Phantom Competitive Frequently Asked Questions
 

 

What is “B” Phantom?
The PGSL “Phantom” “B” teams in each age group are generally comprised of the 12 to 15 strongest PGSL league players in that age/division group from 8U up to 14U. For those of you familiar with Little League, this would be similar to Little League All-Stars. There is only one “B” team for the 10U and 12U age classifications. “B” teams are not eligible to play in “C” tournaments. We may field more than one "14B" as USA Softball has eliminated the 14C classification.  Tryout sessions will be held in April and August for the “B” and the “C” teams. 

 

What is “C” Phantom?
The “C” teams are additional teams in each age group composed of players that didn’t quite make the “B” teams but are willing and able to compete in the same format during the season. The “C” teams are able to play in "C" tournaments or "B" tournaments, if willing.  PGSL has historically fielded very strong "C" teams with players that eventually play on "A" or "B" teams.  

 

What is “A” Phantom?
"14A" and above Phantom teams are comprised of the best players for their age group and choose to play in tournaments against other "A" and "B" level travel teams that are not typically associated with public, "All-Star" leagues. 

 

What is Phantom Elite?
The “Phantom Elite” 14U, 16U and 18U teams are each composed of some of the best players in Northern California. These teams play in highly competitive regional or national tournaments in the spring, summer and/or fall seasons.  The primary goal is to provide our players with the opportunity to play year round fastpitch softball with PGSL at a highly competitive level through high school.
 
When does play start?
The summer teams can begin play on Memorial Day weekend and after the PGSL regular season play has concluded. Phantom teams play in four to eight weekend USA Softball class “B” and "C" tournaments during June, July and early August. They will play in local tournaments being played in various locations throughout Northern California. Each team may also choose to represent PGSL at the Western National Tournament during the first week of August. This choice is up to each individual Head Coach.
 
Time Commitment
The summer teams do not play in tournaments until the end of the PGSL league season.   The teams playing in summer tournaments will begin play during or after Memorial Day weekend.  Each team sets their own schedule, but will finishing somewhere between early July and early August. Each team will have a different number of tournaments. Each tournament weekend is different but will typically involve playing three games on Saturday during "pool play". Occasionally, you may begin a tournament with a Friday night game. Sundays are elimination day, where you play a single or double elimination bracket style tournament. You can plan on almost always having Sunday morning games, and can keep playing into late afternoon when you are having a good Sunday. Coaches will want to know what dates the player is not available before the player is selected for a team. Practices are normally two times during the week and once on non-tournament weekends.
 
Tournament Schedule
Each Phantom team determines the actual tournament schedule once the teams are formed based upon the availability and playing level of that team.


Availability
Teams will not play every weekend, but tournament commitments will be made based upon player availability. Please indicate your availability to the head coach at the time of tryouts so that the appropriate commitments can be made by all parties.
 
Participation Costs
Each Phantom team will split the actual costs of the tournament fees and team expenses equally among the participants. A team budget will be developed. Obviously, the actual cost will depend on the number of tournaments that the team elects to play in. Any travel expense will be separate and considered personal expenses. Additionally, each player will be required to purchase a uniform that will be theirs to keep throughout their Phantom career. The actual cost depends on the options of uniforms selected and the number of players and tournaments. A good first estimate is: Team expense for participation is approximately $250 per player for tournament entry fees depending on the number of tournaments the team decides to enter. There is also a $50 Phantom fee per year.  The uniform purchase can vary widely dependent on uniform options. Many times the uniforms can be worn for multiple years. Phantom Elite costs are more since they play in more tournaments and have more professional training sessions. 


Other Information
The starting line-ups will generally be 9 players in the field plus an optional "Designated Player" that is similar to the DH in baseball.  Tournament play does not bat the entire roster the way we do in PGSL. There is NO guaranteed minimum play time in Phantom. This means that you should not expect every player to play in every game. The general practice is that all players should get relatively equal playing time and the opportunity to play some different positions during the pool play games on Saturdays. On Sunday the line-ups may be more selective than in pool play, but the goal is to involve each player as much as possible. All playing time decisions will be made by the Head Coach. 

 

Questions

Additional questions can be directed to the Head Coach in your age group or to Ryan Davis, Phantom Director : rdavis@pleasantonsoftball.org.