Curfew is sundown

Westport Youth Travel Baseball (WYTB) is excited for the Fall 2025 season for its 8U through 12U teams.  There was strong turnout and competition for try-outs for these teams, which led to difficult decisions to be made by the respective coaches.   

Please see below for program information and rosters for the Fall 2025 WYTB 8U through 12U teams.  A separate email regarding older age groups will be sent early next week.  The size of rosters for the various WYTB varies based on the specific needs and circumstances of the applicable team.

Communications:  Parents of players on the rosters below will be contacted soon via their email addresses on file with WYTB by their teams' head coaches to welcome them to the team and provide relevant information regarding the season, including information regarding assistant coaches and expectations for the Fall season.  After you hear from the coach, please send him any additional or alternative email addresses for communications going forward, which will be coordinated by the head coach or parent team manager, as applicable.

Roster Acceptance/Pricing: A parent of each rostered player will receive an email requesting a deposit of $800 to secure a roster spot on the applicable team, which will be credited against the player's full registration fees for the season.  WYTB will invoice parents for the balance of the fees due before the beginning of the season.

If a parent declines on behalf of a player, or fails to accept, a roster spot secured by the deposit within 7 days of receipt of the email, coaches will consider the invitation forfeited and will reduce the size of the team or reach out to the parents of another child to fill the spot.  Final pricing (which for certain of the teams is expected to include the costs of a contemplated tournament) will be communicated in the Fall when the coaching staff for each team finalizes its respective program.

Rostering and registration for a Fall WYTB team will not be processed if there is an outstanding balance in respect of participation on a prior WYTB or Westport Little League Baseball team, including a summer District or Tournament team.  As a reminder, if the season is cut short or canceled, or a player becomes injured or is otherwise unable to participate, we will not credit or return any deposits or registration fees subsequently paid as they are allocated to fixed costs, and we intend to pay our coaches.

As with prior seasons, there will be separate tryouts in November for the Spring 2025 WYTB season.  Playing on a Fall WYTB team does not mean a player will make a Spring WYTB team. 

Commitment Letters/Code of Conduct:  Participation on a WYTB team requires commitment from players and parents.  All players invited to join a WYTB team, and their parents, must sign and return to the applicable head coach the attached Commitment Letter, which sets forth the player's commitment to the team and the player's and parents' obligation to abide by certain requirements and a code of conduct.  Failure to comply with the commitment letter/code of conduct may result in a player being suspended or removed from the team or a parent prohibited from attending the team's organized baseball activities.

9U and 10U Teams:  Given the many talented 9U and 10U players who tried out for our Fall teams and demonstrated baseball potential, we have rostered 9U and 10U White and Blue teams.

Skills Development Program (SDP):  This program is for players who will play Westport Little League in the Fall and did not make a Fall WYTB travel team and are interested in playing Travel baseball in the future or simply love baseball and want additional professional coaching during the Fall season to improve. The program consists of one 1.5 hour practice per week at local fields and run by IST's professional staff.  The players will be organized by age.  Program dates and information will be distributed by IST in August.

Roster Fluidity:  We will have more flexibility regarding age bands for our Travel teams in the Fall than in the Spring, which will enable the program to have more roster fluidity than in prior seasons to offer players in certain circumstances opportunities to play games at older or younger levels for more playing time or additional reps with another team.  These determinations will be made solely based on team needs for games and coaches’ recommendations on a case-by-case basis in their sole discretion.

Fall Little League Baseball:  All rostered WYTB players eligible to play Westport Little League Baseball are encouraged to play Fall 2025 Westport Little League Baseball.  WYTB games should not conflict with Westport Little League Baseball games.  Registration for Fall Westport Little League Baseball will open later this Summer.

