A unified American Legion summer travel baseball effort between Wilder Baseball Club and the Olympic Crosscutters will begin with a co-hosted tryout session at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at Civic Field, Port Angeles.

The programs aren’t combining, instead uniting efforts to provide the best training and competition opportunities for area ball players from seventh grade through high school across the three levels of play.

“Our goal is to come together and create a program that will maximize opportunities for kids from the (Hood Canal) Bridge to Forks,” Olympic Crosscutters coach John Qualls said.

The May 19 tryout will allow coaches to choose rosters for the Crosscutter’s Single-A (seventh through ninth graders) legion team and the Double-AA Wilder Junior (high school freshman-juniors) squad.

Wilder Senior’s own tryout is tentatively planned for 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 28, at Civic Field after the prep baseball season ends. But players on high school teams that have been eliminated from the postseason are encouraged to attend the May 19 tryout date.

Wilder Junior will continue to be coached by Zac Moore and Wilder Senior will be headed up by Port Angeles High School head coach Karl Myers.

The Single-A Crosscutters will be based in Sequim with practices and games held at Sequim High School. Qualls said his team will likely play between 35-40 games this summer.

Double-AA Wilder Junior will practice and play most of its games at Volunteer Field, with Wilder Senior sharing Civic Field with the Port Angeles Lefties. Moore said the Wilder squads will likely play a 30-game summer slate.