1994 or later
- 15U - Born May 1, 1993 or later
- 16U - Born May 1, 1992 or later
- 17U - Born May 1, 1991 or later
- 18U - Born May 1, 1990 or later
Q. When do they play?
A. Blue Wave Baseball is a year-round club baseball organization. We field teams in the Spring, Summer, and Fall-Winter seasons. Spring season runs January through the end of May, Summer goes from June until the end of August, and Fall-Winter season is September through end of December.
Q. How often do you play?
A. We typically play single games or double-headers on Sundays, depending on the team. Most teams play one tournament every four to six weeks, some times play tournaments every other weekend. Connie Mack Summer Season teams also play weekday games.
Q. How often do you practice?
A. We normally practice twice a week - once for hitting once for fielding - depending on the team and season.
Q. Can you play for other teams or play other sports at the same time?
A. It all depends on the team. We have some teams that are "club baseball only" and some that allow players to play on recreational league (Little League and PONY) at the same time. However, we do not allow players to play with another club baseball team while playing for the Blue Wave in league games, though players can be added for tournament play. Players may also participate in other sports with their Blue Wave coach's permission. For the most part, we like to see Blue Wave Baseball as the priority team for the player.
Q. When do you have tryouts?
A. Blue Wave Baseball conducts periodic tryouts. To be notified of a tryout, you need to be on the organization's eMail and calling list. Players may also tryout with our teams before, during, and after the season depending on the coach. However, once we commit to a player for the season, we do not bump them for new players. We only add players during the season when someone is hurt or to fill out our roster.
Q. How many players are on a team?
A. Again, it depends on the team. Generally, we carry 12-15 players on a team based on the fact one or two players typically fail to make a game on weekends due to illness, injury, or family/school issues. Our teams also play a lot of double-headers, so we typically need 12 to 13 players at a game in order to give everyone a rest. Some of our older teams - 16U Mickey Mantle and 18U Connie Mack - carry larger rosters because they require more pitchers or they have players with additional high school team or work-related responsibilities.
Q. What does it cost?
A. A Blue Wave "Season Fee" ranges from $500 to $750 per player, depending on the length of season (3-4 months) and other variables - from coach's stipend to umpire fees, batting cage fees, equipment, insurance, and league fees. The only additional costs are for various tournaments that our teams my elect to enter. Tournament costs are simply divided by the number of players. Tournaments average around $55 per player.
Q. What if I cannot afford the fees?
A. Blue Wave Baseball does have scholarships, reduced fees, and payment programs for those that need them. For the most part, we try to work with a family's budget if they truly cannot afford our fees, but our coaches want them on their team.
Q. Does the organization make money?
A. Blue Wave Baseball is a fully compliant 503C non-profit organization run by volunteer administrators, however we pay stipends to our coaches and professional trainers. The organization is operated on a break-even basis and does not make a profit.
Q. Can players be cut during the season?
A. For the most part, once a coach commits to a player for a season, we do not cut the player. However, if the player does not come to practice or games or is a discipline problem, we reserve the right to cut a player at any time.
Q. What if the player quits during the season?
A. Generally, we do not refund fees for players that quit during the season, but there are exceptions based on circumstances. We are a non-profit organization and try to be fair to our players and parents.
Q. What are your codes of conduct for parents?
A. All parents, siblings, family, and friends are to remain in the stands at all times. No one is allowed on the practice or game field unless specifically invited by the coach. No one is allowed in, around, or behind the player dugout in a game or practice unless specifically invited by the coach. All comments directed at players, coaches, umpires, and other teams are to be positive on and off the field. Negative comments to umpires, other teams, coaches, and players will result in automatic suspension from the team.
Q. What your policies in regards to alcohol and tobacco?
A. No alcohol or tobacco is allowed at any game or practice even if city or country rules grant permission. No alcohol or tobacco is to be visible by any member of the team at any time. Any violation results in automatic dismissal from the team. If any parent, friend or family, is suspect of being under the influence or alcohol or drugs their child will not be allowed to leave in a vehicle with them and local authorities will be called to deal with the issue.
Q. What about "Player Contracts" or "Frozen Rosters"?
A. We execute one-year Player Contracts between our players and our organization for both Mickey Mantle (16U) and Connie Mack (18U) teams as required by the leagues. However, if a player quits, we will always release them from their "Player Contract" - no questions asked. Same applies in our lower division (10U through 15U) teams that may have their rosters "Frozen" by various leagues or tournament organizations.
Q. What about uniforms?
A. Blue Wave Baseball uniforms are: top-quality, pro-style jerseys ($60-$90), Under Armor T-shirts ($50), and Caps ($25). Uniform setup (cap, jersey, Under Armor) is around $120 to $150, but can be worn for several seasons. All players purchase pants, belts and socks separately.
Q. What is the organization's overall philosophy?
A. First, we find the best coaches we can get and build teams around them. Our main goal is to train our players and greatly improve their baseball skills. While we focus on playing as a "team" and winning, we do not compromise training and skill development as our first priority. We take our players, develop their skills, and teach them to play together as a team that wins.
Q. Where are your teams based, are there residence requirements?
A. Blue Wave Baseball is based in Irvine, California, and we maintain the residency requirements needed for field allocations from the city. However, nearly 40% of our players come from surrounding communities and are welcome to tryout for our teams.
Q. What pitching guidelines do you follow?
A. We advise all pitchers to at least take lessons or work out with a pitching coach independently once a week. We try to follow standard pitch counts and practices through the season, depending on age, capability, and other variables, including tracking the player's pitch count. Here are some pitching recommendations for youth pitchers as per the Pitch Count Guidelines as per the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) in Birmingham, AL This information is provided for reference only. Blue Wave Baseball is not responsible for the accuracy of this data. Your individual judgment, research and training should determine the proper arm care schedule for your player. Keeping a log of the player's Pitching History can help you maintain it.
SUGGESTED MAX PITCH COUNTS
Age |
Pitches/Game |
Games/Week |
8-10 |
52 |
2 |
11-12 |
68 |
2 |
13-14 |
76 |
2 |
15-16 |
91 |
2 |
17-18 |
106 |
2 |
SUGGESTED RECOVERY DAYS
Based on number of pitches thrown
Age |
1 Day |
2 Days |
3 Days |
4 Days |
8-10 |
21 |
34 |
43 |
51 |
11-12 |
27 |
35 |
55 |
58 |
13-14 |
30 |
36 |
56 |
70 |
15-16 |
25 |
38 |
62 |
77 |
17-18 |
27 |
45 |
62 |
89 |
Q. What guidelines that college recruiters follow
A. The following are Division I and Division II guidelines
SPEED
- Home to First speed 4.0 (RH)
- Home to First speed 3.9 (LH)
- 60 Yard Dash: 6.8 to 7.2
ARM STRENGTH FASTBALL
- RHP Jugs Gun: 87-92 +mph - DI
- RHP Ray Gun: 83-87+ mph - DI
- RHP Jugs Gun: 84-86 +mph - DII
- RHP Ray Gun: 80-84+ mph - DII
- LHP Jugs Gun: 84+ mph - DI
- LHP Ray Gun: 81+ mph - DI
- LHP Jugs Gun: 80+ mph - DII
- LHP Ray Gun: 77+ mph - DII
- Pitches: Fastball, Curveball, Slider, Change-up etc.
CATCHERS
- Home to second speed: 2.0 - DI
- Home to Second speed: 2.2 - DII
STATS
- Batting - 350 or better
- Pitching - 2.1 or lower ERA
GRADES
- .0 + GPA, 24+ ACT, 1000+ SAT
- (No Scores needed for underclassmen)
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