Summer 2027

We are a nationally-ranked organization that has been providing opportunities for players since 2007. Our 2027 summer season will have teams in the following age groups: 2028-2030. Here are some highlights about us, followed by a detailed breakdown of what we’re all about.

    • Strong Testimonies: You can read some testimonials from parents by clicking here: https://freshwaterstorm.com/testimonials/
    • Recruiting – Relationships with college coaches matter. See some of ours here: https://freshwaterstorm.com/connections/
    • Social Media– Follow us on Twitter, where 200+ college coaches follow us looking to identify players: https://twitter.com/PrspCntSports
    • Strong Schedule – Our teams will play some of the best tournaments in the state of Florida including Perfect Game and Prospect Wire and at some of the state’s premier complexes including MLB facilities.
    • Small Rosters: Our 2026 summer teams had an average of just 14.6 players per team and that includes the POs.
    • Competitive Cost: Just $1,799 for position players and $999 for POs. There are no tryout fees and no uniform packages.
    • Former Players– Many of our former players have had a lot of success. See here: https://freshwaterstorm.com/players/
    • For any additional questions, please contact Mike Bakas (mikebakas81@gmail.com).

Read on to learn all about the Freshwater Storm.

Who is the Freshwater Storm and what is their history? We are a Florida-based travel ball organization that started back in 2007. We have multiple teams in each age group, ranging from 2027 to 2030 grads. Our primary goal is to help our players prepare for their upcoming season – whether it’s for their JV season, their varsity season or their freshman year of college.

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.

How many teams do we have in each age group? We had 11 teams last summer – four in 17u, four in 16u and three in 15u. That is the plan for us again this coming summer.

Do our teams practice? We never have any mandatory practices in the summer. Most of our players are getting work in with their high school teams or on their own during the week. We do, however, offer lots of extra practice/scrimmage opportunities for our players after their HS seasons end. From the end of the JV season to the start of our summer season, we offered over 120 innings of optional scrimmages for our players to help prepare them for the summer season.

Where do our players come from? We had players from 54 different high schools in 2026. The overwhelming majority of our players will be from one of the following counties: Volusia, Brevard, Seminole, Orange, Flagler, St Johns, Lake and Clay.

How can someone try out for the 2027 summer season? Returning players from summer who are invited back do not need to try out again. For any new players interested in joining us for 2027, please contact Mike Bakas (mikebakas81@gmail.com) to schedule a private tryout session. There is no cost and it’s a chance for us to evaluate the player and meet his parents to determine if it’s a good fit.

Have our teams had a lot of success? Yes. In fact, we’ve been a nationally-ranked organization on Perfect Game in each of the last 6 summers with no plans of slowing down anytime soon. Eight of our 11 teams last summer had winning records, they were a combined 30 games over 500 and they combined to win five tournaments in multiple age groups. We understand winning isn’t everything but we have a long history of doing it at a high level.

What’s a typical roster size for a Freshwater Storm team? Here are the average roster sizes from our 2026 summer teams:
Three 15u teams: 14 players
Four 16u teams: 14.5 players
Three 17u teams: 15.3 players
** Note: Those include multiple POs in each age group.
You will not find an organization that has smaller rosters across all of their teams.

What type of tournament schedule do our teams play? Each of our teams will play a very competitive summer schedule, starting in late May and ending in late July. Our teams do not leave the state for tournaments. We used to do that but learned that most of our players prefer to stay in Florida for college. Our teams will play a mix of quality tournaments including Perfect Game and Prospect Wire. They provide excellent competition and our teams played at six different MLB complexes in 2026 (Mets, Astros, Cardinals, Marlins, Nationals and Tigers) with a similar plan in 2027. That provides a very unique experience and opportunity for our players.

Do we organize events for our players and teams when playing in tournaments that require hotel stays? Yes, absolutely! In fact, we think that’s an important aspect of travel baseball and creates a unique sense of team camaraderie. Team dinners, laser tag, bowling, Top Golf, fishing trips, pro baseball games. You name it, we’ve helped organize it all for our players on overnight trips.

Do we ever provide opportunities for our players during their off weekends? Yes, absolutely. We believe the more reps, the better. It’s important for player development. They’re always optional but lots of our players take full advantage of those opportunities.

What about our coaches. Mike Bakas, a New Smyrna Beach resident, owns the organization and has since he started it 19 years ago. Something we are super proud to say is that nearly all of our coaches played in the organization when they were in high school and went on to play in college. Our coaches provide an excellent mix of experience – from pitchers to position players and from guys who played at different levels in college to guys who played professionally. Our coaching staff is filled with good people with excellent baseball resumes. We’ve never had a coach who had a son on his team. We even have college coaches on our summer coaching staff.

How much do we help our players with the college recruiting process? A LOT! It’s a huge priority to get our players directly in front of college coaches every year. Every fall we offer a college recruiting program to our uncommitted seniors that would like to play baseball in college. They will play in front of 25+ college coaches during that program, and that’s a big reason why so many of our players will end up playing college baseball. Those roster spots are earned from the players who have been playing in our organization. Bottom line: if your son wants to play college baseball and meets the standard of what those 25+ schools are looking for in a player, he will make his commitment to do so while playing for us.

How much do we celebrate and promote the success of our individual players? A LOT! It’s one of the most important things we do during the summer season. No one actively promotes the success of their individual players more than we do. We have over 8,000 followers on social media, most of which are players, parents, family members, high school coaches and college coaches. It’s a great way for others in the baseball community to see the success of our players.

How much do we follow your players during the high school season in the spring? A LOT! We are out watching our players mutiple days a week and are constantly celebrating and promoting their success. We encourage all of our parents to submit content that we can share that promotes the success of our players.

How much do we keep up with our former players after they graduate high school and move on to college? A LOT! Mike Bakas watched over 30 college games in 2026, and a big reason for that is to watch and continue to promote former Freshwater players at the college level. Here’s an example of how we continue promoting our players, even once they’re in college:

How are pitcher onlys treated in our organization? There are a few very important things to know here: 1) our pitching rotations are set as soon as the schedule for each event is released. As soon as we get it from the tournament directors, our coaches work on it and send it out to players. That’s very important for pitchers who have a routine or would like to get the information out to college coaches well in advance. 2) Our POs are only required to be at the games they’re scheduled to pitch in.  Although all of our players are absolutely invited to be at every game, this helps cut down on travel costs for our pitchers.

How do we communicate with players and parents during the summer season? Each coach will have a GroupMe for the players. That will allow him to send out pitching rotations, weather updates, field changes, or any other important information. Mike Bakas will send out all emails to parents, keeping them updated on everything they need to know about each event. We are always a call, text, or email away from answering any questions you may have. A strong line of communication with our players and parents is extremely important to us so we always make it a priority.

Who are some of our 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 summer fee) and a practice shirt. Our players are asked to provide their own pants and wear their high school hats.

What’s the cost to play and what all is included? The cost for position players is just $1,799 and the cost for POs is just $999. Payment plans are available.  That cost includes a jersey, six of the best tournaments you can play in the state of Florida, 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 in the industry.

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