Tournaments:  The curriculum for the 11U and 12U teams contemplates teams participating in a baseball tournament.  Players and parents have been very enthusiastic about these tournaments, which provide good opportunities to add games against different teams, and the bonding experience among parents and players playing in them.  Tournaments can be expensive, are typically non-refundable, fill up quickly and require a substantial time commitment from the coaches.  Therefore, coaches will be identifying suitable tournaments in advance to book for the applicable teams taking into account their understanding of players' scheduling conflicts and competitive ability.  It will be challenging to find a weekend that works for everyone.  Once we register and pay for a tournament for a team, we expect parents to honor the commitment as it is not fair to others if a team cannot field enough players to play competitively.

Feedback:  Head coaches will be available to provide feedback regarding your child from the WYTB team evaluations, including explaining why he or she was not selected for inclusion on the roster of a particular team or to discuss areas in which the player can work to improve.  You may contact Glenn Katz of IST at istkatz22@yahoo.com to coordinate to receive detailed feedback about your child from the applicable head coach as observed by the evaluators during the try-outs.  Please understand that in selecting rosters for teams, there were many difficult decisions made by the coaches.  This opportunity to discuss your child's performance with a professional coach is for you to solicit constructive feedback about your child—it is not a forum for parents to make abusive or negative comments.  In prior seasons, we have seen players who did not make WYTB teams in the Fall become strong candidates for selection on future WYTB teams with continued practice and development in the areas identified by coaches at try-outs.  

Uniforms: If your child played on the 9U-12U WYTB teams this past Spring, the kit (including white pants/knickers with the blue piping) remains the same, and your child's number has been reserved, such that you do not need to purchase anything.  To the extent your child needs a uniform, wishes to change his/her number or any part of the kit has been lost or irredeemably soiled, or if you want to minimize the washing machine cycles, you can purchase, replace or supplement at ASF.  Please do not contact or visit ASF until the coaches contact you to inform you when to bring in your child to be fitted for his or her uniform at the appropriate time. 

Congratulations to the players who made the WYTB teams.  They and you should feel very proud.  We look forward to a fantastic Fall season. 

 Best wishes for the rest of Summer.

 -- Westport Youth Travel Baseball 

 

FALL 2025 ROSTERS:

8U

Bilchik	Harley
Bloom	Lucas
Caruso	Henry
Grodd	William
Haggarty	Daniel
Johnson	Sebastian
Kobialka	Ronan
Mancusi-Ungaro	Gus
Mullowney	Reid
Pollack	Jonah
Twigg	Michael
Weitzer	Eli

 

9U WHITE

Bloom	Wesley
Canner	Samuel
Coulombe	Jackson
Donnerstag	Hugh
Ewert	Grant
Ferrara	Hudson
Frankel	Sam
Kronick	Jesse
Parry	Finley
Pietras	Nathaniel
Robinson	Jacob
Rutchik	Cayden
Walsh	Liam

 

9U BLUE

Borg	Austin
Davis	Cole
Hendel	Dylan
Lederer	Harry
Murphy	Colin
O’Brien	Theo
Schram	Connor
Scott	Patrick
Stuart	Logan
Suh	Benjamin
Tang	Quinn
Weiss	Edward

 

10U WHITE

Borges	Massi
Brooklier	Chase
Carreras	Julian
Dziekonski	Daniel
Flynn	Nicholas
Gartin	William
Hallman	Henry
Hayden	Shane
Jones	Chase
Mashia	Oliver
McInerney	Kyle
Mello	Adam
Moopen	Raif

 

10U BLUE

Barnett	Luca
Bihl	Anthony
Galati	Colton
Ghedini	Enzo
Hourican	Max
Israni	Vir
Jacobs	Bennett
Martin	Luke
Portocarrero	Rohan

 

11U

Bailey	Matthew
Bandini	Garrett
Capolupo	Luke
Donnerstag	Wynn
Dorfman	Max
Ewert	Clark
Kaye	Reid
Kingsley	Owen
Nelson	Henry
O'Keeffe	Benjamin
Post	Griffin
Sheedy	Gavin
White	Arthur

12U

Borst	Cooper
Bryniczka	Jacob
Carreras	Calvin
Dobes	Craig
Ellis	Keaton
Flaherty	Chase
Gold	Sebastian
Perdue	Jack
Robinson	Michael
Rutstein	Chase
Smith	Alex
Walsh	Jackson

 

Click here to Register

Registration is now open for your child to try out for our Westport Youth Travel Baseball (WYTB) teams for the Fall 2025 season.  In response to parent, coach and East Shore League feedback, we have once again moved these tryouts up to before the end of the school year (rather than during the first days of school in September) to minimize the rush in September to launch the Fall season. 

