Greetings 14/15u Families, 

We would like to take a moment to provide some additional guidance as it relates to registration, evaluations and team rostering for our 14/15u players. 

As mentioned at our Town Hall Meeting, COVID-19 is requiring us to change the way we organize this level and in doing so is bringing us closer together with the high school programs that our players will ultimately be a part of.  Here are some important points and key milestones to use as a guide to avoid frustration over the next month:

1. Any 14/15u player who has not previously been a part of a HS Baseball Program, VFW Baseball Team, or Junior Legion Team, should register through the duluth709baseball.com website. 

2. All 14/15u players are being directed to attend their respective HS Baseball Tryouts to be evaluated by their High School Coaching Staff first.  Arm Care Week for these programs is currently scheduled to begin some time the week of March 22nd, with tryouts being some time the week of March 29th.  Be sure to be in touch with your specific high school coach or athletic department for specific dates and times for these activities.  In order to tryout a player will need a Athletic Eligibility Physical on file with their school.  Those forms can be picked up at your respective HS Athletics Departments (or downloaded from their website) and turned back in to them once completed by your player's physician.  Please note that there are only a few weeks left until tryouts and your player will not be able to attend tryouts without a completed physical. 

3. Once HS Evaluations are complete and those teams have been named all players that have not been rostered by their respective HS Team will be put into the Duluth 709 Eligibility pool for House Team Rostering and Tournament Team consideration.  In the case of the vast majority of 8th graders, please know that it is rare to make a HS Team before you reach high school.  It should not be looked at as a failure if the HS Team chooses to select players already in high school for those teams.    

4. On or around Saturday, April 17th, the HS Coaches will announce which of the 14/15u players have made the HS Teams and will also invite players to join their Summer Team Programs (VFW/Junior Legion).  14/15u High School Players that are not being invited to Summer League Teams will also be put into the Duluth 709 Eligibility pool for House Team Rostering and Tournament Team Consideration, as those 709 teams will not start their gameplay until after the High School Season has been completed. Players who are invited to play for both the HS Team and VFW/Legion will be committed to those programs, and as such will have their Duluth 709 Baseball registration fees refunded. 

5. The Duluth 709 Player Development Committee will name its House League Rosters and issue its Tournament Team invitations on or around May 1st so families can plan their summer accordingly. 

6. House League Games will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning the first week of June and the Tournament Teams will begin their practice schedule in that same timeframe. 

7. Both House League and Tournament Team seasons will run through the first week of August. 

We encourage you to reach out to duluth709baseball@gmail.com or your respective HS Athletic Department at any time with questions or if you need clarification.  As the specific times of HS Tryouts become published we will share that information on our homepage and social media outlets to keep everyone informed.  We look forward to a great summer of baseball for all our families.

Best Regards,

Duluth 709 Board of Directors

Denfeld Athletics: https://www.isd709.org/denfeld/activities-athletics
East Athletics: https://www.isd709.org/duluth-east/activities-athletics
Marshall Athletics: https://marshall-ar.rschooltoday.com/