Tryouts, Jamborees and National Elite Camps

In the next few months, OnDeck Softball will be holding a series of Tryouts that will allow players to showcase their athleticism and skill sets in an attempt to gain an invitation to either a Jamboree or a National Camp. As a result, we are fielding a number of inquiries about the process for those who are both new to OnDeck Softball and those who have participated this past year and would like to participate again. So, I thought I would take a few minutes and explain our thinking as we prepare for our Elite Recruiting Events.

For those of you who are new to OnDeck Softball -

OnDeck Softball consists of a series of Tiered Events - Tryouts; Jamborees; and National Camps. Tryouts are the only events you can attend without an invitation. To participate in a Jamboree or a National Camp, you must be invited.

The only way into a Recruiting Event is to Play Your Way In. And you can do this by either participating in a Tryout or being seen by either Derek or Joann at a Showcase or Tournament.

Approximately 48% of all Jamboree participants attended a Tryout in order to be seen.

For those of you who participated in a Jamboree or National Camp in the past -

We never guarantee any player a spot in an event until we issue an invitation.

Playing in a Jamboree or National Camp does not mean that you will automatically be invited again. You have to play well enough to warrant a subsequent invitation.

However, we will give serious consideration to any previous participant who we feel is a good fit with a particular event.

Our singular objective is to put the best group of players we can in front of the College Coaches in each and every event we run for them.

So to answer a few questions we get on a regular basis -

"What should I do if I went to a Tryout last year and didn't get chosen? Do I need to tryout again?" - Yes, you will need to tryout again. Perhaps this year your skill set matured and/or your athleticism has improved. Either way, Derek and Joann will need to see you play before you can get an invite to either a Jamboree or National Camp.

"I was in a Jamboree last year. Do I need to tryout this year?" - That is a MAYBE. If you don't tryout again, we will give you serious consideration based upon your performance the previous year, your skill set we observed, and your athleticism from the past. However, if you have improved significantly, and want to show us that improvement, you might want to tryout again. No you don't, unless you want to show us how much better you have gotten. Since we will have extensive notes on you and you have proven yourself once, there is a chance you will be invited again. But no spots are ever guaranteed. So, if you have really improved and those 180' fly balls are now going 250', then you might want to show us that improvement at a Tryout and help your chances of receiving another invitation.