The mission of the Top Tier College Prep League is to bring together highly competitive 18U programs, with the goal of providing recruitment opportunities for uncommitted players, competitive games for the teams, and to prepare the players for what baseball will be like at the next level.
| 18U College Prep League |
|---|
| Cascade Baseball Club |
| Diamond Sports Upperclass |
| Mukilteo Mavericks |
| Merchants |
| North Seattle Rainiers |
| Shoreline Royals |
| Washington Rush |
| Tacoma Baseball Club |
| Washington Avengers |
As a member of the Top Tier College Prep League, teams can expect:
– Off-season recruiting seminar for players, coaches, & families with Top Tier staff and college coaches
– All-Star game at the Top Tier College Showcase, selected by league staff in conjuction with league coaches
– League coverage via social media (team rosters & schedules, games of the week, players of the week, etc.)
– Promotion of your players on our Top Tier telegram account which has college coaches in there daily
– Goal to get out to your facility in the off-season with our Top Tier Prospects staff
College Prep Division (18U)
– Two divisions (North, South) – 6 teams per division
– League play starts after Memorial Day; consists of 15 league games (play in division 3 times)
– 3 league games hosted at local colleges with college coach presence
– Top 8 teams qualify for College World Series style league playoffs (late July)
– The remaining 4 teams will compete in an double-elimination consolation tournament (same time as league playoffs)
On a Sunday in early-March, league teams get together to collectively create the league schedule. Each team brings their home field allocations and sits in a room with other coaches in their division. The league sets the parameters (play everyone in division 3 times) and from there, the coaches make their own schedule. This allows all teams the autonomy to control when and where they play.
NOTE: For the College Prep League, the matchups at the colleges will be preset prior to the meeting.
Once all team schedules have been created, coaches/GMs submit their individual schedules to the league office. Everything from that point forward is taken care of by league officials – the creation of the master schedule, league administration, assigning umpires, scores & standings tracking, etc. This scheduling process has worked extremely well, allowing teams to really have control of their entire schedule, from league play to tournaments, while building in days off and working around any potential conflicts (spring break, graduation, etc.)
ALL teams in each division will participate in some sort of postseason play
League Playoffs
– The top 4 North and top 4 South teams qualify for the league playoffs and will participate in a College World Series style postseason
– There will be two pools consisting of 4 teams each. These pools will play a mini-double elimination tournament over a three-day period (Friday – Sunday)
– The two pool winners will face off in a best-of-three league championship series over a two-day period (Tuesday – Wednesday) to determine the league champion
League Tournament (Consolation Bracket)
– The bottom 2 teams in each division will participate in a 3-day double-elimination tournament
– This tournament will take place at the same time as the league playoffs, ensuring that ALL teams in each division can plan for games on that weekend
Regular Season
Each team in the league is responsible to reserve and pay for fields for their regular season home games. This allows for teams to have a true “home field” and to set their own schedule within the league guidelines. The cost to each team will vary based on location, quality, and size of field. This leaves each organization’s field budget within their own control.
NOTE: For the College Prep League, 3 of the 15 games will be at college sites staffed with college coaches paid for by the league
Postseason
All postseason fields for Top Tier Elite League contests will be reserved by the league office. Locations will be a mix of north and south end fields to allow for higher seeded teams to play closer to home in the league playoffs or postseason tournament.
Top Tier Sports has strong relationships with the top umpire associations in the area. We contract out with each of those groups to provide the best available officials for league games, including our postseason.
– Following the annual league scheduling meeting, Top Tier Sports compiles a league master schedule, and works with local umpire associations to ensure coverage for all league contests
– Once the initial schedule is set, the league office works in conjunction with the coaches in the league and the respective umpire association to communicate any schedule changes due to conflicts, weather, etc.
Baden Sports is the official ball of Top Tier Sports. All baseballs used in Top Tier league & tournament contacts must be Baden baseballs
– League fees will cover 4 dozen Baden game balls per team. Teams with existing Baden relationships can opt out of the ball cost
– The College Prep League will use Baden 3BB-Perfection Pro baseballs
The total cost for the College Prep League is $4,000 which is all inclusive:
– League administration fees
– Umpire fees (regular season and postseason)
– Postseason fields and awards
– League all-star game at the College Showcase
– Baden game balls ($200 opt-out optional for teams who have their own deal with Baden)
Contact our league director Derek Bingham for more information and to request a league invite
Email: Derek Bingham
Cell: (206) 465-8690