Nationals - Challenge / All-Star Baseball

CHALLENGE BASEBALL 

PSAA offers Challenge baseball which is an addition to recreational baseball and an alternative to travel baseball by providing the advanced-level recreation league players an opportunity to improve their skills through competitive practices and competition against other associations' top players.  Challenge players MUST play in our recreation league.  Our "Nationals" Challenge teams are in addition to the rec season as they play in local tournaments in addtion to playing in the typical recreational format.  Practices are generally weekly on Friday, with games and tournaments being played on Sundays. There is an additional fee for this program, which covers uniforms, tournament fees, and insurance.

TOURNAMENTS
Park Sharon Nationals Challenge teams play in Sunday-only and/or weekend tournaments in the greater Charlotte metro area.

PARTICIPATION / TRYOUTS

All players who are part of PSAA Recreational leagues are eligible to be tryout.  All Machine Pitch, Minors & Majors players wishing to try out for the Challenge Program will be required to attend the try outs. Challenge Try-Out times and field locations will be located on our Baseball Program Page here.

COST

Participation on a Challenge team comes with additional costs, all covered by the parents. PSAA is not responsible for these expenses, which include tournament fees, uniforms, equipment, umpire fees, and any related travel costs.

Cal Ripken ALL-STAR BASEBALL TEAMS

PSAA intends to field an All-Star team for each age group (7-12) in the Coach Pitch(AAA), Minors (AA), and Majors divisions of Cal Ripken Baseball's Recreational baseball program. Each team has approximately 12 players and competes in Cal Ripken Baseball ("CRB") district and state tournaments and, depending on success, in the Cal Ripken World Series.

PARTICIPATION

All players who are part of PSAA Recreational leagues are eligible to be nominated to participate in the All Star program.  Players participating in the All Star program must register and participate in PSAA's Recreational baseball leagues during the Spring season.  Participation in the Fall Recreational baseball leagues is not required in order to be a part of the All Star process.

Teams are formed through a nomination and voting process led by the league’s coaches. Availability is an important criteria for being selected to an All-Star team.  The Athletic Director selects a Head Coach with input from League Coordinators and the Executive Committee. The Head Coach then chooses their assistants. All-Star activities begin right after the regular season ends. Check the league calendar for specific dates.

Participation on the Challenge Team does not guarantee a spot on the All-Star roster. Each year, cuts are made to finalize the 12-player team. Likewise, being part of the All-Star process or team one year doesn’t ensure future selection. Since the goal is to field the best players and player abilities change each season, roster changes are inevitable year to year.

The All-Star head coach may adjust the team roster at any point if necessary. While rare, a player may be dismissed for consistent absences, lack of participation in tournament games, or disciplinary issues. The League views participation in the All-Star process as a privilege, expecting players, coaches, and parents to maintain high personal conduct and exemplary sportsmanship.

All-Star baseball has different "minimum play" rules than Recreational baseball. In Recreational play, no player can sit out two innings on defense until all have sat out at least one. All-Star baseball has no such rule. As long as the coach meets CRB tournament minimum play requirements, they have full discretion over player time and positioning.

TIME COMMITMENT

The All-Star program requires a greater time commitment than Recreational baseball. Players must attend extra weekly practices (usually one per week in season) and participate in weekend Challenge tournaments, which are mandatory and often take up the entire weekend.

If selected for the All-Star team, players are also expected to compete in the CRB district tournament in June/July. Success there may lead to the state tournament in late July and the CRB World Series in August, which involve travel and hotel stays. Teams practice several times a week before these events.

Only commit to the All-Star process if you're available for the CRB Summer tournaments.

COST

Participation in the All-Star process comes with additional costs, all covered by the parents. PSAA is not responsible for these expenses, which include tournament fees, uniforms, equipment, umpire fees, and travel costs.

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For additional details on the corresponding recreational leagues, select the program links below or from the menu dropdown.

Coach Pitch (AA) 

Minors (AAA)

Majors