Alumni of Gamers “Out of Town” Program – Drew Ward (3rd round pick, Nationals), Jakson Reetz (3rd round pick, Nationals), Josh Davis (Pepperdine), Ryan Mantle (Creighton), Brandon Stuckenschneider (Ark State), Parker Bateman (Air Force), Shay Schanaman (Nebraska), Grant Wood (Murray State), Jacob Wieher (Southern Mississippi)
Because of the structure, training and coaching in the Gamers summer program, there has been a lot interest from “out of town” or “out of state” players that want to play in the program. These players are looking for a great summer baseball experience, but live too far away to benefit from the Gamers extensive winter program and other elements of the offseason training program. This started in 2010 with one player (from China), and then has expanded to 6-8 players per year.
The key elements of the “out of town” program are as follows:
- This is for high school age players only
- During the summer, Memorial Day – July 31, they live in the St. Louis area with a “host family”
- They are expected to be in St. Louis at least 8 of the 10 weeks of summer to participate in the summer practice program.
- They follow the Games high school program schedule during the summer:
- Recovery day on Monday
- Practice/Train on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
- Games on Thursdays-Sunday
- This is supplemented with additional baseball training and/or fitness training on Monday-Wednesday (small group hitting lessons, training sessions, etc…)
- During the winter, they should try to attend 1-2 practice weekends around holidays and school schedules
Unlike some travel baseball programs around the country, we would never expect more than 10 or so players on our high school teams to be “out of town” players. But, it is something that we can offer to specific players who are a particularly good fit with the Gamers program, including the following characteristics:
- Solid academic performance that will position him for success after high school
- A level of passion for baseball and a willingness to practice and play hard
- Physically talented
- Committed to working hard during the offseason, to improve athleticism and baseball skills
- Coachable and high energy
- A “good kid” that represents that Gamers core values
For the most part, players that are candidates for the “out of town” program are among the top players at their age group and often play 1-2 years up. They have the physical talent and desire to play baseball at the next level, and are players that fit the top-end D1 college recruiting profie.
If you qualify and are interested in participating in the Gamers “out of town” program, please fill out the form below and we will contact you.
