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USPBL Announces Tryouts, Names Assistant Managers

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UNITED SHORE PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE ANNOUNCES OPEN TRYOUTS TO FIND LOCAL “DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH” 
Nearly 20 Players Already Signed From All Across Country, Assistant Managers Named 
To ensure no stone is left unturned when searching out the nation’s top baseball talent, the United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL) has announced it will hold open tryouts May 16-19, 2016 at Evolution SportsPlex in Auburn Hills.  The tryouts are just one avenue the league is utilizing to obtain players for the USPBLs three inaugural teams.  Since its announcement in late 2015, the League has been actively scouting across the country to recruit top talent for the new professional independent baseball league.  Play will begin Memorial Day.
·    May 16, 2016: Light workout including batting and infield/outfield practice.
·    May 17, 2016: Professional player evaluation drills.
·    May 18-19, 2016: Situational baseball and live games.
“We’ve been actively communicating with more than 1,000 coaches from top universities and colleges, as well as monitoring over 100 seniors from NCAA Division I and Division II, to identify and sign players from the best schools to bring our fans the highest level of professional baseball,” said Andy Appleby, League Founder and CEO. “We want every player that comes through our League to get a chance at making it to Major League Baseball, and we’re extremely confident that will happen and that dreams will be realized.”
Among the nearly 20 players nationally signed by the league to date:
Forest Koumas
Position: RHP
College/Team: University of South Carolina
Hometown: Lugoff, South Carolina
Highlights: Gatorade player of the year in South Carolina in 2010. Drafted by the Texas Rangers. Starting pitcher for game 1 of the 2011 and 2012 College World Series national championship series. All-SEC Freshman team. Team won the National Championship in 2011
Kyle Richards:
Position: Outfield
College/Team: Florida Southern College. Played for Kansas City T-Bones in American Association
Hometown: Glastonbury, CT
Highlights: Career stats for Florida Southern .321 Avg in 140 AB…OBP .395…SLG .457…2 HR…2 3B…9 2B… 28 Runs…10 SB. KC T-Bones hit .154 in 26 AB
Cam Walker:
Position: IN,OF
College/Team: Wayne State University
Hometown: Clinton Twp. MI
Highlights: DII Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Champs Set school record in Wins in a Season 2014 GLIAC All Tournament Team 2011 GLIAC All Academic Team 2011, 12’, 13’ Coach’s Honor Roll 2009 Athletic Honor Roll

The USPBL also announced the hiring of three Assistant Managers:

Assistant Manager Shane McCatty 
Utica Unicorns
A 2009 graduate of Oakland University, Shane played professional baseball for five years for the Washington Nationals. During his professional career he was a key member of the 2009 Gulf Coast League (GCL) Nationals Rookie League Championship team. McCatty was awarded the 2011 Hagerstown, Maryland Community Service Award as a member of the Hagerstown Suns, a Washington Class A affiliate.
Assistant Manager Richard Donnelly 
Birmingham-Bloomfield Beavers
Donnelly brings 43 years of coaching experience including a minor league managerial background in the Texas Rangers system. On the major league level, he has served as bench, bullpen and first and third base coaches with a number of teams, including the Rangers, Pirates, Marlins and Rockies (the latter three for former Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland). More recently, Donnelly has coached for the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers Dodgers and Seattle Mariners.
Assistant Manager Jim Essian 
Eastside Diamond Hoppers 
Essian began as an All-Star rookie in 1970 with the Philadelphia Phillies and played in the Majors for 11 years, including with the A’s, Braves, Cubs, Indians, Mariners, White Sox. He also served as manager for the Chicago Cubs in 1991.
During the summer of 2015, General Sports and Entertainment announced the creation of the United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL), an independent professional baseball league in Metro Detroit. The league, headquartered in Rochester, Michigan, initially will be playing in a brand new state-of-the-art $12 million ballpark named Jimmy John’s Field, which is located in downtown Utica, Mich. First of its kind for Metro Detroit, USPBL will provide a fun and exciting family atmosphere while showcasing top baseball talent to fans of all ages. The inaugural season, which begins this Memorial Day 2016, will feature three teams—the Utica Unicorns, the Eastside Diamond Hoppers and the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers. Additional teams and ballparks will be forthcoming each year.
Independent Ball

USPBL Tryout Registration Officially Opened

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A few weeks ago, we covered the United Shore Pro Baseball League‘s press release announcing their managers for the 2016 season.

Along with the press release, some information on their tryouts set for mid-May was also provided.  We have now been informed that the online registration has officially opened for the tryouts. Here is the official press release:

2016 United Shore Inaugural Season Tryout and Draft

The United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL) inaugural season tryout/showcase will be held May 16th – 19th. Players will be evaluated by all USPBL Managers and members of the USPBL baseball advisory committee. The USPBL has reserved an indoor & outdoor facility to assure all participants have an opportunity to showcase their skills and receive a thorough evaluation.

  • May 16th:           Light workout consisting of batting practice and infield/outfield. 
  • May 17th:           Professional Player Evaluation drills.
  • May 18th:           Players will be placed in game situations as well live games.
  • May 19th:           Situational baseball and live games.

For the 2016 inaugural season, players must be at least 18 years old and have been born on or after January 1, 1990 to be eligible to play in the USPBL. No player or player may have attained twenty six (26) years of age prior to January 2016.  Please note that players with college eligibility remaining should check with their school compliance office before registering.

At the end of the showcase, players will be signed into the USPBL. A draft will be held in the following days and teams / rosters will be announced May 23rd. Spring training will commence the week of May 23rd.  

The United Shore Professional Baseball League will host its inaugural season at Jimmy John’s Field in Utica, Michigan. Our season will start May 30th and concluded September 11th, 2016. Players will have access to a state of the art facility, customized strength & conditioning programs and our USPBL Hitting and Throwing Program during the course of the season. Our 2016 All-Star Game will be held September 9th followed by Championship Weekend.  

The cost per player to attend will be $200 dollars.  Registration is open now with final payment due by May 15th, 2016 in order for players to participate.

All four days will be open to the public free of charge. 

FAQ:

Player / Hotel accommodations: Details to be announced soon

Equipment: The USPBL will have baseball gear (Balls, Helmets and a limited number of bats) on site but players will be responsible to bring their own equipment.

Attire: Players will need to have their own baseball pants – shorts will not be permitted during tryouts.

Registration can be found at the link HERE.

 

As always, players are encouraged to check the Indy Ball Tryouts Page here on the site for information on all tryouts and instruction leagues happening this season.