Strike Teams
Travel baseball built on development: one style of play from 9U to 17U, weekly training built in, and a clear path from fundamentals to college recruiting.
Weekly training with our staff is included with every team2026–27 Teams
Tap a team for its roster, season and what to expect. Everyone competes together this fall; Royal and Gold rosters for 12U–17U are set later this fall.
Weekly Youth Skills Training
4–5 tournaments · ~30 games
Weekly Youth Skills Training
6–8 tournaments · ~35 games
Weekly Performance Training
8 tournaments · ~40 games
Weekly Performance Training
8 tournaments · ~40 games
Weekly Performance Training
8–9 tournaments · ~45 games
Weekly Performance Training
8–9 tournaments · ~45 games
Weekly Performance Training
7 tournaments · 2 PG or PBR events
Recruiting Hub profiles
Weekly Performance Training
7 tournaments · 2 PG or PBR events
Recruiting Hub profiles
Training Is Built In
This is what sets Strike apart. Beyond practices and games, every player trains with our staff every single week, and it’s included in the player fee.
Youth Skills Training
A small-group, progressive curriculum that builds the athletic base every young player needs.
- When
- September–March
- How Often
- One pre-scheduled 90-minute session every week (Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, 6:00–7:30 PM)
- Focus
- Athletic movement, plus hitting, throwing and fielding mechanics
Performance Training
Your athlete’s own plan, built from slow-motion video analysis and coached by our full-time staff.
- When
- August–July, all year long
- How Often
- One session every week. Book it any time Mon–Thu 3–7 PM or Fri 3–6 PM (summer: Mon–Thu 10 AM–3 PM).
- Focus
- Speed and explosiveness, throwing and pitching, hitting, and strength, about 40 minutes each
Performance Training on its own starts at $59 a week. For Strike players 11U and up, one session a week is included, August through July.
How Team Training WorksThe Strike Standard
Every Strike team plays the same way. A hitter taught to attack at 10 is still attacking at 16, and a player who moves up should feel the coaching get more advanced, not different.
Aggressive Hitters
We swing. Swinging and missing is the cost of doing damage.
Defenders Want the Ball
Every player wants the ball hit to him. Nobody hides on the field.
Runners Take Extra Bases
We take the base the defense gives away. Every runner, every pitch.
Pitchers Attack the Zone
Get ahead 0-1, win the 1-1 pitch, and get the next batter in three pitches or less.
Strike players initiate.We’d rather correct an aggressive mistake than a passive one.
How Players Progress
Each age level builds on the one before it. Here’s what your athlete will work on, and what to expect, at every stage.
Build the Instinct
Instincts that can’t be built later, and a player who wants to come back next year.
- Field
- 60-ft bases and a 46-ft mound (some 10U events use 65 or 70 ft)
- Training
- Weekly team practice, plus one 90-minute Youth Skills Training session every week, September–March
- Positions
- No permanent positions. Everyone plays the infield, the outfield and the middle of the field.
- Pitching
- Fastball and changeup only, 75 pitches a day max
- Playing Time
- At least half the defensive innings every game, never two innings in a row on the bench, and everyone bats
Add the Read
The instincts get a brain attached: dirt-ball reads, swing reads and count leverage, taught while the game is still slow enough to think in.
- Field
- 70-ft bases and a 50-ft mound (varies by event)
- Training
- Weekly team practice, plus one individualized Performance Training session every week, August–July
- Positions
- One primary position and at least two secondary positions, with real innings at each
- Pitching
- Fastball and changeup only (no breaking balls), 85 pitches a day max
- Playing Time
- At least a third of the defensive innings every game and everyone bats. The first earned roles appear.
Transition to the Big Field
Taking everything built from 9U to 12U onto the full-size field, with players keeping their confidence and aggressiveness as the game speeds up.
- Field
- 80-ft bases and a 54-ft mound at 13U, the full 90 ft and 60 ft 6 in at 14U
- Training
- Weekly team practice, plus one individualized Performance Training session every week, August–July
- Positions
- A primary position emerges, and every player keeps a real second position all year
- Pitching
- One breaking ball, added only once the fastball and changeup are commanded, 95 pitches a day max
- Playing Time
- Every player appears in every game and gets about 40% of the defensive innings across an event. Roles begin to reflect performance.
Compete & Get Seen
Competing at a real level, preparing for high school and beyond, and being evaluated honestly.
- Field
- Full dimensions
- Training
- Weekly team practices (November–February and summer), plus one individualized Performance Training session every week, August–July
- Positions
- Roles are specialized and earned, and a credible second position keeps getting reps
- Pitching
- Full arsenal and sequencing with command first, 95 pitches a day max at 15–16 and 105 at 17–18
- Playing Time
- Every player plays in every event, in a role communicated in advance, with multiple at-bats and defensive innings
Weekly training with our staff is part of every stage. See how Team Training works.
Opportunity Is Guaranteed
Playing time is earned, but every player plays at every age and in every event, with a defined minimum of real game action. Development drives playing time at the younger ages and performance drives it as players get older. Every player knows his role, why he has it, and what would change it.
“We are not building this year’s team. We are building your son’s next five years.”
The 2026–27 Season
Gold dates are training milestones, all included with the team. See the full training year
Performance Training Begins
11U–17U: one individualized session every week is included, all the way through July.
Youth Skills Training Begins
9U–10U: one 90-minute small-group session every week (Tue–Thu, 6:00–7:30 PM) through March. Six-week defensive clinics start Sept. 14.
Fall Practices
Sunday practices outdoors at Jefferson High School for 9U–14U. Everyone competes in the fall, and Royal and Gold rosters are set later this fall.
Indoor Practices
Sunday practices move indoors to Strike Academy on Nov. 1, and 15U and 17U practices begin. Weekly training continues for every team.
Tournament Schedules Announced
Every team’s tournament schedule is released in December.
Uniform Fitting
Uniforms are fitted and ordered in early to mid January and paid for separately through Marucci. 15U and 17U begin practicing as Royal and Gold.
High School Season Begins
15U and 17U pause Strike team practices during the IHSA season, and their weekly Performance Training continues. Youth Skills Training wraps up for 9U–10U, and April–July practice and league schedules are announced.
League Games & Tournaments
Practices move to weeknights in April, with league games and tournaments through July.
Summer Training Hours
Performance Training moves to Mon–Thu, 10 AM–3 PM for the summer, through July 24.
Every Strike Team Gets
Weekly Training
Youth Skills Training at 9U–10U and individualized Performance Training from 11U up, included in the player fee. See Team Training
Team Practices
Weekly practices from fall through summer, with league and exhibition games.
Defensive Clinic
A 6-week infielding or catching clinic.
24-Hour Access
Players can train on their own schedule, any time.
Coaching Standards
Every coach follows the written Strike On-Field Development Standards.
Recruiting Support
15U and up get a Recruiting Hub profile and recruiting mentorship.
Talent Without Character Does Not Succeed
Our staff emphasizes these values with every player throughout the season.
College coaches: our 15U and 17U rosters link to each player’s Recruiting Hub profile.
Recruiting HubLooking for a Roster Spot?
Roster space is limited. Reach out and we’ll set up a private tryout, and see our training environment while you’re here.