League Overviews

We offer young boys and girls the opportunity to spend many years in our program. Although skills and competition increase as players advance, the focus at all levels is on learning and fun. Continuous batting orders are used and all players must play a minimum number of innings in the field. Although we base our rules on National Federation of High School standards, there are modifications for each league to provide a careful evolution and recreational focus as summarized below:

Tee-Ball Leagues

Softball Leagues

Baseball Leagues

Team Selection

Team selection is a very time-consuming task for your League administrators. Regardless of the age group involved in all leagues, the first players to be assigned are:

• Sons/Daughters of Head and Asst. Coaches
• Returning players in the same league as last year, unless they ask to be reassigned
• Siblings in the same league are automatically placed on the same team, unless otherwise requested

We also balance the playing ages on each team, so that no team has a disproportionate number of older or younger players (but no continuing team is penalized because all potential returning players wish to return to their team)

Requests for specific coaches or “car pooling” groups unfortunately cannot be honored.

In Tee-Ball & 8U Softball, teams are selected by General Managers based upon “play with a friend” requests and neighborhood.

In 8U Baseball, remaining players are assigned to teams by General Managers. Players are grouped together by neighborhood, although some teams might be composed of multiple neighborhoods and some neighborhoods may be divided.

In 10U/12U Softball and 10U/12U/14U/18U Baseball leagues, players are selected in a “skill assessment” and “draft” procedure. If a player is new to a league or wishes to play on a different team than last spring, he/she should go to the Skill Assessment Session listed for the appropriate league in the WYBSL calendar on page 4. Coaches then participate in a Player Draft. At the end of this draft, any players who could not attend their skill assessment session are assigned to teams using a “blind draw” or “age and alphabet” assignment (except in Green/Red Softball which is done by staff).

In 17U Softball, players should attend the appropriate Skill Assessment (see calendar on page 4). These are used to help the league staff assign girls to teams by balancing skill level, age, pitchers, catchers and “play with a friend” requests.

“Play With A Friend Requests” (Tee-Ball & 8U Softball): In order to be put on a team with one friend or be paired with another coach, both players must list each other as 1st Friend Requests on their registration. We will not necessarily honor requests of more than one person who lists the same friend and will not allow “chaining”, where one player lists one friend who lists another friend and so on. Lastly, requests must be made by March 18th to be guaranteed.

Player Assessments

The WYBSL conducts different types of player assessments based upon league of play.

1. Play-Up Assessments: MANDATORY for those who registered to play in an “older” age division league.  See “Playing-Up?” section below.
2. Softball Skill Assessments (SPRING ONLY): are used for the 17U division to balance skill level among teams which are formed by the WYBSL staff. Attendance is strongly suggested. Please see the current newsletter for location and time schedules. For the 10U/12U divisions, these leagues use a player draft system where coaches select players who attend the assessments. Please see the current newsletter for location and time schedules.
   • If you are new to a division, you must attend the assessment to be eligible for the player draft. If you do not attend the assessment, you will be assigned to a team.
   • If you are returning to the same division you played in last spring and want to play on a different team, you should attend the assessment (see note below).
3. Baseball Skill Assessments (SPRING ONLY): are used for 10U and older divisions. These leagues use a player draft system where coaches select players who attend the assessments. Please see the current newsletter for location and time schedules.
   • If you are new to a division, you must attend the assessment to be eligible for the player draft. If you do not attend the assessment, you will be assigned to a team.
   • If you are returning to the same division you played in last spring and want to play on a different team, you should attend the assessment (see note below).

If you are an interscholastic, middle or high school player, you can not participate in assessments due to federation restrictions but will be placed on a team based on age division rules.

Note: Players in draft leagues who are returning to the same age division they played in the prior spring have the option of returning to the same team they played on the prior spring OR playing on a different team.

If you wish to return to the same team you played on last year, you should indicate such on your registration form and do NOT attend assessments. Additionally:

• if you do attend assessments, you can not return to the same team and will be drafted by another team.
• if your registration does not indicate whether you want to return to the same team nor be on another – and you do not attend assessments – you will be placed on the same team you were on last year.

If you wish to play on a different team than you played on last year, you should indicate such on your registration form and attend assessments. You will be selected by a team in the draft process. Additionally:

• if your registration form indicates that you wish to be on another team and you do not attend assessments, you will be assigned to a different team in a manner that maintains age balance.

There are additional special rules considering coaches’ players and their draft eligibility. Please speak to your head coach or contact the Boys’ Program Director if you have any questions.

“Call up” Players

A “Call-Up” player is one that is asked to play a game, in the next higher division when a team may be short players on a given day (e.g. a 10 year-old player filling in on a 12Uteam). Call-up players are used in 10U and older baseball and softball leagues.

Head Coaches in these leagues will be asked to identify potential players on their current roster that are capable of being a Call-Up player and would have an interest in becoming a Call-Up player. Rules and restrictions regarding call-up players are available on our website.