Signal Mountain’s Ben Timblin enjoys playing baseball for high school and travel team

Staff photo by Olivia Ross / Ben Timblin holds baseball caps for both his Signal Mountain high school team, left, and the eXposure organization as he sits in the stands at AT&T Field, the home of the Chattanooga Lookouts. The eXposure, which was founded by former Walker Valley standout Brandon Turner, who played at Mississippi State, is a select team that travels to tournaments throughout the summer. Staff photo by Olivia Ross / Ben Timblin holds baseball caps for both his Signal Mountain high school team, left, and the eXposure organization as he sits in the stands at AT&T Field, the home of the Chattanooga Lookouts. The eXposure, which was founded by former Walker Valley standout Brandon Turner, who played at Mississippi State, is a select team that travels to tournaments throughout the summer.

By Jay Greeson July 2, 2022 6 min read

For the longest time, the belief was if you could play, they would find you.

Pro scouts find college kids from Tuscaloosa to Kalamazoo. Colleges could uncover diamonds in podunk towns and sight future stars at small private schools.

But now the needles are looking to stand out among the haystacks, and hoping to be seen is often seen as a dated hope.

Simply put, for an ever-growing percentage of high school sports standouts who want to be offered a college scholarship, talent has to travel.

But at what price? Whether that means joining the AAU basketball circuit, traveling with select teams for baseball and softball or participating in any of the hundreds of football camps spread across the nation during the summer months, families foot the bill of league and tournament fees as well as travel costs such as gas, food and lodging – all in the search for that rare college scholarship offer.