Lake Monsters Academy

Lake Monsters Academy (LMA) is a development-first youth baseball organization serving communities across Vermont. We are operated by 802 Diamond Alliance, a Vermont nonprofit corporation, in association with the Vermont Lake Monsters professional baseball organization.

LMA is not a travel team. It is not a single-town program. It is a unified baseball organization with three arms: a community league, a select program, and an Academy coaching model, all built around serious player development, real competition, and genuine accessibility.

Lake Monsters Academy operates in formal association and partnership with the Vermont Lake Monsters. LMA players, coaches, and families are part of the Lake Monsters community.

Championship Weekend is hosted at Centennial Field, and Lake Monsters coaches and players are involved in Academy programming throughout the season.

802 Diamond Alliance is the Vermont nonprofit corporation that handles governance, finances, insurance, and accountability, in partnership with the Vermont Lake Monsters, for LMA.

Lake Monsters Academy is organized around development – practices, coaching standards, and a curriculum that travels with every player through every season. The schedule is local. The competition is real. The coaching is serious. And the commitment doesn’t require surrendering your summer to find it.

We are building something Vermont baseball hasn’t had before, and we are building it with the communities and families who join us.

Open tryouts and player identification sessions will be held at Centennial Field in Burlington, Vermont:

• Primary date: Saturday, August 29, 2026
• Rain date: Sunday, August 30, 2026

Registration is required. More to follow soon.

For Summer 2027, Lake Monsters Academy is identifying players who have completed their Little League eligibility for community programs and ultimately select teams. Players born in 2008-2014 are eligible.

If you are unsure whether your child qualifies, email me at [email protected].

Sessions are designed to evaluate players fairly and comprehensively across hitting, fielding, pitching, and athleticism. Evaluations are conducted by independent coaches – no parent coaches evaluate their own children. Every player who attends will receive communication about placement, regardless of outcome.

Players should have a baseline of organized baseball experience. This is not a beginner’s program. That said, we evaluate players on potential and coachability, not just current skill level. If your child loves the game and is willing to work, we want to see them.

Every player who attends will be contacted with their placement hopefully within a week of the session. Players are placed into community program teams based on age group and geography.

The most competitive players across all programs are considered for the select team, which will be named during the season, Summer 2027.

Community program placement does not require a select team commitment.

Weekend practices begin in May, with no weeknight commitments during the school year. The regular season opens mid-June and runs through July and early August.

Championship Weekend is held in late July or early August at Centennial Field. Select team tournaments take place in July at some point, possibly early August.

During the regular season, each community team practices three times per week and plays two games per week, with limited travel. Select team players have additional tournament commitments in July and/or early August.

For community program players: almost none. Regular season games are played within driving distance of home. There are no required overnight trips during the community program season.

For select team players: regional tournaments in nearby states. Families manage their own travel and accommodations – these costs are not included in the program fee.

Community program teams practice and play at fields in or near their home communities, typically school fields or local recreation facilities.

Teams will also have access to Centennial Field for various sessions throughout the season. Championship Weekend is held at Centennial Field.

Full pricing will be announced with registration. Community program fees are designed to be significantly below the cost of comparable programs in Vermont and the region.

We are committed to transparency — when registration opens, a full breakdown of what the fee covers will be published alongside it.

If cost is a barrier for your family, contact us before assuming it’s not possible.

Yes. Select team players pay a per-tournament fee on top of community program registration. This fee covers tournament entry and select team jerseys.

Families are responsible for their own travel and accommodations. The per-tournament fee will be published when the tournaments have been selected.

We are committed to making Lake Monsters Academy accessible to every Vermont family that wants to be here. Need-based assistance is available.

Contact us directly at [email protected] to have a confidential conversation.

No family should assume cost is a barrier before asking.

Community program head coaches are selected by the Chief Baseball Officer of the Lake Monsters Academy, and the coaching staff based on baseball knowledge, development philosophy, and community standing.

Every coach must complete LMA coaching certification before their first practice.

We do not fill coaching spots to meet a roster need – if the right coach isn’t in place, the program waits.

Every community program operates from the same development curriculum – the same practice structure, with flexibility for each team’s needs, as well as the same skill progressions and pitching protocols.

A player in Swanton and a player in Brattleboro receive instruction built on the same standard. The Chief Baseball Officer ensures consistency throughout the season.

Yes. Lake Monsters Academy is operated by 802 Diamond Alliance, a Vermont nonprofit corporation, in partnership with the Vermont Lake Monsters.

We are in the process of applying for federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.

Donations made through 802 Diamond Alliance support the program and – once 501(c)(3) status is confirmed – will be tax-deductible.

Lake Monsters Academy is built to last. The long-term vision is a permanent home facility in Chittenden County, a year-round training and development center anchored by the Lake Monsters brand, that serves Vermont baseball families across all age groups for generations.