Spring/Summer Registration FAQs

From year to year, some of the same questions are asked frequently. In this section, we’ve tried to answer many common questions about the WYBSL Spring/Summer programs.

Remember, if you can’t find an answer to your question, you can always email the league or one of our Trustees listed on the ‘League Contacts’ web page – you can click on any name to send an e-mail message. Or, you can  send an e-mail message to us our general address at wybsl@wybsl.org.

Note: The WYBSL Constitution and Regulations/ByLaws are the governing documents of the league. This section contains general information only and should not be construed to be the official rules of the organization.

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General Registration Info

How do I register my child?
How much does it cost?
What’s included in my fees?
What is a ‘Fields Fund’ fee and do we have to pay it?
Why are baseball/softball/tee-ball fees higher than some other youth sports?
How do I pay my registration fees??
Can I pay using a Credit or Debit card?
We missed the regular registration deadline – can my child still participate?
Do I need to buy a uniform and equipment?
How do I determine my child’s ‘Playing Age’?
Does WYBSL honor ‘carpooling’ or ‘ride-share’ requests?
Does WYBSL honor requests for specific coaches?
Can my daughter play baseball if she doesn’t want to play softball?
Can my child ‘play-up’ into an older league?
Can my child ‘play-down’ to a younger league?
We’ve registered, but won’t be able to play. How do we get a refund?
Is there a “Family Plan” discount?

Assessments & Team Selection

What are ‘play-up assessments’ and ‘skill assessments’?
What does a ‘skill assessment’ session consist of?
My child ‘played-up’ last fall. Does he/she have to attend the ‘play-up assessment’ this spring?
How does my child get assigned to a team?
How will I find out what team my child is on?
Will my child be on the same team every year?

Practices & Games

When does the season start?
How long does the season last?
What days will we practice and play games?
How often will we practice or play games?
Where will we practice and play?
What are the rules for our age league?
How do we find out about weather cancellations?
When are Make-Up Games played?
When are League post-season tournaments?

Coaches & Volunteers

How do I become a coach?
How can I volunteer to help as staff?
What types of volunteers are needed? What jobs must be done?

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How do I register my child?

The WYBSL registers all players with our online application.

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How much does it cost?

The fees vary based upon the level of play. Please reference the General Registration page for updated fee schedules.
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What’s included in my fees?

Besides the practices and games themselves, each player receives a team shirt and cap or visor. WYBSL provides all field and team equipment needed to play the game – bases, bats, helmets, balls, batting tee (tee-ball) and catcher’s gear (8U leagues and older). Each player must supply a fielder’s glove, shoes and shorts or baseball pants.
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What’s a ‘Fields Fund’ fee and do we have to pay it?

Once each calendar year, each player must pay a Fields Fund fee of $24. If paid during Spring/Summer registration, it does not need to be paid again during Fall registration. 100% of this fee is placed in a special fund which is and will be used for field improvements, maintenance and special projects.
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Why are baseball/softball/tee-ball fees higher than some other youth sports?

Simply put, it costs more to operate. Infields have to be dragged and maintained daily, grass has to be mowed, fences and backstops need to be painted and repaired, and infield clay and soil conditioner have to be purchased annually. There is also a considerable amount of equipment purchased and stored each year. Additionally, the league uses certified and paid umpires at the older levels.
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How do I pay my registration fees?

Registration fees are paid online by either credit/debit card.
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Can I pay using a Credit or Debit card?

Yes – this can easily be done with our online application.
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We missed the regular registration deadline – can my child still participate?

Registration is on a ‘first-come, first-served’ space-available basis. But, if space is available (and usually is), there is a $30 late registration penalty.
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Do I need to buy a uniform and equipment?

Your registration fee includes a team shirt, a team cap or visor and all field and team equipment – bases, bats, balls, helmets, batting tee (tee-ball) and catcher’s gear (coach-pitch leagues and older). Each player must supply a fielder’s glove, shoes and shorts or baseball pants.
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How do I determine my child’s ‘Playing Age’?

