High School Fall Baseball
2026 High School Fall Tryouts
➡️ Who - Athletes who are 2027-2030 Grad Years
⚾️ What - Tryout for the Catalyst High School Fall Baseball Program 2026
📆 When - Tuesday, July 28th @ 6 pm
📍 Where - Colorado Academy Baseball Field - 3800 S. Pierce St., Denver, CO 80235
- If you cannot attend tryouts, but would like to be considered for a roster spot, please register and then contact us to schedule a make-up tryout. Please email INFO@GoCatalystSports.com
➡️ - If you are a returning athlete from summer 2026, you do not need to attend tryouts, but you must fill out this returners form: CLICK HERE for Returners Form
Catalyst Now Attending AZ Fall Classic
We are very excited to have our top 18u team awarded a bid in the Arizona Senior Fall Classic!
Playing in this tournament gives athletes the opportunity to play in one of the best exposure events in the nation. We are really excited to be able to offer this opportunity to our athletes this fall season.
Cards Fall Ball
The Catalyst Cardinals are a club baseball program based out of both Lakewood & Golden, Colorado. With access to first-class facilities and professional coaching insight, the Catalyst program is one of the best fall programs to help your athlete develop.
Our goal is to help each individual athlete develop as much as possible. A fall season with Catalyst can be the linchpin to players having big-time success on the ball field. The fall is one of the best times of the year to play baseball in Colorado, and offers an opportunity to leapfrog your competition.
We will typically offer 16u and 18u teams during the fall season.
Additional Program Notes:
Each Catalyst Fall Team will play a travel tournament in Arizona, and alongside that tournament we have secured a spot in an ASU Sundevils Baseball Camp (we have done this the last two years, and it has been awesome). ASU coaches run the camp. We get to take batting practice, ground balls & fly balls on the field at Phoenix Municipal Stadium (ASU's home field), along with a lot of extra reps in the ASU indoor batting cage down the right-field line. Then the coaches will take us on a tour of their facilities. We are very excited to get to offer this opportunity to our athletes again this year.
Check out this little clip from a previous trip:
About the Program
Catalyst Fall Baseball is all about the players. Our goal is to help players use the fall as an opportunity to improve and develop as much as they can as players. We will have multiple High School and Youth Fall ball teams.
For the high school fall baseball program, we will practice on the field at Colorado Academy 2 days per week & also offer optional practices for an additional 2 days per week for all athletes. All of these practices will be from 5:00 - 6:30 pm at Colorado Academy High School.
During these optional workouts, we will have a bat speed program and an arm velocity program available for athletes (details below).
Practice Schedule:
- 16u Teams: Team Practice on Mondays & Wednesdays & Optionals on Tuesdays & Thursdays
- 18u Teams: Team Practice on Tuesdays & Thursdays & Optionals on Mondays & Wednesdays
- Athletes are given the flexibility to come to any of these and can join the other group's team practice or optional practice if it works better for their schedule.
Please also note that if switching to the opposite practice schedule (on-field practices on Mon/Wed and optional individual skill development days on Tue/Thur) works better for your athlete's schedule, they are more than welcome to do that. We are out there every day either way.
All athletes will also have access to an optional bat speed program and arm velocity program. These will be performed on their off days from practice (so Tue/Thur for 16u & Mon/Wed for 18u).
Colorado Academy is located at 3800 S. Pierce Street, in Denver, CO. 80235.
Program Includes:
Access to Our Indoor Training Facility: By being a member of the fall program, you will also have access to the Catalyst Indoor Facility for additional work. We can give athletes a code to hit or throw whenever the facility is open. The new facility is at C-470 & Hampden. We will be at Colorado Academy on the baseball field for training sessions & in-season practices.
Bat Speed & Arm Velocity Programs: If fall athletes wish to take part in this part of the program, they are expected to be present at the overwhelming majority of the optional days to make sure they are properly ramping up. Both programs will also include significant water bag exercises.
- Bat Speed Program: Athletes who choose to participate will receive a guided overload & underload bat speed training program specifically designed to increase the hitter's capacity to generate more bat speed. They will also receive a personalized digital tracking sheet to measure each session. We will use the Bat Speed Recon to track every swing.
- Arm Velocity Program: Athletes who take part in this part of the program will be guided through a Driveline overload & underload Arm Velocity Program with plyo balls and weighted baseballs. Stalker radar guns will be used to measure baselines and improvements.
