Lions Summer Baseball

Tryouts for the summer of 2026:

Lions Summer baseball will be holding tryouts for the summer of 2026 on July 21ST at 5pm at Mountain View High School.

We are intending to fill two teams - an 18U and a 16U. Each team will have the following parameters:

  • 30-40 games

  • 18U / 16U level

  • Weekday local games (Tuesdays) & tournaments on weekends

  • One out of state tournament

  • Focused on development

  • Practices once per week when schedule allows

  • 14-15 players to ensure playing time

  • Open spots are available to non-Mountain View players

  • Cost = $1200 (not including travel costs)

Current, returning Lions Summer baseball players do not need to tryout. We will be securing commitments for 2026 before the tryouts begin.

If you have questions, please contact head coach, Brian Smela at smelajb@gmail.com.

Online registration: https://poweralley.sportngin.com/register/form/676093278

 

 

Purpose

These teams are going to be constructed primarily to aid in the development of players. We will aim to maximize development of our players by keeping them together during the summer season. They will be coached by our high school coaches so that we may continue the work done in the spring.

 

Additionally for our older players, we will also have a focus on college exposure and placement.

 

Structure

We intend to form two teams, a team representing next year’s varsity & one as next year’s junior varsity. Players intending to play must be able to compete at one of these levels. This team will not be a ‘showcase’ team where players simply compete individually in games. We will play team baseball – we will bunt, and we will move runners. We will compete in games in much the same way we do in the spring. Playing time on these teams will be earned. Development will be a priority, but the best players will play the most & playing time won’t be spread out equally. Every player will have the chance to prove their ability to earn consistent playing time.

 

Rosters

Our target numbers for each team will be 14 players. We feel that this is a good number that will ensure lots of playing time while also absorbing players missing for other sports & vacations. If we are unable to fill our rosters with MV players, we will open the remaining spots to players outside of MV – first in Thompson School District (LHS, TVHS, Berthoud), then all other schools/players. Additionally, we will be open to offering limited spots to graduating players that wish to play in college the following fall.

 

Schedules

We are going to target a schedule of around 35 games for each team. Our goal is to have around 20 non-tournament games (could be a league or simply games outside of tournaments). These 20 games will ideally be split between Mountain View HS & on the road. The remaining 15 games or so will be in tournaments.

 

We’d like to schedule around three to four tournaments per team. Tournaments that emphasize game play & not profit will be sought after. Each team will play in one out of state, overnight tournament as well. The varsity team will focus its tournaments on college showcase events, while the JV team will look to challenge themselves with tournaments that will push them to play their best brand of baseball to further develop our players.

 

Cost

Affordability is a central goal of our summer program. We are targeting a season cost of $1200. This will not include travel or lodging costs for the out of state trip. We will also have a fundraising program to help defray costs. This fee will include a non-refundable initial $400 deposit. Also, after January 1st, there will be no refunds given for any reason other than season-ending injury.

 

We will also offer a different rate for players that agree to be ‘pitcher-only’ players. This means they will only pitch in games and not hit or play a position. This will be a prorated cost based on the number of starts projected (will still include the $400 deposit).

 

Practices

With 35 games scheduled in around 50 calendar dates, we will also hold scheduled & optional practices to further player development. These will depend on tournaments & the number of games between contests. During these practices we will focus on individual and team development using drills, practice, video analysis, and major league quality training equipment.