2024 Rising Stars Showcase - Fan Guide by Wisconsin Sports Services

Welcome Gopher State Rising Stars!

Welcome to the 4th Annual Rising Stars Baseball Showcase, presented by the Gopher State Baseball League!

The Minnesota Youth Athletic Services, Inc. (MYAS) is proud to introduce this event that recognizes youth baseball players who competed in the 2022 9u-12u Gopher State Baseball League. All individuals participating this weekend have shown the potential to be future Gopher State Baseball All-Star Series participants. These “rising stars” were nominated by their coaches, teammates or parents based on their performance on the field and the positive example they provide off the field.

As the focus should be with these young athletes, we didn’t just want to offer the opportunity to simply play games. Our organization has lined up some of the best trainers in the state of Minnesota to give these athletes the opportunity to receive some development tips and training that they can carry with them as they continue to advance their baseball careers. We also hope that the opportunity to play with others outside their communities may blossom into friendships for years to come. The inclusion of development and training in this showcase event is a foundational part of the MYAS Rising Stars Baseball Academy.

MYAS is excited to hold the Rising Stars Showcase event at the “Home of Gopher State Baseball,” Airport Park, on the campus of the National Sports Center (NSC) in Blaine, MN. We greatly appreciate the partnership that we have created with the NSC and look forward to building on it in 2024 and beyond.

As you may have seen or heard, the 13u-15u Gopher State Baseball All-Star Series is also being held this weekend at six locations throughout the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities. The All-Star participants, combined with the Risings Stars participants, embodies over 800 stars on the field this weekend, representing 65 communities in the state of Minnesota. Our goal of this weekend’s festivities is to provide each participant an experience that creates lifelong memories and an experience that represents the hard work and dedication of not only themselves, but their coaches, teammates, parents, family members, and the rest of the Minnesota baseball community that supports them each and every time they take the field.

Enjoy the weekend, and thank you for your time and dedication to youth baseball!

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Dedicated volunteer administrator, coach, mentor, friend to the communities he served and the MYAS/ Gopher State comprehensive youth baseball program .

It was with great sadness that the MYAS has learned of the sudden passing of Michael N. Anderson on May 20, 2021. Michael was a longtime member of the Shoreview Area Youth Baseball organization and a truly remarkable advocate for youth and high school baseball across the state of Minnesota. He volunteered countless hours on and off the field to provide opportunities for youth through the Shoreview Area Youth Baseball and Fridley Legion programs.

In addition to his commitment to providing opportunities within the communities of Shoreview, Arden Hills, North Oaks, and Vadnais Heights, Michael also holds a special place with MYAS/Gopher State because of his dedication to our community-based program and the countless hours he provided our organization from 2007-2021.

Michael was a founding member of the Gopher State Baseball Board of Advisors, which serves as a neutral body that assists the MYAS baseball staff with guidance on rules, regulations, programming, and specialty events, such as the Gopher State Baseball All-Star Series. Anderson, along with a few other board members, helped the MYAS baseball staff to place 13u-15u All-Star nominees onto the appropriate teams during the first few years of the Series’ existence. The biggest asset the Board of Advisors provided was establishing a Team Classification Policy for the Gopher State Baseball League. Michael was a big contributor in creating those policies and attended nearly every petition hearing by associations and/or teams in person, virtually, or via email, since this policy was enacted in 2007.

Anderson’s greatest attribute over the years has been not only that he was always looking out for what was best for Shoreview Area Youth Baseball, but he also wanted what was best for the entirety of Minnesota’s community-based youth baseball programming.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Michael’s family and friends. He will always be remembered for his selfless and continuous efforts to advance youth baseball in the communities that he served, and also his passion for youth baseball throughout his years as an administrator, mentor, beloved coach, and friend of the youth baseball community. He was truly a genuine person, and was respected and admired by all of us at the MYAS. He will be greatly missed!

The MYAS/Gopher State is committed to fulfilling the family’s request to create a youth baseball scholarship and an area youth baseball field in his name. Moving forward, the MYAS also intends to memorialize his legacy to youth baseball by naming specific Gopher State Baseball events in his honor.

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GENERAL INFORMATION

About the Rising Stars Showcase

This is the 4th Annual MYAS Rising Stars Showcase. A big part of our All-Star Weekend features the best players from the 9U-12U divisions of our Gopher State Baseball League. These players were nominated by their coaches and will be joined together to continue developing their skillset and to display their talents amongst their most elite peers.

Practices prior to the Rising Stars Competition

There will not be practices for Rising Stars teams prior to the Rising Stars Showcase on August 3rd and August 4th.

Development Session

Players will receive a 90-minute on field training session with the Rising Stars Academy Clinicians.

Competition Format

Players will be divided into two teams per division and play one exhibition game following their developmental session. This game will feature equal playing time and follow the continuous batting/free substitution rules of the Gopher State Baseball League.