Try-outs will be held for the 8U, 9U, 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U and 14U/15U WYTB teams at the following dates/times and locations:

8U Team: June 12, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Coley Fenced/Coley North

9U Team: June 10, 4:15 to 6:15 p.m.

Burr Farms West Field

10U Team: June 11, 4:15 to 6:15 p.m. 

Burr Farms West Field

11U Team: June 9, 4:15 to 6:15 p.m.

Burr Farms West Field

12U Team: June 12, 4:15 to 6:15 p.m.

Burr Farms West

13U and 14/15U Team:  June 16, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Wakeman Field

The final deadline for registration is 5:00 p.m. on June [8th].  However, we kindly request that you register your child at your earliest convenience so we can plan ahead, including understanding the range of ages of potential players.  Please register by clicking the link below or copying the link immediately thereafter into your browser, and paying the non-refundable $60 try-out fee for each child separately.  Only those who register will be permitted to try out.  Please note that your registration is not considered complete until payment of the try-out fee is made and you have completed and signed the waiver in the registration process.  The WYTB website automatically deletes registrations that are not paid in full within two hours, thereby deregistering your child.  If you have unpaid registration fees in respect of any prior season, including the current Spring season, for a Westport baseball or softball program, your registration submission will be declined, and your child will not be eligible to try out until you have paid such outstanding fees. 

Click here to Register

TRY-OUTS

Try-outs for the 8U through 14U/15U teams will be administered by IST on the fields and at the times and on the fields set forth above. 

• All players must attend all evaluation sessions for the team for which a player meets the age eligibility requirements specified below for each team.  A player may not attend a try-out for an older team without the permission of the WYTB program leader. 

• These tryout dates/times were arranged to maximize program-wide fairness and equal opportunity for all players seeking to play on these teams.  Please do your best to address any conflicts at these times and ensure your child attends all sessions for the team for which a player meets the age eligibility requirements specified below for each team.  A player may not attend a try-out for an older team without the permission of the WYTB program leader. 

• Please contact Glenn Katz of IST at istkatz22@yahoo.com by June 5 if your child has an irreconcilable conflict with the dates above, and he will attempt to organize with the applicable head coach a single alternative date to accommodate these conflicts.  Please note that in the event of such conflicts and make-up tryouts, there may be players who are selected for teams who do not attend the organized try-outs as described above.  It is WYTB's and IST's strong preference that all players participate in the try-outs at the times stated above for ease of administering the tryouts and holding the fairest evaluations that facilitate player comparison.

• Player evaluations will be conducted by a panel of this season's coaches, and in an effort to provide as much continuity as possible and to take into account a broader body of baseball experience with IST coaches, input from prior seasons' coaches will be considered as well.  The coaches will make every effort to operate a consistently applied, multiple evaluator and merit-based review.  In addition, we will implement procedures for roster selection to attempt to address any known potential conflicts between IST coaches and players.

Try-out Requirements and Details

1. Please arrive 15 minutes early and proceed to the registration table where a volunteer will check in your child and assign a number, which must be worn throughout the try-out.
2. Your child should bring a bat, glove and helmet and wear baseball pants, cap and cleats.  Please make sure your child does not wear any prior year travel baseball garment or gear (e.g., jersey or cap), or he or she will be asked by a coach to remove it before participating in the try-out.
3. Once all participants are signed in by WYTB volunteers, IST coaches administering the try-outs will ask parents to leave and return to pick up their children at the end of the designated try-out time.  Please cooperate with this request.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF ROSTERS

WYTB intends to post on its website and email parents the rosters for each of the WYTB teams by June 20 for the 8U through 12U teams and June 24 for 13U and 14U/15U teams.