Scheduling: Catalyst fall teams typically play league games consisting of doubleheaders on the weekend along with tournaments. We make a concerted effort to differentiate our program by placing a premium on player development. We want to use the fall to do all we can to help each individual athlete become the most proficient ballplayer they can be.
Professional Coaching: Catalyst Coaches and instructors have experience playing and/or coaching at the youth, high school, college, and professional levels.
Top-Notch Indoor Training Facility: We will be at Colorado Academy on the baseball field for training sessions & in-season practices. By being a member of the fall program you will also have access to the Catalyst Indoor Facility for additional work.
16 – 32 On-Field Practices:
From late August through late October, Catalyst fall teams' outdoor on-field practices will be held on the baseball field at Colorado Academy. Each week (weather & schedule dependent) we will aim to practice on Monday & Wednesday evenings from 5:00-6:30 pm. These sessions will be run by the Catalyst coaching staff and players will have access to professional coaching and instruction in the areas of hitting, pitching, infield, outfield, catching, base running, mental toughness, situational baseball, and much more. We will also have optional practices for the athletes on Tuesdays & Thursdays (also from 5:00 pm-6:30 pm). During these optional workouts, we will have a bat speed program and an arm velocity program available for athletes.
Equipment Discounts: By being a member of the Catalyst Baseball family, players & parents get access to discounts on all the apparel, gear, & equipment needed for the season. You get discounts on gear from Wilson, EvoShield, Louisville Slugger, and ATEC through the Team Shop online.
Lesson Discount: By being in the Catalyst Program you get a 10% discount on all private or group lesson services, camps & clinics, speed & agility training services, and strength training services offered by the Catalyst coaching staff.
Summary
If you are not serious then this program is not for you. However, if you are looking to build character while taking quantum leaps as a ball player, you have found the right program. We really want athletes that are interested in putting in the work to become their best selves.
Program Includes:
***PLEASE NOTE: The calendar will auto-populate to the current month. Scroll over to see the rest of the schedule or subsequent months.
Interested in Becoming a Cardinal?
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J.T. Putt
Coach Putt has been the head baseball coach for both Colorado Academy and the Catalyst Cardinals 16U teams.
In 2017, he led CA to the best year in program history. They went 20-6 and finished 3rd in the Colorado. This was the first 20 win season and final four finish in program history. Coach Scott Payne and Rob Herrmann were key players in the teams success also as they both assisted. CA then went 17-4 in 2018 continuing their winning ways. Coach Putt also led the 2016 16U Catalyst Cardinals to the Colorado Classic State Championship.
Previous coaching experience -
Prior to joining Catalyst, Coach Putt coached with the Lightning of Parker. He has been the head coach at CA for the past 5 seasons, completely turning the program around. He has also assisted with the Catalyst Cardinals 18U team for the last 4 summers.
Playing Experience -
High School: Coach Putt played his high school ball at Mullen High School where he was 1st team all conference, 1st team all-state (5A), and 1st team all-Colorado (all classifications). He was also voted team MVP his senior season, leading the Mustangs in average, home runs, RBI, and OBP. He then played in the Top 40 All-Star game, held at Coors Field. Keeping academics as a priority he earned first team academic all-state honors.
College Central AZ CC: Coach Putt attended Central Arizona College. He was invited to the ACCAC all-star game, and helped lead the Vaqueros to a 43-21 record & a District II Championship. He was also named the accounting & 2nd year student of the year. He then signed at UNLV where he was for a year before accepting a scholarship to play closer to home at Regis University.
College Regis University: In his time at Regis he was voted team captain while also receiving NCBWA All-American, and Academic All-American honors. He tied the program’s single season doubles record his junior year, when he led the Rangers in batting avg. (.426), doubles (23), total bases (149), slugging pct. (.756), on-base pct. (.491), and stolen bases (17). He also earned All-RMAC First Team, Daktronics All-Central Region Second Team, and American Baseball Coaches Association All-Central Region First Team honors. He graduated Summa Cum Laude and was distinguished as the most outstanding student in business administrative sciences.
Professional: Post college he was fortunate enough to play professionally in the United States, Australia, and Europe.
Professional: Played for the Las Cruces Vaqueros along side fellow Catalyst coach, Rob Herrmann. He played both 3B and the OF for the Vaqueros, hitting .296 and slugging .507 to give him an OPS of .939. He also had a .432 on-base percentage. In Australia he played for the Henley & Grange Rams. He would then move to a suburb of Paris, France to play for the Templiers de Senart, helping lead them to the league championship tournament.
