Baseball and softball players live on a long calendar. There is the high school season in the spring, travel ball through the summer, fall ball, winter lessons in a cage, and a scorebook for every one of those games. That gives families a lot of material to work with. These gift ideas are for the players themselves, whether they are in high school, on a travel team or both.
Their season, every game of it
For most players, the season print is the place to start. The Season, Baseball and The Season, Softball each put up to six season numbers set big, which you choose, followed by every game with the date, opponent, result and the player's own line, plus the team's record and finish. Each is from $45.
Choosing the six numbers is half the fun. Some combinations that tell a clear story:
- Hitters: batting average, on-base percentage, hits, doubles, RBIs, stolen bases.
- Pitchers: innings, strikeouts, ERA, wins, walks per seven innings, opponents' average.
- Catchers: runners caught stealing, passed balls allowed, innings caught, plus a couple of hitting numbers.
- Utility players: games played, positions played, fielding percentage, hits.
The team's scoring app or the scorekeeper's book will have the game-by-game lines. Coaches usually share season totals at the end of the year.
The first home run, or any first
Every player remembers the first one over the fence. When it happens, get the ball back if you can, and write the date, opponent, inning and pitch count on it while everyone still remembers. The Milestone Certificate makes the moment official: the player's name, the date, the place, the details and the witnesses, on a certificate worth framing. It works for a first home run, a first no-hitter, a first save or a first hit at a new level. From $24.
A travel ball tournament
Travel teams play a lot of weekends, but one tournament usually stands out. The Tournament Run shows every game from pool play to the championship as a climb, each opponent and score, the finish with a brass trophy (Tournament Champions or Runner-Up), the record and the roster with your player highlighted. Order one for every family and give the coach one too. From $45.
Their own trading card, poster size
Younger players especially love the Player Card: a big trading-card print with their name, number, position, team and season, up to six stats and a highlight from the year. A new one every season becomes a collection on the bedroom wall. From $24.
For seniors
Senior night in baseball and softball comes in late spring, often on top of graduation parties. The Senior Night Career Record puts all four high school seasons on one big print, set like the back of a premium card: the number huge, every season's stat line with career totals added up for you, honors, and where they signed if they are playing in college. From $45.
If your senior also played travel ball, consider including those highlights in your message line. Many players spent as many summer games with their travel team as spring games with their school.
A gift for every player on the team
The Team Water Bottle is 17 ounces of stainless steel with the player's number and name printed on both sides, so one always faces out in a crowded dugout, plus the school and sport. It gets used in July doubleheaders more than almost anything else a player owns. Teams ordering for every player get 30% off. From $42.
Small gifts that need no stat sheet
Not every gift has to be about numbers. A fresh set of batting gloves in their size, a bag of the sunflower seeds they actually like, or a ride home after a doubleheader without any talk about their at-bats can mean as much as anything framed. A short note from a grandparent who watched every inning on a phone stream is another one players keep.
Details and proofs
School and team names print as the words you type, never as logos. Most high school and travel players are minors, so names, numbers and stats come from the family, and you approve a proof before anything is printed.
Shop this guide
The Season, BaseballFrom $45
The Season, SoftballFrom $45
The Tournament RunFrom $45
Milestone CertificateFrom $24
Player CardFrom $24
Senior Night Career RecordFrom $45
Team Water BottleFrom $54
Ordering
Personalize each piece on its product page. Every order is checked by hand against what you entered, and a proof comes to you before printing. Allow about two weeks, especially around end-of-season parties. Travel teams, high school programs and booster clubs ordering five or more pieces get team pricing; see team orders.