After teams are announced, parents may contact Glenn Katz at istkatz22@yahoo.com who will coordinate with the team head coach to provide you with more detailed feedback on your child's performance at the try-outs and areas for improvement as observed by the evaluators during the try-outs.  Please understand that in selecting rosters for teams, there will inevitably be difficult decisions made by coaches.  This opportunity to discuss your child's performance with a coach is to solicit constructive feedback—it is not a forum for abusive or negative comments by parents.       

AGE ELIGIBILITY; PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

Set forth below are the age brackets for each team as well as a summary program description.  WYTB will continue to attempt to synchronize the age ranges for its 8U-12U teams with those stipulated by Little League International to maximize alignment and connectivity between WYTB's programs and Little League International which prescribes the age bands for the Little League Tournament (Districts) in the Summer.  Please register your child and bring him or her to the try-out at the appropriate time in accordance with the age ranges below.  A player may not participate in a try-out for an older team without the permission of the WYTB program leader.  

WYTB reserves the right to roster children on Travel teams outside of these Little League age bands based on the professional recommendation of the IST coaches, including in circumstances that comply with the East Shore League's age eligibility requirements.

8U Team

Eligibility:  Birthdates: September 1, 2017 – August 31, 2018

Team Focus: This program is developmental in nature and intended for those who want more advanced baseball for their children than Little League game play.  Practices will focus on teaching the fundamentals of baseball. 

League:  East Shore Travel Baseball.  Season consists of 5-6 games against town teams with 8U teams

Games:  Westport is one of the few towns that historically fields a true 8U team (as opposed to a 9U team that includes 8 year olds) so scheduling games against appropriate opponents has been challenging.  We currently anticipate that the 8U team will play at least 5 games against teams from other towns, subject to scheduling conflicts and the coaches' determination regarding the appropriate balance between the number of games and practices based on the team's needs.  Game formats and rules may vary (e.g., player pitch, stealing bases, continuous batting, pauses for teaching moments, etc.) from game to game as agreed upon with the coaches of the opposing teams.  The program will include practices featuring drills to demonstrate game situations and potential intra-squad scrimmages.  The team plays on the Little League 46/60 diamond.  Coaches will teach the fundamentals of the game and learning to play team baseball.

-------------------------

9U Team

Eligibility:  Birthdates: September 1, 2016 – August 31, 2017

Team Focus: This program focuses on reiterating baseball fundamentals and instructing players how to elevate their game to a more competitive level.  There are two weekly practices and a full game schedule.  The team plays on the Little League 46/60 diamond with no leading, but stealing is permitted.  Coaches will teach the fundamentals of the game; instructing pitchers and catchers; and continuing to learn to play team baseball in live game situations.  Playing winning team baseball will be a focus. 

League:  East Shore Travel League.  The coaching staff will explore supplementing the game schedule with games against teams from local towns and a tournament.

--------------------------

10U Team

Eligibility:  Birthdates: September 1, 2015 – August 31, 2016

Team Focus:  Solidifying and enhancing players' core skills to play at a higher, more competitive level, as children move to the bigger 46/70 diamond with leading and stealing.  Players will also be taught the nuances of the positions that they will most likely play in games; pitchers and catchers will be developed; as well as situational play.  Playing winning team baseball will be a focus.

League:  East Shore Travel League.  The coaching staff will explore supplementing the game schedule with a tournament.

-------------------------

11U Team

Eligibility:  Birthdates: September 1, 2014 – August 31, 2015

Team Focus:  Enhancing players' skill sets to play at a higher, more competitive level, as children play on the 50/70 diamond.  Players will learn signals and be taught the nuances and best practices of the positions that they will most likely play in games as well as situational play.  Playing winning team baseball will be a focus.

League:  East Shore Travel League.  The coaching staff expects to supplement the game schedule with a tournament (which may be a Perfect Game Tournament).

