Fall 2025

2-Way Player registration link: https://freshwaterstorm.leagueapps.com/clubteams/4711495-showcase-2-way

Position Player / Pitcher Only registration link: https://freshwaterstorm.leagueapps.com/clubteams/4711498-showcase-position-player–po


Freshwater Storm: 2025 Fall Showcase Program Schedule

September 14: St. Augustine – Beachside HS (3-4 college coaches)
September 28: Ormond Beach Sports Complex – (3-4 college coaches)
October 19: Satellite HS (Satellite Beach) – (3-4 college coaches)
October 26: University HS – (Orange City) – (3-4 college coaches)
November 9: Freshwater Storm Recruiting Showcase (Ormond Beach, NO games) – (8-10 college coaches)

Read on to learn all about the Freshwater Storm.

Who is the Freshwater Storm and their history and background. We are a Florida-based travel ball organization that started back in 2007. We have teams in various age groups, ranging from 2026 to 2029 grads. We’ve had multiple nationally-ranked teams on Perfect Game in recent years and our primary goal is to provide a competitive opportunity for players who may want to play college baseball one day.

What is the Freshwater Storm Fall Showcase Program? The brand new program is designed to get our uncommitted seniors in front of as many college coaches as possible. It’s intended for those players who are very serious about playing college baseball in the state of Florida. Instead of playing a tournament style schedule, players in this program will play games directly in front of a different set of college coaches each weekend. These are one-day events at various fields around the area so they help cut down on travel and hotel costs. Events will typically start at 10 am so there should be no hotel stays necessary.

What is the Fall Showcase Program Schedule like? Players will have a virtual showcase (metrics + video that can be used to show college coaches not at the events) to start the fall season, followed by 4 double-headers. Each of the double-headers will be played in front of a different set of college coaches (minimum of 3 at each one). Prior to each double-header, players will participate in a showcase. The program will end with our annual fall recruiting showcase. Our goal is to get our players in front of more college coaches than we’ve ever done before.

How many spots are available for the Fall Showcase Program? Space is very limited, and we expect spots to fill quickly. We will only take 22-24 position players and 6-8 POs for the program. Those players will be split into even teams prior to each event.

What’s the advantage of playing multiple days in front of various college coaches? We have noticed that far too often one of our players will have an “off” day when in front of college coaches. He may be sick. His velo may be down. He may have an off day at the plate. He may have a couple errors in the field. All of those things happen, and it can have a severely negative impact on the player’s recruiting chances. With this new program, that’s OK because the player will still have several other opportunities to showcase his skills in front of various college coaches.

What types of colleges will have coaches at these events?
We will post the list of coaches prior to each event so everyone knows exactly who is coming. Our events feature a wide range of different types of schools, ranging from Division 1 to Division 2 to NAIA to Junior Colleges. We understand that not every player will be a fit for every school so it’s important to have a wide range of schools at the events.

What’s it like playing for the Freshwater Storm? Click HERE to read through a large number of testimonials from parents of several of our players.

What are the primary goals for our players? First, helping our players with the college recruiting process is as important as anything we do. It’s a major priority for us and always has been. We promote our players in the following ways:

1) We guarantee that all of our players will have a chance to get directly in front of college coaches from around the state.

2) Constantly communicating with college coaches about our players and helping players sort through which camps and showcases to attend. Players are often getting invited to a lot of them. It can be overwhelming choosing which ones to attend. We will help our players navigate through this to help make sure they’re not going to the wrong events.

4) Social Media – see below.

How important is promotion of players on social media? It’s huge. So much of the college baseball recruiting process is done virtually now. Every college baseball program in America has a coach on its staff that is active there and one of the biggest reasons is that it’s a great recruiting tool that can be done virtually. We promote our players and it’s a big reason why you’ll see close to 250 college coaches (from UF all the way down to Junior College programs in the Northeast) are following us on there.

What are some schools you have connections with? We have sent players to schools at every level. Some of our former players were 1st and 2nd round draft picks. Some were 4-year college starters. Some were able to get degrees from big time academic institutions for next to nothing because of baseball. Some were able to stay in Florida. Some left the state to play and ended up becoming college coaches at the school they played at. Every player has a unique situation and we understand and respect that. What might be a good fit for one kid might not be for another.  You can see a sampling of our connections here: https://freshwaterstorm.com/connections/

How much do we keep up with our former players after they graduate high school and move on to college? A lot! Mike Bakas watches over 20 college games every year, and travels around the state to see some of his former players. Here’s an example of how we continue promoting our players, even once they’re in college:

Who are some of your former players? There’s a long list of them and we are super proud of every single one of them who helped make our organization what it is today. Here’s a partial list of them: https://freshwaterstorm.com/players/

What about uniforms? We do not charge for unneccesary “uniform packages” that a lot of other organizations do. We are a bit old school in this regard – we will provide two jerseys (one of each color- blue and red – which are included in the overall fall fee) and a practice shirt. Our players are asked to wear white pants and their high school hats.

What’s the cost to play and what all is included? The cost for 2-way players is just $1,100 and the cost for POs and position players is just $850. Payment plans are available.  That cost includes a jersey, playing in front of 20+ college coaches throughout the fall, and being actively promoted on social media for as long as you’re with us. We will absolutely put the combination of all of these things and our cost up against anyone.

If you’re interested in playing with the Freshwater Storm this fall season, please contact Mike Bakas (mikebakas81@gmail.com).

2-Way Player registration link: https://freshwaterstorm.leagueapps.com/clubteams/4711495-showcase-2-way

Position Player / Pitcher Only registration link: https://freshwaterstorm.leagueapps.com/clubteams/4711498-showcase-position-player–po