LANCASTER, Ohio — Recognizing a need for a higher level of competition in the area, Travis Stone and Jared Stewart came up with an idea. What started as watercooler chatter turned into a travel baseball organization. That organization is now known as the Mid-Ohio Raptors, which offers baseball playing opportunities for almost any age looking for a challenge.

“We were seeing a watered-down version of baseball around the area and wanted to start something that would offer something to kids who wanted a higher level of competition,” says Stone -head coach at Amanda-Clearcreek and Raptors president and co-founder.

Stone explains that they wanted to find new ways to challenge kids in the sport and make them better. “You are only as good as your competition,” says Stone.

After some tournament drubbings with a group of seven and eight-year-old League All-Stars, it became clear to Stone and Stewart that it wasn’t the lack of talent on the field; it was a lack of a need for kids to get better.

“If you think you are the best and dominate in your league, then you have no reason to think you need to work or improve,” explains Stone.

The coach’s philosophy has paid off, and the kids have improved. The 13 and under squad has won 20 or 30 tournaments around the nation representing Lancaster. Their best finish to date is their 3rd place finish at USSSA nationals in Alabama when the group was eleven.

But it isn’t all about competition. What started as an idea to make kids better on the field turned into a group of kids who would play baseball together for most of their young lives.

“Some of our teams will play fifty to sixty games,” Stone explains.

This is significantly more games than a high school baseball team will play in a season. Add in six to ten tournaments and traveling all over the country, and the result is a supportive atmosphere -a baseball family.

The main focus of the Mid-Ohio Raptors is not necessarily winning.

“We want to develop quality baseball players, either at the varsity level in high school or maybe even college if they have the talent and desire.”

Stone hopes to do this by providing highly competitive game repetitions in an environment that teaches solid fundamentals of the sport and develops character in young athletes.

The Mid-Ohio Raptors have a full slate of games and tournaments scheduled for most age groups this upcoming season. They traditionally hold their tryouts in July for the following season.

They also offer offseason workouts to provide one-on-one hitting and pitching instruction and work on defensive skill drills.

Mid-Ohio Raptors have plenty of room in their baseball family for any kid that has a desire to get better and wants a challenging summer of highly competitive baseball. There may not be a price tag for the value of quality repetition in developing a young player’s game, and the Raptors seem to offer all of the tools necessary to see players reach their full potential.

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