North Bothell Little League Travel Ball Program - Baseball

Travel Ball is a Little League program that provides a select team experience for Little League players without the full cost of select clubs.  The Travel Ball season may run from September through the end of May.  The Travel Ball Season includes but is not limited to, travel tournaments, winter training, individual training, & scrimmages with local teams etc.  The Travel Ball program is multi-sport and obviously little league friendly program.  Per Little League Rules for Travel Ball, players must be registered in a local league and
actively participating on a regular spring season team in a local little league program (North Bothell Little League)

Bothell Thunder Baseball (formerly Bothell Cougars) was started in 2007 with a group of boys that you may have heard about…..the 2011 Washington State Little League Champions from North Bothell Little League that made it all the way to the Regional semi-finals in San Bernardino, CA.  As this program continued to grow and develop, a 9U team was added in 2012/2013 to the existing 9U, 10U, 11U, and 12U teams, and it continues to maintain all four age levels.

Thunder is a Travel Ball/training program where the goal is to provide a head start for NBLL baseball players who have the desire to play baseball at a higher level. 

Practices start in the fall with Thursday or Friday and Sunday night workouts to build baseball fundamentals and skills, so the players are ready for the upcoming season.  11u and 12u Teams also participate in weekly speed and strength sessions on Monday nights.  In addition, the players in this group will participate in multiple tournaments between November and June.  In these tournaments, the players gain the experience of playing against other Select caliber teams

Bothell Thunder teams will consist of players and staff, all located within the North Bothell Little League Boundaries.  This is a program requires both financial and time commitment, however, this program provides your son/daughter the opportunity to advance his/her skills for the upcoming little league season.  Although we understand that baseball is not the primary season during the winter training months, it is strongly encouraged that your son/daughter attend as many training sessions as possible.

Training Schedule:

We traditionally start winter Training around November 1 and train indoors and outdoors until the end of May. 

Fall/Winter Training is held at the Mariners Training Center (MTC) - Woodinville.  From November through February teams will have one training session per week with MTC professional instructors.  Historically these sessions happen either on Thursday or Friday nights. 

In addition to the training sessions with MTC Staff, each team will practice with their coaches every Sunday night during the fall/winter training months.  Each training time will be for 1.5-2 hours.  

Spring Team Practices are REQUIRED.  Once the regular little league season starts, we will start outdoor field practices once a week on Sunday’s.

Tournament Schedule:

We plan on rostering 12 to 13 players at each age level. The tournament fees will be divided among the players on the roster.  These fees usually run around $65 per player plus travel expenses (if necessary).  We are anticipating attending a minimum of two to three local tournaments with the potential of playing additional out-of-town tournaments (This will all depend on the interest Level and what tournaments are available).  We typically try and schedule one tournament per month starting in January.  January and February tournaments are typically held down in Centralia, March and May Tournaments are typically held in the greater Puget sound area and April we typically travel to Tri-Cities.  April Tournaments are usually the weekend heading into Spring Break and May is Memorial Day weekend. Coaches have the flexibility to play more tournaments if they can field a team.

Costs:

The following costs are close estimates and may change slightly when we get closer to the beginning of each season and establish final agreements with facilities.   

- 9U/10U/11U/12 programs will range from $2,000-$2,500

Breakdown of Fees: 
- NBLL Registration Fee (Includes Jersey, Hat, Sweatshirt, Practice Shirt, Fields, & Equipment): $330 
- Mariners Training Center Training and Facility Fee: $1,700
- 11U/12U Teams only:  Weight Training: $375 

- The NBLL Registration Fee will be DUE when accepting a roster spot on a Thunder Team.
- The MTC fees can be paid upfront or can be spread out to be 3 or 4 monthly installments.

Gear/Tournament costs are in addition to the above cost. 

You will be responsible for purchasing pants, socks and belts and helmets.

While this may feel like a significant financial commitment, the cost of professional training typically runs in $100 per hour for a group lesson and $135+ per hour for a one-on-one instruction.  Our program cost ends up averaging around $35 per hour of training.  Comparatively to other programs, our program is significantly less expensive with similar training/game opportunities.  In addition to all the training, we will provide a positive & energetic environment to develop friendships and positive life lessons through the game of baseball.

If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out

Andy Walker
NBLL Travel Ball Director - Baseball
Bothell Thunder
[email protected]
925-207-0263