We would like to thank everyone who came out for the 14 and under MountainWest baseball clubs who will participate in the Arizona Summer Classics.  To help you better understand the program we are providing the following summary: 

1. Most of you are going to be entering the 9^th grade.  This is the time to understand the four-year process we have had in place for over two decades.  This is essentially a college roadmap.  This process has resulted in hundreds of our former players being drafted, and thousands of our players going on to play in college.  We offer the opportunity to play in the top baseball showcase events in the country.  These are only available to you through our Academy or MountainWest teams.  For those who participate you will find these events to be some of the greatest athletic experiences of your life.

2. With the early signing period and players verbally committing at younger ages each year, it is never too early to start getting your name out there as one of the top players in your age group.  Sophomores from all over the country are verbally committing to colleges and universities in every sport.

3. As incoming freshmen you are only six months away from your first evaluation.  College recruiters and Professional Scouts from all over the country anxiously await the fall edition of the MountainWest top 40 list each year.  As a young student athlete you should take advantage of each opportunity you have to put your skills on display for every baseball professional you can come in contact with, High school coaches, college coaches, scouts etc.  The more baseball people that know your name, the better it is for you.  If the right person likes your skills then others will learn about them quickly.

4. For all the younger players, until next year the USA Baseball Identification series information will be on the website “mwbusa.com” next week. 

5. If you are on the come back list, you will need to get your $300.00 deposit in by May5th.  This deposit is required for us to know you are serious about participating.  Your deposit is Non refundable or transferable unless you do not make the club.  Your deposit will be refunded in full if you do not make the club.

6. If you are on the come back list that does not mean you have made the team.  The final roster will be decided on May 20^th after one more workout.  The final work out will be on May10th 4:00 at Jordan High School.  Final payment will be due by June 10^th. 

7. Arizona Summer Classic Fee $495.00:  includes all Arizona Summer Classic and Baseball Academy fees.  You will need to purchase your own uniform jersey and hat from the Universal Athletics store located in the Baseball Academy building.  You will need to provide your own gray pants, navy belt and navy socks.  If you do not have any gray pants or belt Universal will have them in stock at discounted prices.  No piping or stripes can be on the gray pants.  You should also look into the available sponsor funding to assist you with the costs of the programs.  We have sponsor money available, which you can refer to by going to our website and clicking on the “sponsors” icon at the upper right hand corner of our site.  That provides you with the information you need about individual fundraising opportunities.

8. Housing: We are going to handle the 14 year old program a little bit differently than we do the 16 year olds, due to some differences for these players: 
   1. First, they are still only 14 years old and we think that might be a little too young to be treated as the 16 year olds are.
   2. Over the last several years we have had a lot of parents come to us and say that they can save some money by using their travel points, or staying with relatives, or other reasons. So on all of our trips but one we allow the parents to control everything on the travel and lodging.  We do ask that unless you have relatives in that city that you stay at the team hotel.  This keeps us much more organized and in some tournaments your entrance fee is determined by the number of hotel room you rent from that city.  This will continue to help us keep the cost down.  Sometimes a parent will take 2 or 3 boys with them on one trip, then trade with the other parents for the next trip. 

9. We believe there is a lot to be gained by the players rooming with each other: 
   1. Because of the length of the trip we do asked that all the players who attend the USA Baseball 16U Championships stay with the team.  Although most of the parents do go on this trip, not everyone can take ten days off work, and therefore many parents are not there the entire time.  For some of the participants, it is necessary for the parent to drop their son off and pick him up ten days latter in order for the player to participate at all.
   2. We are in the education business, and the closer we can make these tournaments seem to the participants like a college road trip, the more they will be prepared when they move on to the college level. 
   3. More importantly, over the last 24 years we have seen lifelong friendships develop with players, parents and the coaching staff, many of whom would never have met each other but for our programs.

If you have any questions on this or any of our other programs we would be happy to field them at 801-561-1700

Thanks

The Academy