Q. How many teams do you have?

A.    Twelve to 16 teams depending where there are more than one team in a certain age category: 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U, 14U, 15U & 16U Mickey Mantle, 17U & 18U Connie Mack. 

Q. What are the age requirements?

A. The cutoff date is May 1 and a player may not turn older than the age division he plays in before that date. For example, if you play 12U, you cannot turn 13 prior to May 1. All players move up in age division on September 1 each year.

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, and Winter seasons.

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. Overall, our players participate in 6 to 8 games per month, sometimes as many as 12 to 14 games per month.

Q. How often do you practice?

A.    We normally practice twice a week - once for hitting once for fielding - depending on the age of the team, field availability, and time of the year (Daylight Saving, etc.).

Q. Can you play for other teams or play other sports at the same time?

A.    It all depends on the team and age divisions. 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. In our ages 10U, 11U, and 12U divisions we build Blue Wave schedules to compliment rec team Spring seasons. 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. For the most part, we like to see Blue Wave as the priority baseball 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 on younger teams, then more as the players get older. We make sure we have enough players on the roster to play games and tournaments, even if we have players miss 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.    Blue Wave charges: (1) a one-time New Player Registration Fee of $150 that includes admin setup costs and the players first shirt and cap; (2) a Season Fee that covers the cost of coaching, coaching, insurance, field rentals, equipment, etc.; and (3) Tournament/league fees to cover the cost of the games, tournament fee entry, coach's travel, etc. Season Fees can range from $450 per three month season to more, depending on the number of coaches, field costs, age division, number of players on the team. Typicall, our younger teams (10U-13U) average $475 for a three month season, up to $675 or more for high-school aged showcase teams. Local tournament fees are typically $55 per player per tournament - travel tournaments are more, depending on location and length of stay. League fees are also higher, depending on number of games played. Uniform costs are also additional.

Q. What if I cannot afford the fees?

A.    Blue Wave Baseball provides a comprehensive letter writting kit so parents/players can easily raise funds to cover their cost of participation. Reduced fees and payment plans can also be arranged for those in need.

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-$120), Under Armor T-shirts ($40), 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 (White and Gray), Navy 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. Blue Wave has also established a new team in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and hopes to expand there over the next several years.

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

SUGGESTED RECOVERY DAYS

Based on number of pitches thrown

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)

Q. What are the chances of my son playing college baseball?

A.  The majority of high school seniors want to play baseball at the NCAA DI level. But this is unrealistic for many players. There are roughly 15,000 high school baseball teams in the US, equaling about 100,000 high school seniors. Out of those 100,000 high school seniors, approximately 1% percent will play for 1 of the 284 NCAA DI programs.