WILTON SUMMER TRAVEL PROCESS

Wilton Summer Travel Team Selection Process- Majors and Minors 

The WLL follows detailed procedures to determine the selection for summer travel teams. Summer travel is a competitive process so there is no guarantee that all players will get the opportunity to play. 

There are typically over 50+ of each 9 and 10-year old players in the minor league and close to 40 of each of 11 and 12-year old players in the major league. From this pool of players, the league will identify the top 26 kids in each age range to form two summer teams (approximately 13 players per team). At the 10U, 11U, and 12U levels, our goal is to have a District team and a Tournament team. At the 9U level, there will be a Tournament team and a Friendship team. The above statements are predicated on having enough depth to field two teams at each level. 

In order to ensure a common understanding across coaches, parents, and players, the following process is utilized: 

• Coaches and players will cast their votes for the top players in late May / early June. Each manager will submit one ballot and the rest of a given team’s coaching staff will collectively submit a second ballot.
• For 10U, 11U, and 12U, the top ~20 players based on a combined coach and player vote tabulation will be invited to evaluations in early June (typically on a Sunday at the Y). Players need at least one coach or manager vote (aside from the player’s parent) to be considered. If they have not received an invite, they may still get an opportunity to play on a Tournament team. The Board does reserve the right to issue invitations to the evaluations in unusual or unforeseen circumstances. 
• District evaluations are conducted by a non-affiliated baseball organization
• There is no District evaluation for 9-year old players.  9-year old Tournament team participants will be principally selected by vote tabulation with input from the WLL Player Agent and the 9U team manager.
• For the District teams, the top vote getters / performers in the three categories (player vote, manager/coach vote, and the district tryouts (typically 8-11 players) will be assured a spot to play if they elect to do so. The manager for the given team will then select players out of the pool of remaining top ranked players (same categories as described above) to round out their teams. The manager will need flexibility to account for pitching, catching and other fielding/hitting needs. Summer managers will be asked to review their discretionary selections with a subset of the WLL Board. The second team in each age division will be filled with the next 13 highest ranked players. 
• Invitations to play summer ball will be sent for acceptance. If a player elects not to play, we will go down the list to select the next player as ranked by the above criteria. 

It is also worth nothing that playing time for summer travel differs from regular season and is driven by the type of team (District, Tournament or Friendship). District teams are the most competitive teams and playing time may vary significantly from player to player. A player is only guaranteed one at bat during the game. Tournament teams are competitive, and players are not guaranteed equal playing time. Players on Friendship teams should expect equal playing time and the opportunity to develop their skills at multiple positions. 

The WLL Board of Directors hopes that everyone appreciates our effort to be as objective and fair as possible in the selection process. Despite having a standard process, there will always be some degree of discretion that needs to be exercised from time to time.