Longshots Baseball is the Travel League program that operates inside DGYB. It is designed to:

• Offer participants a premier travel baseball option and assist parents in understanding what travel baseball is about.
• Provide an enhanced program of skill training, development and play for players and coaches interested in, and capable of, participating in a more competitive year-round travel baseball format.
• Be a systematic and consistent process which improves the individual skill level of the players each year as they progress through the age levels.
• Be complementary to other DGYB offerings.

We will:

• Work toward an appropriate balance between winning vs. training and development, with heavier emphasis on training and development in a year-round program.
• Be a positive influence on the personal development of all program members, keeping in healthy balance the child/young man/player relationship.
• Treat our players with respect while offering positive and constructive feedback regarding improvement, and earn their respect for the value we add.
• Aim to serve players, 12 U & above, that consider baseball a primary sport.
• Operate in three divisions (Training, Competitive Training and Senior) that will challenge and progress our players throughout their development cycle.
• Create a practice environment in which players and parents are strongly self-motivated to participate.
• Expect consistently high levels of effort, attendance & commitment from all participants.
• Work and play in an interdependent, team-first atmosphere, while allocating playing time following Longshots playing guidelines.
• Openly invite (and expect) significant parental involvement beyond, but including, coaching.
• Be insistent on the highest levels of sportsmanship from our players, coaches and parents/fans and follow the DGYB Conduct Guidelines.
• Be a positive influence/ model for other travel programs, along with our in-town leagues.
• Develop players and coaches who value and respect their training and development enough to ”give back” by helping train other youth in both the Travel & in-town programs.
• Consult with and value input from experienced travel coaches and players (both in DG and outside DG), our current participants and our in-town partners in DGYB.
• Continuously review travel baseball and training best practices for their fit in our program.

We will not:

• Consistently prioritize winning over skill and experience development.
• Create rules that prevent this from being a youth’s game.
• Be an “elitist” program, nor a “recreational travel program”.
• Be a league or association of independent teams, managers and age groups.

Our scorecard for success will be:

• The clear evidence of our players’ enjoyment & value of our travel baseball experience.
• A player’s desire to be part of (or remain part of) our program.
• The number of players we assist in making the following year’s Longshots teams, or other travel baseball teams.
• A player’s career portfolio of accomplishments and his/her recognition of the program’s contribution to it.
• A parent’s recognition of the program’s contribution to their player’s experience.
• The program’s contribution to the increased skill levels in DGYB leagues.
• Recognition as the best community-based travel baseball program in Illinois.