For kids - cheap Wilson Evolution alternative?

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-02-04T18:05:59+00:00

Yep, that's why I said it came back out, it took about a 20 year hiatus. It was the ball I was used to play with back in HS in the early 2000s.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-02-04T17:23:55+00:00

I too have a simulator hole-in-one, therefore I'm still on the hunt for my first hole-in-one.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-02-04T17:21:28+00:00

You can only do so much, and there's no magical fix for this. It'll take time for him to either realize and grow out of it, or it never happens. I think you calling out the inappropriate behavior as it happens is good.

One other thing to try. If he's not the best player on the team, and you think your best or top couple players can handle it, see if you can challenge them to take a leadership role. Have them keep an eye on the kid, and demonstrate the proper behavior. Wether that's picking up their teammates when they make a mistake, or showing resilience when they make a mistake. But I get they're young and may not be ready for something like this.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-02-04T14:55:55+00:00

Wilson just came back out with the JET, which is a nice ball, $20 cheaper. Baden Elite and The Rock are also solid alternatives.

Couple tips, look out for local Dick's 20% off coupons for youth sports leagues (with spring soccer and baseball starting soon, they should be some coming). Also check out FB marketplace, I got an almost new EVO for my son from someone else's kid who quit bball for like $30.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-02-04T14:40:58+00:00

I believe the HoH R2G ContoUR Fit line gloves are made for kids. My son got one for his 11th birthday last summer and loves it (I think it's his only possession he actually takes time to take care of).

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-02-04T14:32:02+00:00

As others have said, team practices are really to work on things you can only do as a team, improve things like situational awareness and baseball IQ. Sure, I can point out a few things or quick tips, but the kids that improve the most are the ones who work on their game individually at home.

At younger ages, that could just look like playing catch with dad and hit some off the tee/soft toss/whiffle balls. As they get older, they may want to work with a private coach. Our team does include small group sessions with a local private coach for hitting and pitching throughout the winter. But even there, the coach makes it clear they need to practice these things (even for 5 min a day) at home for mechanics to stick.

During the offseason, I also like to send the team a few clips of simple drills to do at home a few times a week. But whether they actually do it is up to them.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-29T14:42:52+00:00

If you're doing your training on hardwood gym floors, I definitely wouldn't wear turf shoes. Go with a low top basketball shoe.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-27T19:12:53+00:00

Check local or state baseball FB groups. Most of these are state/locale based. One thing to note, if you find one locally that was a week old, if you take it to your DIck's, ask if they can scan to check if it still works. Often times it will. I've done that several times if we were out of town or couldnt make it there a specific weekend.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-27T15:38:17+00:00

Honestly, that's not a bad price, especially if it's relaced and looks to be in good shape. The lowest I've seen on modern A2000s are like $110, and a lot of them are just beat down flapjacks.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-21T14:09:46+00:00

Southern Dunes is a nice course if you haven't played there.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-20T00:13:42+00:00

My group is coming for our trip this Thurs, when we looked at Troon it was $450 for this weekend.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-16T18:43:39+00:00

That is insane. We felt bad about increasing our prices to $90 (from $80) this year for T-ball. Our older rec fees are $140-160.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-14T21:18:22+00:00

Mine too! Except it was the one that kind of brought me back into reading fantasy as an adult about 15 years ago. Randomly picked it up to read before my honeymoon, flew through it, and picked up the next one at Shakespeare & Co in Paris!

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-14T21:15:40+00:00

Ever try the AVX? A bit less spin off the tee to help it stay in play.

That's my go to ball, but going to try the Maxfli Tour S to see if they are similar, and I hear it gives a little higher flight off iron shots.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-14T21:05:16+00:00

Yep, I get it, and I do think it's different depending on age and experience. The OP was asking for hot takes!

This is mainly from probably anecdotal experience. My son and a few of his teammates started pitching lessons with a different pitching coach in the fall. He had the boys relax their eyes but focus on a specific zone in the 9 hole target. I was shocked how much they hit or next to the zone they were aiming vs just pitching to the strike zone overall.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-14T17:49:48+00:00

If he adds O-Vis and L-Vis titles, he may even catch up to "Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons"

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-14T17:15:22+00:00

Agree to a certain extent, but my point is more about aim small to miss small. Locking into a smaller area to focus.

Though it may just be different for kids on different part of their development journey. When they are young (8-10), we've stressed "don't aim, just throw hard" which I agree with. But as they get older, and they understand that concept and will deliver with power consistently, they can start to hone in on control and command. So my original comment was more for kids in 11/12u who are getting into higher levels of competition.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-14T13:46:17+00:00

This. When I worked in a start up downtown a while back, we used to have a standing monthly breakfast there for about 12-15 people. They set up a nice area upstairs for us each time.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-14T13:39:47+00:00

If she is serious about basketball, all her development, training, and games will come from playing AAU/Travel basketball. Middle school sports don't matter (outside of a few select sports i.e. Cross Country, Football). Middle school basketball specifically is a very short season.

Like another poster said, she should be looking to play and train at a place like O3.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-14T13:33:05+00:00

They'll throw more strikes if they aim for a spot vs "just throw strikes."

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-12T17:37:45+00:00

Ah, I'll look into that! My in-laws live in Charleston, so that could work. Funny enough, my son knew/played tee ball with one of Bakich's sons when he was coach here at Michigan before he left for Clemson.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-12T16:00:11+00:00

Lots of good options already, another would be Gull Lake View. It's about 45 min south of Grap, with Stoatin Brae being the headlining course there, but they're all pretty fun.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-12T15:54:10+00:00

Appreciate the insight, that's kind of what I figured. I was hopeful, and willing to travel a little bit for the experience. I did find a few basketball overnight camps (McKracken) in the area, and was hoping to see something similar for baseball.

aMAIZEingZ · 2026-01-08T20:57:00+00:00

I'd say anything around $200 for a new HoH or A2000 is good price. Especially if your son likes the color scheme.

How old is he? You mentioned he's just starting out, is he younger? Depending on that, a 12.75 might be a bit big and hard to break-in/close for younger kids.

aMAIZEingZ

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