Howard Palmetto Baseball & Softball Association

The Howard Palmetto Aces Program is for players in the current spring recreational baseball season who want the opportunity to play and develop their baseball skills year round. The culmination of the Aces Program is the opportunity to earn a spot for a once in a lifetime trip to Cooperstown, NY during the summer of their 12U year. Howard Palmetto believes that our spring recreational season is an important vehicle to develop a love of baseball by players of all skill levels. As such, it remains our highest priority.

Aces tryouts are held in late-April/early-May for the following age groups: 7U, 8U, 9U, 10U, 11U and 12U. Each team will be comprised of 12 players max. The age your child is on May 1st of 2025 determines which age group they would play in. For example, if your child was born on January 19th, 2016, on May 1st, 2025 they would be 9 years old and would qualify for 9U. If their birthday was June 23rd, 2016, on May 1st, 2025 they would still be 8 and would qualify for 8U. This is different from our rec league so pay attention.

If selected to play on an Aces team after a tryout, what does the $550 Aces Registration fee include?

Uniforms (Home/Away versions)
Warmup Tournament
League Fees for the MYBA or PBSA fall season
Practice Fields
A non-refundable, registration fee for the next season of spring recreational baseball. We provide a discount of $75 OFF the spring recreational baseball fee for our Aces players, since they commit to continue at Howard Palmetto for a future rec season and do an excellent job of representing HP in the greater community.

Why play with the Aces Program?

Since we are a Florida Not-For-Profit Corporation 501(c)3 funded in part through charitable contributions, we do not run our Aces Program to make a profit. This keeps our costs much lower than the thousands of dollars you might pay elsewhere
We have connections to a network of advanced baseball instructors that can provide advanced coaching to our Aces teams
We have experienced coaches who prioritize development, loyalty to Howard Palmetto and respect for the baseball community over a winning at all costs mentality found elsewhere

Aces Ambassadors for the 7/8U, 9/10U and 11/12U ages are elected by the Howard Palmetto Board by March 15th of each year. Aces Ambassadors, in consultation with the VPs of our Baseball divisions, submit their recommendations for Aces Head Coaches to the Howard Palmetto Board by April 1st of each year. In our 7U through 10U divisions, Aces Ambassadors will identify a Primary Aces Head Coach and a Standby Head Coach in case there are enough players to form more than one team after the tryouts. We only permit one team in our 11U and 12U age groups to ensure the best experience in advance of the Cooperstown trip. Each Aces Head Coach must meet with the Howard Palmetto Board to ensure that expectations are set for the upcoming Aces season prior to the tryouts.

Tryout Schedule:

9U/10U - 4/21 at Suniland field 2

12pm to 2pm for 9u

2pm to 4pm for 10u

7U/8U - 4/28 at Suniland field 1

12pm to 2pm for 7u

2pm to 4pm for 8u

11U/12U - 4/28 at Greer

12pm to 2pm for 11u/12u

Should you have any questions about the Aces Program, please contact one of the following Ambassadors:

Scott Rachlin - 7/8U Ambassador

Ron O'Brien II - 9/10U Ambassador