 --------------------------

12U Team

Eligibility:  Birthdates: September 1, 2013 – August 31, 2014

Team Focus:  Enhancing players' skill sets to play at a higher, more competitive level, as children play their final season on the 50/70 diamond.  Playing winning team baseball and beginning preparation for next Fall's move to the 60/90 diamond will be a focus.

League:  East Shore Travel League.  The coaching staff expects to  supplement the game schedule with a tournament (which may be a Perfect Game Tournament).

---------------------------

13U Team

Eligibility:  Birthdates: September 1, 2012 – August 31, 2013

Team Focus:  Further developing players' skills at a higher, more competitive level, and introducing them to the larger, 60/90 diamond on which players will continue to play thereafter.  Playing winning team baseball and trying to create a cohesive core of talented players to progress to play together in high school and developing teamwork and camaraderie among players.

League: East Shore Travel League.  The coaching staff expects to supplement the game schedule with a tournament (which may be a Perfect Game Tournament).

14U/15U Team

Eligibility:  Birthdates: May 1, 2010 – August 31, 2012

Team Focus:  Further developing players' skills at a higher, more competitive level, and introducing them to the larger, 60/90 diamond on which players will continue to play thereafter.  Playing winning team baseball and trying to create a cohesive core of talented players to progress to play together in high school and developing teamwork and camaraderie among players.

League: East Shore Travel League.  The coaching staff expects to supplement the game schedule with at least one tournament (which may be a Perfect Game Tournament).

----------------------------

COACHES

Coaches for the Fall season to include, but are not limited to:

1. John Bell
2. Chris Buzzeo
3. Scott Carew
4. Mike Cusa
5. Juan de la Cruz
6. Roberto de la Cruz
7. Mike Hughes
8. Nick Marini
9. Ken Patrick
10. Mike Cusa
11. Chris Buzzeo
12. Jon Osorio
13. Anthony Marini
14. Nick Toto

ROVING COACHES

In addition to the team head coaches identified above, highly experienced professional coaches with specific expertise in hitting, pitching and catching, including Glenn Katz, Kevin Morton and Wayne Randazzo, will supplement the coaching staffs and work with the players at practices to focus on training in these areas.

MORE INFORMATION; TOURNAMENTS

We currently expect to field teams consisting of up to 14 players, at each of the 8U through 14U/15U age levels.  Final decisions regarding teams and roster size will be made after the try-outs.  Head coaches may supplement their rosters with players in the Fall, but not to exceed this anticipated roster size.

Teams (other than 8U) are expected to participate in the East Shore League.  For age groups within East Shore with multiple divisions (e.g., typically 11U through 15U), the head coaches will determine in which division (e.g., Majors and Elite) WYTB teams will participate based on the talent on the roster and expectations for the rest of the division.  

Coaches will evaluate supplementing the schedule with games against teams in local towns of comparable ability and tournaments in which WYTB would register teams, and parents would pay the registration fees and out-of-pocket expenses of coaches.  We will seek to have the 11U and 12U teams participate in at least one out-of-town tournament, with the coaches and WYTB staff exploring Perfect Game Tournaments, PBR or similar tournaments for the 11U through 14U/15U teams.  We have found that these tournaments are an excellent way to maximize playing multiple games in a short amount of time (typically a long weekend), introduce tournament style baseball, break up the East Shore schedule and provide a unique team bonding experience for players and parents which in recent years, players and parents have enjoyed.    

The coaching staff of each of the teams will have an IST assistant coach and a parent assistant coach and may be supplemented by a parent assistant coach.  WYTB has added this third coach to address feedback that additional coaching would help improve the finished product and experience for the players and increase player safety.  This also enables WYTB to keep our pricing lower relative to other local club baseball programs.  This third coach will be a qualified volunteer parent identified by WYTB and the applicable head coach, taking into account a number of criteria, after the team's roster has been announced.  We also believe that this third coach will be well positioned to provide real-time feedback to WYTB and, in turn, to IST.  The parent assistant coach will not be responsible for determining playing time, batting order or defensive assignments, but rather will keep the book/operate Game Changer in the dugout and be available to the IST coaches on an advisory basis during games. 