Scott Payne
As the head coach of the Catalyst Cardinals 18u squad over the past two summer seasons, Coach Payne has amassed a 58-22 record, giving the Cardinals a .725 win percentage.
In 2016 the Cardinals 18u squad finished the year with a 1.909 Team ERA, a .315 Team Batting AVG., and a .933 Team Fielding Percentage.
With Payne at the helm, 9 seniors have went on to play college baseball in competitive programs over the past 2 summers.
Previous coaching experience -
Prior to joining Catalyst, Coach Payne worked as the roving infield instructor with Cheyenne Post Six in Wyoming and was part of 4 consecutive Legion State Championships.
Playing Experience -
High School: Payne was a 4 year starter for Cheyenne Post 6. As a player for Post 6 Payne was part of 4 consecutive State Championships and 2 regional runner-up teams. Payne was selected to the All State team in both his Junior and Senior years. Payne was also selected as a captain his senior year prior to signing with Mesa CC.
College Mesa CC: Payne played multiple positions in the infield for the Thunderbirds accumulating only 8 errors in 2 seasons. In his sophomore year Payne hit .327 and was selected as the team MVP, invited to the ACCAC all-star game, and was named a team captain before being offered a scholarship to attend Regis University.
College Regis University: Payne finished his career at Regis University graduating with a Health and Exercise Science degree with a Thematic Emphasis on Kinesiology. Payne played second base for the Rangers finishing with a .308 batting AVG.
Walker Hamilton
Coach Walker Hamilton played for Catalyst and CA throughout high school before playing college ball at Ursinus College. He has coached at Colorado Academy and with the Catalyst High School program over the last three seasons. He has been a huge asset to the coaching staff. He pays close attention to detail and works extremely hard at his craft, which has helped him become an elite-level coach with a knack for player development.
Luca Dincola
A Lakewood native, Luca Dincola played for Catalyst Baseball from age 14 before continuing his career at Lakewood High School and the collegiate level. He spent two years in junior college in California, where he earned two Gold Gloves as a center fielder in the Central Valley Conference. Luca went on to play at the University of Texas Permian Basin and Southwestern College. He specializes in outfield development and brings added value from his experience as a college reliever and closer. He also served as an assistant coach for the Colorado Academy varsity team during the 2021 & 2026 seasons.
Stacio Salas
Coach Salas brings a strong background in both playing and performance training to Catalyst Baseball Academy. He played two years of junior college baseball before transferring to Ottawa University Arizona, where he earned his degree in Exercise Science. After college, he joined the Texas Rangers organization, starting as an intern and advancing into a full-time strength coach role while also contributing to on-field player development. Coach Salas specializes in helping athletes improve movement efficiency, build strength, and develop a deeper understanding of the game—equipping players with the tools they need to succeed at the next level.
Potential Scholarships Now Available for Catalyst
We are really excited to announce our new partnership with Chance Sports, a non-profit dedicated to helping athletes cover the cost of club sports.
To be considered all you need to do is fill out the Parent Application on their web-site.
From Chance Sports:
Chance Sports is a new Colorado non-profit dedicated to providing student-athletes with the financial support to access amateur club sports, and to learn leadership and teambuilding skills that will benefit them on and off the athletic field. Launched in the summer of 2022, we have already secured funding to begin offering scholarships this fall and are currently developing our scholarship process to allow dollars to quickly flow to the student-athletes who need them most.
Here is how Chance Sports works: We work with a select number of clubs and empower them to choose the athletes who need our financial support. Our scholarship can be used to offset club dues and fees, family travel and lodging, and equipment that is required to participate in the club sport.
The program is meant to lessen the financial burden on families who participate in club sports, so we will not ask clubs or families to pay anything or fundraise on our behalf.
Chance Sports’ funding goes directly to the club on behalf of the student-athlete via ACH.
Each athlete who receives our financial support is required to attend one leadership gathering per year to meet other athletes and to hear inspirational talks from business, community, and sports leaders in the Metro Denver community. We are planning our first event in early 2023.
Scholarship Amount: The maximum scholarship amount is $5,000 per athlete, per season, OR 75% of the total cost for an athlete to participate in the club, whichever is less.
