BCC Big Train 8u Developmental Travel Program Tryouts | Montgomery County, MD
As a bridge to our highly competitive Big Train travel baseball program beginning at 10u, we offer a less intense transition level for 8u and 9u eligible athletes. The development program is designed for young ball players who truly enjoy playing baseball, want professional coaching and are looking to take a step up from rec baseball - without necessarily going all-in solely on baseball at such a young age if they are not prepared to do so. It provides a test drive of sorts for players/parents to evaluate where they stand and decide what their best next move may be.
“Coach Al” Bidwick oversees and coaches the 8u and 9u teams. With over 30 years of experience coaching youth baseball from t-ball to high school, he is fully committed to developing players both in the fundamentals of the game and as individuals – the building blocks to success on the baseball field and in life.
Here are Coach Al’s fundamental coaching principles that provide the foundation of the program (in no particular order):
Academics are the primary priority – whatever it takes to succeed in the classroom always trumps scheduled baseball activities.
At 8u and 9u, kids should enjoy playing the game. Baseball is hard enough on its own, with plenty of failure inherently built into it without having to deal with pressure and unreasonable expectations from coaches and/or parents.
Winning baseball games takes a back seat to player development. While winning is certainly a goal, it is a by-product of good coaching, sound practice routines and player development.
Defense – throwing and catching the baseball are the most critical keys to success for a youth player. Kids love to hit, but the team that collectively plays catch the best typically wins.
If we pick ‘em, we play ’em. Every player on the team bats and plays in the field – most will also pitch. The better players (based upon practice/game performances) will play more frequently in the field and more of their preferred positions. However as a general rule, players will rarely sit on the bench two innings in a row.
Kids develop and mature at different rates – physically, mentally and athletically. Young kids are highly encouraged to play multiple sports (especially in the off-season). You just never know how things are going to turn out for a young child – keep all options open as long as you can. Increased athleticism, improved motor skills, balance, endurance, speed and agility are just a few examples of the many benefits of multi-sport participation. Who knows what sport a player may ultimately fall in love with?
In order to truly improve as baseball players, kids need to play with and against better competition whenever possible.
Tryouts:
For 8u and 9u, tryouts are typically conducted at the end of each season for the succeeding season – in the summer for the ensuing fall season and in late fall for the spring/summer season. You do not have to make a full-year commitment to this program. If you make a team and try it for a season and it’s not for you, easy out. For the 2027 spring/summer season, we will only be conducting tryouts for the 8u team. We will NOT be conducting tryouts for the 9u team.
League Age
*8u – for players not turning 9 prior to May 1, 2027
For the Spring/Summer 2027 season (mid-March thru June 2027):
8u Tryout Schedule (players attend ONLY ONE of the below sessions)
Tryouts will be held at Albert Einstein High School softball field – 11135 Newport Mill Road in Kensington, Md 20895.
Players are evaluated in all 5-Tools of the game at tryouts: throwing, fielding, speed, hitting for contact and hitting for power. Parents are welcome to observe the tryouts. At the end of the day players (and parents) will get a read on where they stand in comparison to other players in attendance at the same age level.
Life lesson – if a player has confidence in his/her abilities, try out. It takes courage for a child to try out and it is often more stressful for a parent than the player. A player will learn from the experience regardless of the outcome. Parents worry about their child trying out and not making the team. As almost everyone knows, Michael Jordan famously got cut from his varsity basketball team – he certainly didn’t give up…and the rest is history!
Player evaluations and selections for the 8u and 9u teams are conducted by Coach Al and independent coaches/evaluators. Selected players receive professional instruction in all phases of the game.
Players selected at tryouts held late October/early November for the spring/summer 2027 season roster, will participate in winter workouts. They will practice for 2 hours every Saturday (or Sunday) in January and February at the BCC Baseball Indoor Training Facility – and flex scheduling is provided around winter sport commitments (e.g. basketball, wrestling, swimming, hockey, etc.). On average, players will practice 2 days per week beginning in mid-March and play games on 1-2 days a week during the spring/summer 2027 season. Teams will also participate in a few weekend tournaments – at 8u these will be local and for 9u one-two will require out-of-town travel.
If you have any questions about the 8u and 9u development program – contact Coach Al at abidwick@bidwick.com or 301-325-0955.
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