In addition, these teams may have a parent "Team Manager," who could be the parent assistant coach or another parent designated by the coach, to take the lead on communications with parents over the course of the season, including regarding practice and game schedules and managing scheduling conflicts for games and tournaments.   

Further details regarding the Fall season and schedules will be communicated after formation of teams.

LITTLE LEAGUE; SCHEDULING

As in prior Fall seasons, by contrast to the Spring season, children will not be required to play Westport Little League in the Fall, in addition to WYTB, as we recognize that many players also participate in other Fall sports.  To that end, WYTB will attempt to accommodate game schedules of other Fall sports to the extent feasible, but cannot assure parents that there will not be any scheduling conflicts.  Times for WYTB games should not conflict with Fall Westport Little League games. 

We still encourage players to play both Westport Little League baseball and WYTB should their schedules permit.  For parents of 8U players, we strongly encourage you to register your children in Fall Little League as well because the Travel program is developmental.

GAME AND PRACTICE SCHEDULE

The Fall season for the 9U-13U/15U teams is expected to start the week of September 1 and run for approximately 9 weeks, with a schedule of up to 16 games (starting on September 6) plus playoffs, with playoffs ending by November 2 subject to weather (players will need to dress warmly!), as may be supplemented with other games and tournaments as discussed above.  Please see above re: the 8U Fall program. 

This is the link for East Shore's website, which will ultimately include game schedules for the various teams accessible by clicking on the Schedules tab at the top: http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=eastshoretravelleague.  Please disregard earlier iterations of the posted schedules at the beginning of the season; the scheduled games serve as placeholders.  WYTB's game scheduler will work with the coaches to refine the schedules.

Coaches will schedule regular team practices, attempting to take into account players' scheduling conflicts, and will communicate practice schedules at the beginning of the season at or before parents' meetings once teams have been selected.  These meetings will also be an opportunity to learn about coach/team expectations and discussion of other logistical information.

COMMITMENT LETTER/CODE OF CONDUCT

All players invited to join a WYTB team, and their parents, must sign a Commitment Letter, which sets forth the player's commitment to the team and to, along with the player's parents, abide by certain requirements and a code of conduct.  Failure to comply with the commitment letter/code of conduct may result in a player being removed from the team or a parent being prohibited from attending the team’s organized baseball activities.

DEPOSITS; PRICING

Parents of players selected for Fall WYTB teams can secure roster spots for their children by making a deposit payment representing up to approximately 50% (except in the case of 8U players) of the registration fee for the Fall season that will be credited against registration fees for the season.  A subsequent payment for the balance of the registration fee will be due later in the season.  Final pricing for the various WYTB teams, which will not include any uniform, equipment or gear costs, will follow after the season starts, as there remains open variables for each program that inform final pricing such as total number of games, tournament fees and final number of players per team.  For parents of players who are new to our programs, WYTB is a non-profit organization.  Registration fees for our Travel teams in the Fall season are estimated to be approximately $875 for the 8U team and $1,475-1,900 for the 9U-12U teams and $2,000-$2,100 for the 13U and 14U/15U teams and will vary depending on, among things, final team size, registered tournaments, number of games and financial assistance.

REFUNDS

After team rosters are announced, no refunds of the deposits will be issued.  WYTB has up-front non-recoverable costs such that we will not be able to refund such deposits.  Once organized baseball practices begin in the Fall, WYTB intends to pay our coaches such that if the Fall game schedule is shortened prematurely, we will not be able to refund registration fees. 

----------------

Please register your child by clicking on the link at the top of this email, which will enable WYTB to progress planning for the Fall season.  We look forward to a fun Fall baseball season and hope you enjoy the rest of the Spring baseball season.  Please do not hesitate to contact Glenn Katz at istkatz22@yahoo.com with any questions.

• Westport Youth Travel Baseball

Click here to Register