I heard a bunch of parents asking about Vanderbilt’s baseball camp for next summer, so I decided to dig into the eligibility rules myself. Started by pulling up their main athletics website around 9 AM with my coffee – gotta say their site’s cleaner than a fresh ballpark.
First Swing at the Info
Clicked through menus labeled “Camps” and spotted the 2025 Baseball Camp section real quick. Page header shouted it was for “Ages 7-18” right at the top. Felt relieved thinking that was the whole answer… until I scrolled down. Tiny disclaimer saying “Age groups subject to specific skill evaluations.” Huh? So just being 12 doesn’t cut it?
Digging into Details
Scrolled to “Eligibility Requirements” buried like a hidden base. Here’s the breakdown:
- Residency nonsense: Zero state restrictions – kid from Alaska or France can join if they meet criteria
- Deadlines: No dates posted yet (typical). Just says “registration opens January 2025”
- Skill tiers: Found three divisions squished in a PDF link:
- Rookies (ages 7-10) – need proof of rec league experience
- Intermediate (11-14) – requires travel team history
- Varsity (15-18) – must show high school roster spot
Weirdly nothing about injuries or physicals – guess that comes later?
The Verification Hassle
Tried calling their baseball office directly. Coach’s voicemail said they only confirm eligibility through their online portal. Created a dummy registrant profile to test the system:
- Portal DEMANDED school/club info before showing fees
- Auto-rejected when I put “none” for team experience
- Error popped up: “Must provide league documentation at checkout”
So basically little Timmy’s backyard batting cage sessions won’t qualify.
Final Takeaways
It’s not just about age brackets – they’re filtering hard by actual diamond time. Clearest requirement? Kid MUST have played organized ball previously. Zero exceptions listed anywhere. Also suspicious there’s no “beginner” group even though younger ages suggest it. My gut says they’re recruiting serious players while calling it a camp. Might disappoint casual families for sure.
Anyway, slapped all these notes in my camp research folder. Feel like I need a shower after that verification maze – technology can be such a buzzkill sometimes.