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THIS WEEKEND IN SOCAL

Parks, times, and tryouts in one letter.

Skip the late-night tournament tabs. One Saturday letter for SoCal travel ball: Watchlist by age, three things a week for the parent and the player, tryouts when clubs post them. Free.

  • Watchlist — Filter by age. Then the park. NOT POSTED if it isn’t on the page.
  • Saturday letter — Three things a week. For the parent and the player. Free.
  • Tryouts — This week and next, only from club pages.
Open the Watchlist →

Written by a travel-ball dad in Orange County.

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Oct 10–11

Open the Watchlist →
Fountain Valley / Rosetta Oktoberfest · Times NOT POSTED · Gate N HB / Pomona USSSA Columbus Day · Times NOT POSTED · Gate TBA Anaheim / Yorba PGF 14U NQ · Times NOT POSTED · Gate N

Sample letter

Issue 001 draft for Oct 10–11. Hold send. All Times NOT POSTED.

Sample · Issue 001 · Oct 10–11

THE CUT

SOFTBALL NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 001 · SAT–SUN OCT 10–11, 2026

Good morning.

Inside:

  • Oktoberfest Shootout — Fountain Valley + Rosetta (10U–18U)
  • USSSA Columbus Day Classic — Edison HB + Washington Pomona (12U–18U)
  • PGF SoCal Anaheim NQ — 14U at Peralta + Yorba

THE LEAD

Three parks are on the board for Oct 10–11, and game times are still NOT POSTED. TC Oktoberfest Shootout says clocks land Tuesday evening prior to the event. USSSA Columbus Day Classic and PGF SoCal Anaheim 14U have no posted clocks on this check.

THREE THIS WEEK

Parent — Heat first. Then the reps. Water on a real break, in the shade. If the day is too hot, change the plan.

Player — See the at-bat. Feel it. Real time. Keep it useful. Pack turf shoes for Oktoberfest — the TC page requires them.

Weekend — Oktoberfest (10U–18U): Fountain Valley + Rosetta; times NOT POSTED (page: Tuesday evening prior); gate NOT POSTED. Columbus Day Classic (12U–18U): Edison Park HB + Washington Park Pomona; times NOT POSTED; gate TBA. PGF Anaheim NQ: 14U only at Peralta and Yorba; times NOT POSTED; gate NOT POSTED.

WEEKEND WATCHLIST

Fountain Valley / Lake Elsinore — Oktoberfest Shootout — TC SoCal / Alliance
Fountain Valley Sports Park, 16400 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley; Rosetta Canyon Sports Park, 39423 Ardenwood Way, Lake Elsinore. 10U–18U. Four-game guarantee. Saturday and Sunday, Oct 10–11.
Times: NOT POSTED. Page: Game Times Available Tuesday evening prior the event.
Gate: NOT POSTED.
Parking: NOT POSTED (no dollar fee on page). Fountain Valley: no overnight camping / no sleeping in vehicles. Rosetta: alcohol not permitted in parking lot.
Note: Turf shoes required. Rosetta: gum / sunflower seeds / shelled nuts not permitted. Fountain Valley: tobacco-free; drug/alcohol free.

Huntington Beach / Pomona — USSSA Columbus Day Classic
Edison Park, 21377 Magnolia St, Huntington Beach; Washington Park, 865 East Grand Ave, Pomona. 12U–18U. Saturday and Sunday, Oct 10–11.
Times: NOT POSTED.
Gate: TBA.
Parking: NOT POSTED.

Anaheim / Yorba Linda — PGF SO CAL ANAHEIM 14U National Qualifier
Peralta 1, 115 Pinney Drive, Anaheim; Yorba 1, 7600 East La Palma Avenue, Yorba Linda. 14U only. Saturday and Sunday, Oct 10–11.
Times: NOT POSTED.
Gate: NOT POSTED.
Parking: NOT POSTED.

Open the Watchlist → Past sample · Oct 3–4 →

Tryouts

This week and next.

Age first. Club pages only. Dated tryouts from club pages when clubs post them.

Ask the club

Interest forms

No date posted? Ask the club on their page.

Circuit

What’s going on in the stands.

Notes from the weekend. What parents actually use. From public pages when posted.

Player care

Heat first. Then the day.

Water on the hip. Shade on the break. Short notes for a hot SoCal park day.

Heat

Water on the hip. Shade on the break. Don’t grind through a 92-degree park.

Show up hydrated. Water at least every 15–20 minutes, in the shade if you can. Take pads off on the break. Build heat work up over 7–14 days. Change the plan when it’s extreme. Energy drinks are not hydration.

Practice

Heat first. Then the reps.

Add time and intensity over 7–14 days. Water on a real break, in the shade. If the day is too hot, change the plan. Don’t save the water for the end.

Nutrition

Food first. Eat for the day you have. Fluids before, during, after.

A well-balanced diet helps replace what you lose in the heat. Skip drinks with stimulants or high caffeine as “hydration.” Meet needs with food, not supplements. Spread carbohydrate and protein through the day, especially after play.

Visualization

See it. Feel it. In real time. Keep it useful.

Imagery works best when it is vivid, uses more than one sense, runs in real time, and stays on a positive picture of the skill.

Sources
  • CIF heat illness — cifstate.org
  • NFHS SMAC Heat Acclimatization and Heat Illness Prevention Position Statement
  • Sports Dietitians Australia — adolescent athlete nutrition (doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2014-0031)
  • AASP sport imagery — appliedsportpsych.org

Gear

Hot bats

What’s in the bag this year. Sourced lists only.

Hot bats

What’s in the bag this year.

According to Bat Digest’s 2026 list. Not our rank. Price: NOT POSTED. No affiliate links.

  1. 2026 Louisville Slugger KRYO (−10) — Bat Digest: best overall. Review
  2. 2026 Louisville Slugger KRYO (−11) — same list, drop 11. Review
  3. 2026 Easton Ghost Advanced (−10) — Bat Digest: power in −8, contact in −11. Review
  4. 2026 Rawlings Mantra (−10) — Bat Digest: a 2026 alternative. Review
  5. 2026 DeMarini Lotus (−11) — Bat Digest: a 2026 alternative. Review

Source: Bat Digest best fastpitch bats. Gear Check is later.

Nominate

Nominate a player

First name only. We hold every nomination for review. No public last names.

If we use it, we use first name + age group only (example shape: “Maya, 12U”). Never a full name on the site or in the letter without a separate Tim yes.

Getting Locked In

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