ITG Next recently had the chance to sit down and speak with Kurt Branch of O Dawgs Baseball, one of the fastest-growing travel baseball organizations in east Alabama, on our travel baseball podcast, On Deck.
Branch had a desire about five years ago to help grow travel baseball in the Opelika, AL area, one that was lacking at the time. Seeking to provide extra opportunities for the next generation – including his at-the-time 9-year-old son – he created O Dawgs Baseball.
Starting out with a 9u team, O Dawgs struggled somewhat in their first year of tournament play – not unusual for a first-year program. O Dawgs has continued to grow since then, in both the east Alabama area as well as the state overall, and now has age groups ranging from 7 to 13.
O Dawgs drew a significant number of kids from the Opelika area during the first year or two. While that trend has continued, O Dawgs also has begun attracting players from the extended region as well, with kids coming from areas such as Columbus and LaGrange in Georgia, and Montgomery.
With this growth has come success at tournaments across the state and southeast, including three championships this past season, and an invitation for the 12u team to play at the Cal Ripken Experience in Pigeon Forge.
With the ultimate goal of teaching the game to the next generation, Branch and O Dawgs have also worked toward another goal as they continue to grow travel baseball in the Opelika area.
“I think the city has kind of embraced it, because they see that through travel ball, it’s helping the league ball and just the cities’ baseball growth,” Branch said.
Building a pipeline of young baseball players in the area, O Dawgs continues to provide the opportunity for the game itself to grow in Opelika, AL, something that will only continue in the coming years.
