Player Tryouts

Approximately 500-600 players will register for West Raleigh Baseball Association each season.  More than half of our registrants must attend tryouts based off of the Tryout Matrix for Fall or Tryout Matrix for Spring.

Tryouts are held at the West Raleigh facility at 830 Barringer Drive, Raleigh, NC 27606. Tryout schedules are posted on the website a week prior to tryouts and emailed to all registrants.  A participant must be registered to attend tryouts.

Many of our registrants are a "guaranteed spot" meaning they have participated with West Raleigh previously but require evaluation because they are "aging up" to the next age group (see below for more details on guaranteed spots).

Typically spring tryouts are on a weekend day in mid-February and fall tryouts are the second weekend in August. If for some reason you cannot attend the tryout date, you may submit a video to the league for consideration by the specified date (varies from season to season but is noted in the tryout email from the league).  All efforts should be made to attend tryouts as this is the best way for coaches to evaluate players.

New-to-league players who do not attend tryouts will NOT be eligible to be drafted until all guaranteed-spot players and all new players who did try out are drafted.

What to Expect at Tryouts

Players attending tryouts will need to have their birthday verified.  Please bring a copy or original of your child's birth certificate to tryouts.  West Raleigh personnel will verify the birth certificate and will return it to you, we do not keep birth certificates or copies.

Tryouts are set up so that players are given the opportunity to demonstrate fielding (ground balls and pop-ups), throwing, catching, hitting and running. Minor and Major league players are given the opportunity to show pitching and catching skills (not required) at the end of their tryout time. Coaches look for good technique in getting in front of the ball, accurate throws, being able to catch a thrown ball properly, and good batting stance and swing. They also look at players speed and quickness, hustle and demeanor (e.g., if they miss a ball, they just get ready for the next play). While a child might not perform perfectly at every drill, their attitude and resiliency are evaluated throughout the tryout.  Head coaches and their coaching staff, evaluate the players and then rank them according to their team needs for the draft.

Players MUST bring their own glove, batting helmet, and USA stamped bat to tryouts. Players trying out as catchers MUST bring their own catcher's gear. West Raleigh does not provide any equipment for tryouts. Players should wear baseball pants, baseball hat, cleats, and protective cup.

Guaranteed Spot Rules

Fall Season

  • Players are guaranteed a spot on a Fall team if they played at West Raleigh Baseball the prior Fall or Spring season on a Rookie, Minor, or Major league team.
  • New-to-West Raleigh players that are 6 years of age or older are guaranteed a spot on a West Raleigh team if they have a sibling who has a guaranteed spot in the Fall season, registers, and plays that Fall.
  • New-to-West Raleigh guaranteed siblings that are 5 years old in the Fall season are NOT guaranteed a spot but are eligible for the MCP League.  MCP registration is done on a first come, first served basis.
  • Siblings of MCP players of any age are NOT guaranteed a roster spot in any league.
  • Players that played MCP the previous fall or spring and are returning to MCP are not guaranteed a spot in the fall and must register on a first come, first served basis.

Spring Season

  • Players are guaranteed a spot on a team if they played at West Raleigh Baseball the prior spring season on a Rookie, Minor, or Major league team.
    • If a Spring season is missed, that player is no longer guaranteed a spot.
    • If a player has played only a fall season on a Rookie, Minor, or Major league team they are not considered a guaranteed spot for the spring.
  • New-to-West Raleigh siblings that are 7 years of age or older are guaranteed a spot on a West Raleigh team if they have a sibling who has a guaranteed spot in the Spring season, registers, and plays that Spring.
  • New-to-West Raleigh guaranteed siblings that are 6 years old in the Spring season are NOT guaranteed a spot but are eligible for the Modified Coach Pitch (MCP) League.  MCP is done on a first come, first served basis.
  • Siblings of MCP players of any age are NOT guaranteed a roster spot in any league.
  • Play in West Raleigh's Fall Baseball program does NOT guarantee a roster spot in the Spring program.
  • Players that played MCP the previous fall or spring and are returning to MCP are not guaranteed a spot in the spring and must register on a first come, first served basis.

Player Spot Availability

West Raleigh is a vibrant and growing league with 500-600 registrants a season.  Unfortunately, we do not have space to draft everyone that registers for tryouts.  The number of new players drafted each season varies and is based off of the number of guaranteed spots filled and number of guaranteed spot siblings that register.

Draft Process

For each league, the coaches draft players in the inverse order of finish from the prior year's regular season, so the team that finished last will draft first and so on. By the time of the draft, each league will know how many new-to-West Raleigh players can be drafted, and once the specific number of new players are drafted, all subsequent draft picks are from among the players who are guaranteed spots based on prior play in the league or siblings in the league. When the numbers of teams in a league is increased or decreased, normal draft rules may be supplemented to try to ensure fairness.

Draft Notification

If a player has been drafted, they will be contacted by their new coach, usually within two days of the draft. The coach will introduce themselves and let the player (or parent) know when and where the first practice will be held, and what the expectations for players on the team will be. A team's first meeting usually occurs the week following the draft.

If a player has not heard from a coach within 4 days of the draft date, the likelihood is that they were not drafted. Registration fees for undrafted players WILL be reimbursed within 7-10 days of the draft.  The tryout fee is non-refundable.