Travel ball (formerly prospects)
Travel ball is a new co-ed program for OWLL, expanding and replacing our prospects program. This will allow us to offer more training spots to players who want increased skill development year round, and the opportunity to play more competitive ball in the spring. Travel ball is a Little League designation that simply means that we can form the teams earlier, that they will be eligible to play exhibition games in the within the Kingston-Pembroke-Montreal area and in early tournaments in May, and will help us select players for our Canadian teams in summer ball at an earlier date.
Adopting this program reflects the growing size and strength of our league and is a direct response to feedback from parents who were looking to have teams formed earlier in the spring and opportunities to further their child's skill development. These teams do not replace the district teams, which have their own tryout and selection process in the spring. They will permit us to form strong committed teams early, allowing for better planning for summer 2026’s district and interlock teams. Players must participate in spring house to be eligible for summer play.
FOR 2026 OWLL will be offering travel ball to minor and major aged players. Interested players are invited to tryout for one of four travel teams, based on age, in early January. We will be offering teams in the 9U/10U/11U/12U age groups, with players playing at their little league age for the 2026 season. Each group will have their own coach and will practice together as a team. There will be approximately 15 players on each team. Note that the travel ball groups will have more frequent practices with dia separate practice shedule from the open winter ball groups. Please reach out if you have questions about the dates/times for these practices.
If you are planning for your player’s participation, winter workouts will happen indoors, two to three days a week. In the spring, players will shift to house league for the May-June timeline, while continuing to play weekend exhibition and tournament games with their travel team. Tryouts for the district team will happen in May, and players will either be selected to that team, or remain with their travel team to play exhibition games and summer interlock. Players who wish to tryout for/play on the district team MUST play spring house. If they choose not to play spring, they will not be eligible for a district team that year. Travel team players who do not make the district team can play summer interlock. There will still be open tryouts for national and Canadian summer teams for all interested players.
In the fall of 2026, we will be shifting our intermediate, junior, and senior prospects to this travel ball model for 2027. We are also looking into the possibility of offering a similar program for our more competitive girls players. Our travel ball season will include fall ball workouts for the 2026-2027 season.