BHKLL’s travel baseball teams are called the Northern Westchester Thunder. BHKLL and Mount Kisco Baseball co-sponsor this program and offer teams for all ages starting at 8U. The NW Thunder teams participate in the Greater Hudson Valley Baseball (GHVBL) travel league and may also enter local/regional tournaments. GHVBL baseball is highly competitive - it requires a serious commitment on the part of both the child and parent.
All NW Thunder players who are Little League eligible (generally age 12 and under) MUST also play in BHK or MKB’s spring in-house recreation leagues.
Commitment: If your child makes the team, we anticipate him / her playing in approximately 15 - 20 games during the summer and 10 - 12 games during the fall (while it is not required to play both seasons most players do). In addition to the scheduled games, there will be a minimum of one weekly practice. Please consider this commitment as your son or daughter is being considered for the team.
Teams are selected after an open tryout. Once teams are selected, there will be an optional (but highly recommended) multi-week winter clinic starting in February. Outdoor practices start in April and run concurrently with our spring league. Summer games run from mid June to late July / early August. The fall season starts in early September and runs until mid-late October.
Tryouts: Tryouts will be held during the fall and run by BHKLL and MKB and the players will be evaluated by the travel coaching staffs. There are NO pre-picked positions on these teams including returning players. The best representative team will be selected on their ability. Beyond the commitment expected, there are often questions about playing time and position play. While everyone gets to play, equal playing time is not guaranteed. The head coaches have discretion over the lineup and substitution of players.
Fees: There is no fee for the tryout but the anticipated cost per player is $400-500 for summer league play and an additional $200 - $250 for the fall. The optional winter clinic has a separate cost. The program costs include league and umpire fees, baseballs, uniforms, field maintenance and utilities.
For further information regarding our travel program, please e-mail nwthunderbaseball1@gmail.com or Bill DiRago at thelostfive19@optonline.net.