2025-2026 JR SEAWOLVES BASEBALL - middle school TEAMS

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Our Philosophy:

Our middle school teams are designed for committed, focused athletes that are looking to play at the high school level and have their sites set on playing at college. We encourage multi-sport athletes but these teams train year round and are designed to teach athletes what is expected at the next level. At this level there is a strong focus in the offseason on practice and strength training. 

Weight training is introduced through a strength training program designed by former MLB strength and condition coach Frank Velasquez and in conjunction with AHN and Dr. Jeff Kim. Strength training can be done at local schools, the Strike Zone or a gym membership. Athletes are provided 24/7 access to the Strike Zone Academy and are expected to take advantage of the resources at the facility for individual development.

We have a consistent culture throughout the organization that includes philosophies on the following overseen by:

Our Experts:

• Pitching: Coach Chris Godel
• Hitting: Coach Marc Burchowski (PSU Behrend) and Coach Ryan Uhl (Gannon University)
• Strength and Conditioning:  Frank Velasquez and Barry Heyden  (former MLB strength and conditioning coaches)
• Arm Care: Dr. Jeff Kim (AHN Sports Medicine Physician) along with Frank Velasquez and Barry Heyden
• Fielding and catching: Current college athletes including Levi Laser (Pitt-Johnstown), Chris Mullins, Brendan Koroly and 2026 athletes
• Mental Management and  Mental Health coaches: Brandon Guyer (Major League Mindset) and Mark Morrow (Brighter Tomorrows)

Our Partners:

Our Jr SeaWolves teams provide athletes a college level training experience that is unlike any other in NW PA with the help of partnerships with the Erie SeaWolves, Erie Strike Zone Academy, local colleges and universities, AHN, Rawlings, Easton, Wilson, DeMarini, local townships and local business leaders . All of these partnerships are utilized by our leaders to provide high-level practices in top level facilities with state of the art equipment and positive and professional coaching. 

Where We Train:

Our Wolves are some of the most serious athletes of their age and we work hard to make sure their Wolves Den facilities are top of the line. We also realize that our area does not give baseball athletes much time to train outside due to the weather. That is why we partner with the best facilities in the area for indoor training. This includes the Erie Strike Zone Academy as well as local community partners like Gannon University. In the fall and winter, teams will train at the Erie Strike Zone batting cages with state of the art training equipment, batting cages, Hit TRAX leagues and a new weight room and high ceiling open turf area that will be opening during the 2025/2026 season. Once complete this will provide a 24,000 sq ft training space dedicated to baseball and softball training only. In March we start spring training sessions with a focus on team training, and work to schedule indoor games against other travel teams. As it gets warmer we move outside and play tournaments locally and regionally. Over the fall and next season we will also be developing a new outdoor field location with Eriez Magnetics. 

Organizational Structure:

Only one team per age group is included in our program, unless there is a special circumstance approved by our non-profit board. Teams are built with a team manager who handles all communication with the teams and team coaches that are a mix of volunteers and hired coaches depending on situations. This setup allows coaches to coach while teams managers handle the business side of team operation. Both coaches and team managers work with our organizational leadership to provide the best team environment possible to level up the athletes of each age.

Our Packs:

Teams seek out dedicated, blue-collar athletes who enjoy training. We focus on a strong  team culture that emphasizes family values and preparing the young athletes to be the best they can be on and off the field by having one squad per age. This enables our teams to collaborate collectively without toxic in fighting. This also enables our leadership to concentrate on the development of athletes and teams in order to create programs that are tailored to inspire and train each young person. A list of each development age group's goals and further details provided below. Our goal is always quality over quantity and we do not overbook facilities just to make prices cheap. This ruins the experience for the athlete.

Cost:

Training comes at a cost but we believe this should not keep hard working families out of our program. Our leadership works hard to accommodate all families and provide methods for them to work hard to offset their cost.  Many ambitious families are able to cover the full cost of their registration through sponsors and ticket sales. 

• Weekly team trainings at Erie Strike Zone. Team trainings include strength and agility, fundamental training in hitting, base running and fielding (for position) and specialty training for pitchers and catchers. Sessions are structured differently by age to focus on 1) development of athletes and 2) being highly competitive teams. Sessions are designed by directors and our experts to maximize time efficiently and provide a positive and fun environment for the athletes.
• (1) session with SeaWolves Hit Trax league (October through May when weather is adverse). 
• Individual Strike Zone annual membership for Jr SeaWolves athlete. This provides 24/7 access for 4 cage bookings per month during prime time and unlimited during non-peak hours. This includes Hack Attack pitching machine access after training.
• Strike Zone Store Memberships that provides Jr SeaWolves members exclusive discounts on the hottest gear including the latest bats like Easton the Dub, Rawlings Icon, Easton Hype Fire, Louisville Slugger Supra, DeMarini the Goods and many more! 
• Strength and agility program for home training and team training at Strike Zone
• Outdoor practice fields (in season late May to beginning of August)
• 4 travel tournaments (up to $500 each) 
• 2 JSW tournaments 
• Technical guidance at scheduled practices (7U, 8U and 9U once per month and all other teams once per week). This is provided as college players are available during their non-peak season. 
• Rawlings and Easton Brand game uniforms including: 4 button down jerseys, 3 pants, helmet and bag. 
• 2 hats (Richardson PTS 50 or equivalent). 1 primary design and 1 alternative design.
• Practice jersey and pants
• 2 pairs of socks (red and black), 2 belts (red and black).
• 2 team banners. (1) hung at the Eriez Field and (1) to travel with the team
• Pack attack team programs 
• 10 Erie SeaWolves 2026 vouchers (provided in spring 2026)
• Local billboard with team photo run during  July/August time frame 
• Organization end of the year team party 
• Organizational Christmas party

 Our middle school team seasons will look similar to the following depending on the team:

• August - tryouts and mandatory team event
• August through mid-September is mandatory down time for most teams to rest athletes arms while athletes go back to school and get focused on the new year.
• In mid-September teams will resume for fall ball tournaments.
• November teams will go to a mandatory 1 practice per week for athletes.  We provide several options for multi-sport athletes to attend 1 practice per week. Players not in another sport are expected to attend all practices. November to December practices are designed to protect athletes arms but teach them the higher level aspects and techniques of the game for their age.
• January teams will start in practice throwing programs to stretch out and strengthen arms to protect against injury.
• March becomes "in-season" and players are expected to attend as many practices as possible.
• Late March and April begins our spring training schedule. We will work to schedule games around Middle School and as schedules allow because the weather is unpredictable at this time.
• In May we move outside and begin tournament season for the summer which lasts to end of July.

Each team is slightly different and practices are adjusted for the age and skill level.  The above is to provide a standard outline for informational purposes.

At the 13U level the field expands to 80' bases and a 54' pitching mound and in some tournaments teams may have to play on 60'/90'. This makes it critical for defenses to be in position and focused on the play. It also allows experienced offenses to take advantage of defenses that are not in proper position and our SeaWolves teams to be aggressive on the base paths through "small ball". The goal of this age is to start to get athletes prepared for large stages of competition and faster speeds of the game.

COMPETITION GOAL OF THE AGE - USSSA, Perfect Game, Ripken and other National level tournament: Teams will schedule regional USSSA, Perfect Game, No Offseason or equivalent tournaments to challenge the team based on their skill level within reasonable driving distance (Pittsburgh or Cleveland) area but overnight stays will be required because the team will travel to play at  "national" level tournaments like Ripken and other tournaments,

At the 14U level the field expands to all 90' bases and a 60' pitching mound. Developing the skills and instincts for the large field is critical . The goal of this age is to push athletes against large stages of competition and faster speeds of the game to be successful for College Showcase level tournaments when they are at High School age.

COMPETITION GOAL OF THE AGE - USSSA, Perfect Game, Ripken and other National level tournaments: Teams will schedule regional USSSA, Perfect Game, No Offseason or equivalent tournaments to challenge the team based on their skill level within reasonable driving distance (Pittsburgh or Cleveland) area but overnight stays will be required because the team will travel to play at  "national" level tournaments like Ripken and other tournaments. A week long experience may be added at this age depending on the team.

13U to 14U: $120 per month with 2 mandatory fundraisers ($600 each in ticket sales).  

Note: 

• Families will have the chance to offset their full costs by means of getting sponsorships and fundraising activities. 75% of sponsorship funds go directly to the player account. The other 25% is for the organization for sponsor expenses. 
• Teams may decide to have a 3rd fundraiser to travel to specific tournaments (like Ripken, Sports Force, etc)
• This assumes standard market rates for equipment, supplies and tournaments. If there is a large increase in costs then the prices will need to be modified to reflect market conditions.
• Maintaining a great travel baseball club is essential to its longevity. The expenses of renting a training facility, buying uniforms, team training gear, team/player registration fees for tournaments and double headers, league registration fees, safety gear, insurance, administrative expenses, development programs, etc., should all be considered. 
• The Jr. SeaWolves leadership team has worked hard to save you about $2,500 in registration costs in total. The general cost for a baseball travel program with identical features is roughly $5,000, but our organization has helped cut these expenses by half through partnerships, donations, volunteers, fundraisers, sponsorships, and group discounts. This allows the Jr SeaWolves program to provide the lowest feasible cost without sacrificing the quality of the experience.