Questions & Answers about Rep Baseball

What is KBA Rep / Competitive Baseball?

The Kanata Baseball Association offers baseball Initiation and House League baseball programs under Little League Canada. The KBA also offers Rep / Competitive baseball programs under Baseball Ontario (OBA) and their affiliate, the National Capital Ontario Baseball Association (NCOBA), for kids and young adults ages 7-22. Visit http://kanatabaseball.com/content/rep-program for a general overview of our Rep programs including the age categories.

Families with younger children may have questions about whether or not Rep baseball is the best program for their kids. This article deals with some key questions about our Rep baseball programs with a particular focus on the younger age groups.

If you have additional questions, you can send them to KBA's Director of Competitive Play (competitive@kanatabaseball.com) or VP Programs (vpprograms@kanatabaseball.com).

What does the Rep baseball season look like?

The KBA holds Rep tryouts for the 10U-18U teams in the fall to form teams for the next summer's season. For example the tryouts for our 2022 Rep teams are taking place this fall on Sept 26th and Oct 3rd. After the tryouts, some players will receive a letter from the coach offering them a spot on a Rep team. This letter will outline the commitment required from the player and their family and the fees for the year. Players and families can accept or decline the offer. This process continues until the team is formed. Players who are not offered a spot on the team will receive a letter from the coach notifying them that they have not been selected. 

Some age groups have enough strong players that they can form an additional Rep team. These "Tier 2" teams generally play a mix of games against the Tier 1 teams from their own age group and a lower age group, (e.g. an 11U T2 team could play against 11U T1 teams and 10U T1 teams from Kanata and other associations). These Tier 2 teams may also be formed from players in two age groups, (e.g. players from 12U and 13U could form a team).

After the teams are formed in the fall, the off-season period of Oct-Nov-Dec is focused on rest, recovery and building health through other sports and activities. In the new year, there is indoor winter training in a field house, generally once per week from January through April. These indoor sessions focus on baseball fundamental skills and development. After that, the outdoor season runs from May through August, with 2 games and 2-3 practices per week and 2-4 tournaments per year, (local and out-of-town), depending on the age group and the public health situation.

The 9U program follows a different timeline for the first part of the year. Tryouts are generally held indoors in March or April, followed by a few weeks of indoor training and then the outdoor season begins, as outlined above.

What is the time commitment? Can the kids play hockey or do other activities? Can our family go camping or take a vacation?

Players are expected to attend the majority of the games, practices and skills sessions, but 100% attendance is not expected. Coaches understand that kids have other sports, activities and interests and that families may be away for certain parts of the year. Each family can decide if they are willing and able to commit to attending most of the games, practices and skills sessions. This may not work for every player and family and they may prefer to play in our House League programs that have fewer field times and shorter seasons, (a spring season in May-June followed by a summer season in July-August).

Does the player need any previous experience in competitive baseball or other competitive sports?

No. Any player in our area is welcome to try out and play for KBA Rep teams. Generally, if the player is looking for more baseball and a bit more intensity in the games and practices our Rep programs may be a good fit.

Do Rep players get equal playing time?

Yes. Every player bats in order and every player gets an equal number of innings in the field. Coaches will give some players more time at certain positions (e.g. first base, pitcher, catcher) based on their ability, but all players will be developed to play any position they want to play and all players will get the same number of at-bats and innings in the field.

How does the pitching work?

The 9U program uses a spring-loaded pitching machine that provides pitches at a consistent speed and location for players to hit. A coach from the batting team operates the machine. The 9U players generally learn to hit off this machine fairly quickly which results in a lot of batted balls in play and fielding opportunities during games. 

The 10U-22U teams have players pitching. In the older age groups, pitchers may be more experienced and specialized. In the younger age groups, all players practice pitching and the ones who are able to pitch most consistently pitch in games. The strike zone in the younger age groups is also a bit larger than the little white rectangle on your TV screen from Major League baseball. There are some walks and some strikeouts, but there are also a lot of batted balls as the pitchers and batters develop through the season.

What are the biggest differences between the House League programs and the Rep programs?

There are a few main differences between the House League and Rep programs. Firstly, the Rep programs have more baseball, including a longer season with winter training, more field times per week and more tournaments. Second, the Rep games and practices are a bit more focused and intense. The players tend to be self-motivated and push themselves to improve and to have success in the drills and the games. Third, the Rep programs generally have home and away league games in Kanata, Arnprior, Kempville, Ottawa, etc., whereas house league teams mostly play league games in Kanata. Both House League and Rep teams may play in tournaments, but the Rep teams play in more tournaments and travel further for away tournaments. 

If you are not sure whether or not Rep baseball is the best choice for your player and family, you could have the player attend the tryouts, see if they receive an offer to play on a team and then decide at that point which option is best for them.

Players generally do not move between the Rep and House League programs within a season, but many players play Rep some years and House League other years. All of our KBA programs have excellent players, coaches and other volunteers. Our programs use the same fields and we provide all programs with the same high quality equipment, (e.g. bats, catcher's gear). Our overall goal is for players to find the best baseball program for them to get outdoors and have fun with their friends.

If you would like to sign up for the Rep tryouts, visit rampregistrations.com/login?v3=86424152