Olentangy Stix Tryouts - 2021 Season
We have multiple teams at each age group, generally separated by skill level, so that each player gets the most from their experience. Our teams are Stix Black, Stix Blue, and Stix White.
Each team, regardless of skill level, focuses on a combination of skill development and competition.
Teaching kids to compete at a higher level is a focus of all of our teams – the primary difference between teams and age groups is the degree of competition, as well as minor philosophical differences described below.
Stix-Black
Stix-Black teams are considered Elite level teams and expected to compete with elite level travel teams. Team selection is focused on assembling the most competitive team, expected to compete with the top teams in the area.
Tryouts for certain age groups (see below) are by invitation only. All players living in the Olentangy Local School District are welcome to seek an invite to the Stix-Black tryouts. Each player MUST indicate so on their registration. The selection of tryout candidates is done via a committee process after the current season. The committee consists of all current (2019) age-group coaches (Black, Blue, and White), the 2020 Stix age group coordinator, and the Stix Player Agent. New players to the organization requesting an invite should contact the appropriate age group coordinate ASAP.
Families will be notified of their invite no later than a week before tryouts. Players do not have to accept an invite to the Black tryout.
Players on these teams are expected to meet the following qualifications:
- Prioritize baseball during the months of March through mid July without any missed practices or game due to other sports.
- Have proven mental and physical success in at least 2 core areas of the game vs. high end community based and/or elite level competition.
Stix-Blue & White
Stix Blue and White teams are structured with a primary focus on development and teams are assembled to best facilitate the development of players.
All players living in the Olentangy Local School District are eligible to attend an open tryout on either July 13 or 14 (see below for schedule). Blue and White teams will begin to be formed immediately after tryouts.
We place a special emphasis on scheduling opponents and tournaments that appropriately reflect the team’s skill level and to best facilitate the development of players. As a general rule of thumb, Blue/White teams tend to have more of a focus on getting players experience at multiple positions, more consistent playing time, and generally putting players in positions to develop their overall skills and prepare them for high school baseball.
2020 Tryout Process
New for the 2020 season, our tryout process will depend on the age group. The schedules for each age group is listed below.
7U/8U/9U
- The 7, 8, and 9U teams will only hold open tryouts; we will not have separate Black and Blue/White tryouts.
- We will be holding both a WORKOUT and the TRYOUT - all players are highly encouraged to attend the workout prior to attending tryouts.
- The number of teams formed will be based on the number of players who qualify and the number of qualified coaches available.
- Players who are not able to attend tryouts should immediately notify the age group coordinator to see if there is an alternative arrangement. Arrangements must be made prior to July 13 as we will not be conducting any tryouts after those dates. Please indicate that you will not be available for tryouts during registration.
- New this year is our 7U age group. We anticipate that our 7U teams will play in 15-20 games; primarily in Central Ohio, including 1-2 local tournaments.
10U - 13U
10U-13U will hold separate Black and Blue/White tryouts.
Stix-Black Tryout for Current (2019) Stix Players
- The Stix-Black tryout is an invite-only tryout. Players wanting to be considered for a Stix-Black tryout must select the "Tryout for Stix Black" option on their registration.
- Players currently in the Stix organization will be notified of an invite by your current (2019) coach at least one week prior to tryouts.
- The invite selection process will be conducted after the 2019 season by a committee consisting of all 2019 age-group coaches, the Stix age group coordinator, and the Stix Player agent. All current Black, Blue, and White team players are eligible for consideration.
- Players do not have to accept an invite to the Black tryout.
Stix-Black Tryout for Players not currently (2019) on a Stix roster
- Players who are not currently in the Stix organization must also select the "Tryout for Stix Black" option on their registration.
- Players seeking an invitation should immediately contact the appropriate age group coordinator. Before receiving an invitation, players may be asked to attend a private evaluation prior to tryouts in order to determine if their skill level is suitable for the Stix-Black Team tryouts. Private evaluations will occur, based on availability, between June 15 and July 9 (Stix personnel will contact families for scheduling).
Stix-Blue/White (Open) Tryout
- All players living in the Olentangy School district are eligible to attend the open tryout on the date and time listed below. Selection of the Blue and White teams will begin immediately after the tryout and will be completed by the dates indicated in the table below.
14U
- Our 14U teams will be formed via an open tryout.
15U-17U
- Our 15U-17U teams are formed via an open tryout. Players are not required to reside in the Olentangy school district. At this time we intend to form one 15U team and one 16U team. We will not be forming a 17U team for the 2020 season.
- Players can contact the age group coordinator Mike Hire for information on our 15U-17U teams.
Acceptance Process
- All parents/players will have 2 hours to verbally accept an offer and 24 hours to make their first payment.
- If payment is not made by that time, the roster spot will be given to another player. There will be no exceptions to this. If there are deliberations with other teams, you will want to make arrangements to have offers completed by that same time.
- Stix-Black teams will be finalized by Friday, July 12th at 5:00 PM.
- Stix-Blue and White teams will be finalized by Monday, July 15 at 5:00 PM.
Coaches
- Where appropriate, we will name coaches prior to tryouts. In certain circumstances, we may have to wait to see where players fall in the tryout process before naming a coach.
- New Stix coaches are vetted through a referral and interview process. Returning coaches are evaluated based upon parental feedback, council review, and developmental progress of their players.
- Most Stix coaches are parents of players.
Tryout Schedule by Age Group
Stix 2020 - 7U Tryouts
| Workout (Highly Recommended) | Open Tryout | |
|---|---|---|
| Date: | Monday July 8 | Saturday July 13 |
| Arrive No Later Than: | 5:45 pm | 8:45 am |
| Start/End Time: | 6:00-8:00 pm | 9:00-11:00 am |
| Location: | Scioto Ridge Elementary School | Scioto Ridge Elementary School |
| Rain Date: | TBD | TBD |
Eligibility: Cannot turn 8 before May 1, 2020
7U Commissioner: Nate Rhoads