New Professional Baseball Team Holding Competitive Try Outs Nearby

The Rockland Boulders, a brand new professional team based in Pomona, New York, is holding  Saturday at  in Mahwah.

The Boulders, an independently owned and operated team, says it co-exists with the affiliated minor leagues, both feeding into and taking players from the MLB. The team’s front office describes it as a “melting pot” for players who have played professionally before and are not staying with their previous teams this year, recent college graduates looking for playing opportunities, and others who want to compete at a professional level.

Part of the Canadian-American, or CanAm, minor league, the Boulders are one of seven teams that will face one another this season. The Boulders are scheduled to play 50 games.

CanAm, which was originally founded in 1936 but shut down for several decades, reformed in 2005, boasting teams from the tri-state and greater Quebec areas. Over the past five seasons, dozens of players have moved to playing for MLB organizations, including the Yankees and Mets.

The Boulders, which is owned by Bottom 9 Baseball, LLC, and managed by former MLB, NHL and NFL manager Ken Lehner and real estate developer Shawn Reilly, is looking to bring an enjoyable, affordable, close-to-home way for locals to enjoy “America’s Pastime.” 

“Until now, the residents of Lower Hudson Valley and Northern New Jersey have never had their own baseball team to unite the community,” the team’s website explains. 

The 2011 inaugural roster includes 19 players who have played at college, A+, A-, AA and AAA levels. The coaches are Dave LaPoint, a World Series Champion with the St. Louis Cardinals, who also played for the Brewers and the Yankees, and Damian Rolls, who played five seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The coaches are looking for “at least one” new player, and are tapping into the community they will be representing to find athletes.

“I hope we have a good turn out.  This is an elimination camp.  It is going to be competitive, and if players do not meet our requirements, they will be eliminated on the spot,” LaPoint aid of Saturday’s first-ever Boulders try-out. 

LaPoint also guaranteed that at least one person in attendance will make the team, saying, “we are looking for talent.”

Interested baseball players should visit the Boulders’ website to register for Saturday’s tryout, which will take place from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Ramapo College.

Registration, which includes lunch and two tickets to a future Boulders game, costs a non-refundable $100. Hopefuls must register before the event, and are expected to bring their own equipment.

Once the season begins, the Boulders will play all home games at a new stadium off of Exit 12 on the Palisades Parkway in Pomona, NY, which is still under construction. 

Starting this summer, the ballpark will be open to group events and birthday parties.

The nearest competition to the Boulders, fellow CanAm team the New Jersey Jackals, play in Little Falls, N.J., will also be hosting an open try out on Thursday.