Difference Between Travel Baseball and High School Baseball
While it is still the game of baseball, there is a difference between travel baseball and high school baseball.
Not only are you obviously playing different opponents and different players, but travel baseball offers you an overall different experience. As a person who had numerous teammates who played both travel and school baseball, and a person who played only school baseball, there are many differences between the two that arguably makes it a different level of baseball altogether.
The main thing that separates travel baseball from your normal high school team baseball is the level of competition. Normally when playing baseball for your school, you will generally see anywhere from 1-4 players on your team who will go on to play college baseball, depending on the talent level of your team. Travel baseball? Most of the time everyone on the team will go on to play baseball at the next level. Every single player and coach on the field is more talented and competitive, and they want to accomplish everything exactly to the level that you do. Just like you are there for a specific reason, they are there for the exact same reason.
Another difference between the two is the level of experience for everyone involved. Yes, the players will obviously be more experienced, because if they are playing travel baseball, odds are that is either the main sport that they are focusing on, or the only sport that they play. The players aren’t just the only ones experienced however, the coaches are as well. Depending on the school, a high school coach could have experience, but odds are that a travel baseball coach has been doing it more often for a longer period of time.
Playing travel baseball leads to a lot more potential exposure to younger players as opposed to school baseball. Not only do you get to play with and against some of the best players all across the country, but also you get to play at some of the best tournaments in the country with numerous college and professional scouts in attendance. If you want to maximize your ability to get your name and play out there, travel baseball offers a unique opportunity to mass exposure.
Lastly, arguably either the best or worst part of travel baseball is the travel, depending on your preference. Throughout your school season, you will usually travel all over your state, and sometimes potentially once or twice out of state. With travel baseball, traveling out of state is the norm, as players will often travel around the country to tournaments and other events.
As you can see, there are many differences between travel baseball and school baseball. Is it for everyone? No. However, playing travel baseball can offer continued growth in your baseball career through intense competition, mass exposure, and memories that will last a lifetime.
Written by: Matthew Melton
