South Edmonton Elite Baseball Association (SEEBA) offers a performance baseball program at the U18, U15 and U13 levels for players who primarily reside within the South Jasper Place and Southwest Edmonton baseball boundaries as well as players in surrounding communities that don’t offer performance programs. Players attend winter tryout camps in early January for training and evaluation. Prior to the regular summer season, players are selected and placed on teams that play in Baseball Alberta AAA leagues within the region and/or Alberta. Traditionally, the focus of the program is U18 performance, but we also want to develop U15 and U13 players who will eventually progress to play at the U18 performance level. U18 teams have extensive travel to a variety of tournaments in Alberta and the United States, as well as participation in the Norwest League, which gives the players the best possible exposure to different levels of competition and experiences.
The purpose of the Edmonton Expos program is to develop elite athletes so they can advance to the next level (college or professional baseball). We strive to make each player better every day, whether it’s a game or practice.
In addition to developing their baseball skills, players also have an opportunity to learn life skills. Situations will arise that help young adults learn how society works, how to deal with problems, conflict, teamwork, time management, peer pressure, respect, etc. Life-skills development is also crucial in the development of the athlete. Only a select few go on to play college and/or professional baseball, but all teenagers require life skills. SEEBA tries to encourage and help our players, who range from 13 to 18 years old, be successful on and off the baseball diamond.
As with any high-performance athletic program, there are many expectations placed on the players and parents. This includes a commitment to attend all practices and games for the entire season, which could stretch into late July or early August. All teams compete in league play and tournaments, as well as a chance to compete for the opportunity to attend a provincial or Canadian championship. This requires a sacrifice for the players and their families for the entire season. It is essential that all players be available to their teams until the season is over. There are exceptions, specifically to do with school and family, but attendance is considered a mandatory obligation.
