Augusta - They arrived from all over the U.S., bedecked in brightly-colored uniforms and armed with gloves, bats and a dream to play professional baseball. More than a hundred young men descended on Skylands Park on May 3 to try out for just a handful of spots in the independent Can-Am League. Although many of the players excelled in collegiate baseball and have played in summer leagues such as the New England Collegiate Baseball League, their chances of catching on with one of the teams in the Double A-caliber Can-Am League were pretty remote. “Out of all of you that are here today, ten might get signed and five might stick with a team’s roster throughout the season,” said Dan Henderson, the camp director for the Can-Am League tryouts who operates ProBaseballTryouts.com, a Web site that provides information about professional baseball tryouts around the U.S. “If you’re a pitcher throwing 88 or 89 miles an hour, you’ll get some looks. If you throw harder, you’ll get more looks. But if you’re not polished, you won’t get a look,” added Henderson, a pitcher who was signed by the Florida Marlins in 2003 and now plays for the Coastal Bend Aviators in the American Association. Most of the managers for the eight-team Can-Am League already have the bulk of their rosters in place, said Henderson. At this point in the year, they might be looking for just one or two position players. “We’re pretty well set, but I might be looking for another catcher,” said John Kennedy, Manager of the North Shore Spirit, a Can-Am League team that plays in Lynn, Mass. “We’re looking to see if there’s a guy we want to bring into (training) camp” which begins on May 13, said Brian Drahman, manager of the Sussex Skyhawks. The Skyhawks play their first home game on May 29 against the North Shore Spirit after opening on May 25 in Quebec. Although there are a limited number of openings for new players in the Can-Am League, the abundance of independent leagues around the U.S. have made it possible for pro prospects to catch the eye of Major League scouts. Mal Fichman, a player development assistant for the San Diego Padres who coordinates the team’s recruitment activities from independent baseball leagues around the U.S., said there are currently 17 players on the Padres’ roster who once played in independent leagues and more than 100 such players in its farm system. “We’re a big believer in drawing talent from the independent leagues,” said Fichman, who is originally from River Edge, N.J. Position players who tried out here were put through 60-yard sprints and had to show off their fielding and throwing abilities before facing some of the pitchers who were in camp. About a third of the players trying out were pitchers. One of them was Steve Spitaleri, a 22 year-old Saddle Brook, N.J., resident who pitches for Dominican College in Orangeburg, N.Y. “I tried out for the Somerset Patriots in the Atlantic League two weeks ago,” said Spitaleri, whose fastball tops out at about 88 m.p.h. “If I don’t catch on here or there, I’m also looking at the Frontier League in Illinois.” Indeed, the road to the big leagues can be paved with plenty of potholes and detours. For example, Ben Kimball, a 24 year-old pitcher from Bainbridge, N.Y., pitched six months in Belgium last year before spending the past half year playing Class A-type ball for a team in Australia. Kimball claims to have broken six pitching records while on the mound for SUNY Brockport from 2002 to 2005. Still, he recognizes that his 85 m.p.h. fastball might hold him back. “But I’m a lefty and my off-speed pitches are better,” he says. Some players will go to any length to get a leg (or an arm) up on the competition. Dallas Strankman, a 24 year-old pitcher from Scottsdale, Ariz., trains with Charlie Hough, a knuckleballer who pitched for the Dodgers and Rangers in the 70s and 80s. It helps to have connections. “You need to have someone who knows you’re coming to these tryouts and watches you closely. Then you hope,” said Nate Moffie, a 23-year-old outfielder from Wallingford, Conn. Who played for the University of Pennsylvania through 2005. It also helps to have a backup plan. Troy Sogluizzo, a 24 year-old outfielder who played for Wagner College on Staten Island through 2005, was at Skylands Park hoping to catch a manager’s attention with his hitting. If pro baseball doesn’t pan out for him, Sogluizzo is attending Brooklyn College to pursue a master’s in education. “You’ve got to have something to fall back on,” he said. Meanwhile, others at the tryouts continue to live the dream. “I’m still young,” said Doug Hehner, a 23-year-old third baseman from Brick Township, N.J. “I have to play while I can.”