Tracy Press

A travel team from All-American Sports Academy will head to Cooperstown, N.Y., for a national tournament.

With summertime comes the height of the baseball tournament season. This week, one team heads to Cooperstown, N.Y., to compete against teams from around the country.

Adam Barba figures the All-American Sports Academy 12-and-under baseball team’s trip to the heart of the national pastime is a rare opportunity.

"This is the big one. It’s the one we marked on our calendars when we started the team," Barba said.

Teams from around the U.S. gather at Cooperstown All-Star Village to play tournaments near the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

The ballpark complex in Oneonta, N.Y., hosts 10 weeklong tournaments between June and August every summer, with about two-dozen teams playing in each tournament. Barba said it’s the destination for 12-and-under travel baseball teams, the last year their teams are eligible to play in All-Star Village games. Tracy’s team will be in tournament play between Saturday and July 11.

All American Sports Academy of Tracy includes a Larch Road training center and also hosts baseball and softball teams as the Northern California tournament circuit grows in popularity. All-American formed the 12U Major team in January and plays in tournaments under the jurisdiction of the United States Specialty Sports Association, Super Series, Triple Crown Sports and Baseball Players Association.

Just in the USSSA standings, the All-American 12U Major team is ranked 11th among 31 similar Northern California teams.

Barba said Tracy is the perfect spot for a travel team, which can go to tournaments in the Central Valley or Bay Area.

And as interest in travel baseball and softball grows, so grows the popularity of parks and cities that play host to tournaments.

Tracy Sports Complex on 11th Street is just one venue for games. Teams regularly go to events at Big League Dreams in Manteca, Rainbow Fields in Modesto, the Twin Creek Sports Complex in Sunnyvale and at least three major parks in Sacramento.

"You pretty much pick and choose what fits your team," Barba said, adding that he originally signed up the 12U baseball team as an AAA level team, but after their first tournament, the team was reclassified as a major-level team, a step up from AAA.

Mike Dement said he was glad to see his son Austin join the All-American travel team. He figures the team is similar to the All-Star teams from the local youth leagues.

"We went in to try out with the rest of the kids, and he qualified," Dement said at a recent practice. "It required a high skill level on the fundamentals. It’s a lot different from league play and rec ball play."

The team also includes Alec Barba, Kris Bartlett, Joshua Brakkee, Robert Buentello, Joseph Herrera, Lorenzo Hotel, Jordan Kron, Justin Nieto, Jacob Regester and Carlos Torres.

Barba said it took a few months to find all of the players he wanted through recruiting and tryouts. In addition to talent, he looked for team attitudes, work ethic and sportsmanship from the players and their parents.

"Our main, overarching objective is to develop these kids for high school baseball," he said. "Travel ball is the best talent that’s out there. They’ll develop the best talent for high school."

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