The Baldwinsville Swarm is the team name of a group of traveling baseball and softball teams from Baldwinsville, New York. The organization originally began in 2009 with a 13U baseball team, consisting of members of past Little League All-Stars from Baldwinsville. The team went by the name of Baldwinsville Swarm or CNY Swarm in many tournaments.
In its inaugural season, the Swarm participated mostly as a travel tournament team, participating in 13U and 14U tournaments in Long Island, Baltimore, Rehoboth Beach, and Buffalo and in regional Rome/Utica league on Sundays. In its second season (2010), the Swarm completed a 30-game schedule, going 23-7, participating as a Mickey Mantle team and participating in tournaments in New Jersey and Rehoboth Beach. Finally, in 2011, the Swarm participated as a 15U team in tournaments in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and in Marcellus, NY. The team won the 2011 Mustang Classic in Marcellus, NY, medaled at the Lancer Classic in Niagara Falls, and qualified for a national tournament in 2012.
In 2012, six members of the Swarm team participated on the varsity team for C.W. Baker High School in Baldwinsville, NY. That team won sectional and regional championships and went to the state semifinals in Binghamton, NY. In 2013, the number of Swarm players on the varsity team increased to 13 players (7 of 9 the starters were Swarm players). That team repeated as sectional and regional champions and subsequently won the NY state championship at the AA level, the highest level in New York state. The 2013 varsity team was also ranked #1 in the Northeast by MaxPreps.
In 2012, the Swarm expanded to include an 11U team and a 13U team. The 11U team won the Lancer Classic that year and placed second in a competitive tournament at Sports at the Beach in Rehoboth Beach, DE in August.
In 2013, the same Swarm teams moved up a year and a 13U team was added, raising the total Swarm teams to three. The 12U team enjoyed a spectacular run at Cooperstown Dreams Park in August, bowing out late in the playoffs to the eventual champions that week.
In 2014, the Swarm expanded significantly. The baseball teams consisted of 11U, 12U, 13U, 14U, and 15U teams. Many of those teams medaled at travel tournaments, including second place finishes at Battle at the Falls and the Lancer Classic. The 12U team comprised the Baldwinsville Little League Majors All-Star team, which won the District 8 championship, before falling in the regional championship game. Swarm teams also reached the semifinal rounds at tournaments at Sports at the Beach, Ripken, and Diamond Nation.
The program also welcomed three softball teams to the Swarm family in 2014: 12U, 14U, and 16U. The teams played a competitive and successful travel and league schedule throughout the season.
In 2015, the Swarm expanded even more, with SEVEN baseball teams (9U through 15U) and FIVE softball teams (2 12U teams, a 14U, a 16U, and an 18U team). Swarm teams won a number of local tournaments and won tournaments at Darien Lake and Sports at the Beach, and placed in other tournaments. In 2015, the Swarm program obtained a ticket to Cooperstown Dreams Park, which will allow future Swarm 12U baseball teams to participate. The Swarm 12U team again comprised the majority of the Baldwinsville Little League Majors All-Star team that repeated as District 8 champions.
For the 2016 season, the Swarm program has enjoyed even more growth, swelling to NINE baseball teams (8U through 15U, 18U) and SIX softball teams (10U, 2 - 12U, 14U, 16U, and 18U).
Swarm Vision
In 2008, a group of Baldwinsville parents got together and decided to create a 13U travel baseball team to prepare the players for the varsity program a few years down the road. At that time, the group decided that they wanted to provide players a platform for competitive baseball with a focus on higher level instruction and growth.
The Swarm concept is founded on these key philosophical concerns:
- Development of Baldwinsville players
- Development of the total player
- Relatively equal playing time
In 2014, the same vision has been embraced by softball, as THREE softball teams have been added to the Swarm family.
CNY Baseball Club, Inc.
The not-for-profit corporation which oversees the Swarm teams is called the CNY Baseball Club, Inc.
CNY BASEBALL CLUB, INC. BY-LAWS & STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES