By DREW GRANTHUM / Sports Writer

HELENA — A new youth travel baseball team, the Shelby Spikes, will be hosting tryouts July 27 and Aug. 3 at Helena Sports Complex.

The team will take players from across Shelby County, and will have squads in the 8U-13U age divisions.

“It’s territorial,” said manager Ben Peters. “(We) could get kids from all over. We’re playing all over the county; we’ll play in Columbiana, Montevallo, Helena and tournaments within a 60-mile radius.”

Peters said the team would play for around 10 months, participating in a fall season and a spring season. He also said the tryouts were open to all players, and said he hoped to have 20 or more players come out for each squad.

“Hopefully in some age groups we can have more than one team,” he said.

Peters said there was no cost to tryout, and encouraged any player interested to contact him.

“To register, email us,” he said. “We’ll have all the info at tryouts, but we can email if (needed).”

The tryout times are as follows: 8U, July 27, 9 a.m.; 9U, July 27, 1 p.m.; 10U, July 27, 3:30 p.m.; 11U, Aug. 3, 9 a.m.; 12U, Aug. 3, 1 p.m. and 13U, Aug. 3, 3:30 p.m.

For more information, or to register, contact Peters at Shelbyspikesbaseball@gmail.com.