The WYBSL uses April 30th of each year as the benchmark for determining the “playing age” of all registrants. Playing age is the basis for the WYBSL’S league divisions below. If you’re unsure of your playing age or just want to double check it – as well as the corresponding leagues available, try our WYBSL “Playing Age Calculator.”
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Does WYBSL honor ‘carpooling’ or ‘ride-share’ requests?

Unfortunately, we can not. Carpooling requests have been abused over the years when they were used as a way to try to get children onto the same team. This interferes with the league’s efforts to evenly distribute players based upon skill levels (10U and older) and neighborhood and schools (Tee-Ball and 8U).
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Does WYBSL honor requests for specific coaches?

Unfortunately, we can not honor these requests outside of the normal methods of forming teams which vary by age division.
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Can my daughter play baseball if she doesn’t want to play softball?

Yes, you can do so when registering in our online application. Tee-Ball divisions are co-ed but girls in 8U and older are eligible to play baseball.  For safety reasons, boys are not allowed to play in our softball leagues.
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Can my child ‘play-up’ into an older league?

With League permission and, if space permits, a child may ‘play-up’ one year (not one league). For example, in spring/summer a six year old can request to play in 8U  instead of Tee-Ball – a five year old may not. To request this option, select the older age division in the online registration application and the player must attend and pass a mandatory ‘Play-Up Assessment’ for each level. More information about this option can be found in the General Registration page of the website..
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Can my player ‘play-down’ to a younger league?

Unfortunately, requests to play-down can not be honored.
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We’ve registered, but won’t be able to play. How do we get a refund?

Although we expect every registered child to play in the WYBSL, we know that some unforeseen circumstances do arise that might cause a player to withdraw from the League. In order to request a refund, a parent or guardian must send an e-mail message to the League at wybsl@wybsl.org. Please use the word “Refund” in the subject line and report the:

1. Date
2. Player’s Name
3. Player’s league
4. Reason for withdrawal

All refunds will be made by WYBSL check, regardless of the method of registration payment and will be processed within four weeks after the request – if made in a timely manner.  Please see this season’s calendar for refund deadline dates.

Is there a “Family Plan” discount?

Yes! The first two players in a family register at full fees. Each additional player pays only $25.
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What are ‘play-up assessments’ and ‘skill assessments’?

A ‘Play-Up Assessment’ is a mandatory assessment required of every player who requests to ‘play-up’ into a league older than the player’s normal age league. The goal of the play-up assessment is to ensure the player can safely and competitively participate at the older age level. The date for this assessment can be found in the WYBSL calendar.

A ‘Skill Assessment’ is an assessment of skills that either allows Softball staff members to try to evenly divide players to each team in a league – or allows Baseball coaches to judge players’ skills prior to ‘draft’ sessions in which the coaches choose their team members. If a player is new to a league or wishes to play on a different team in the same league, he/she should attend a Skill Assessment session for the league in which he/she wishes to play.
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What does a ‘skill assessment’ session consist of?

Each player will field a few ground balls, pop-ups and fly balls. They will also throw to bases and home plate to show accuracy and range. They will also ‘run the bases’ and take some swings at bat. If a player wishes to show their skills at pitcher or catcher, they will be asked to do so at the end of the session.
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My child ‘played-up’ last fall. Does he/she have to attend the ‘play-up assessment’ this spring?

No, but you must be sure to register in the older age division when completing your online registration. And, if the player is new to a Spring/Summer age league, he/she should attend a ‘skill assessment’ session for that league.
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How does my child get assigned to a team?

In all leagues, the first players to be assigned to teams are:

• Sons/Daughters of Head and Assistant Coaches.
• Returning players in the same league as last spring/summer, unless they ask to be reassigned – or in our Girls’ Softball leagues, if their ‘play with a friend’ request causes a reassignment.
• Siblings in the same league are automatically placed on the same team, unless otherwise requested.

After this first phase, the remaining players are placed. League policies provide for even distribution of Playing Ages (but no continuing team is penalized because all potential returning players wish to return to their team).

In Tee-Ball and Coach-Pitch leagues, the players remaining are assigned to teams by each league’s selection group. Although we attempt to honor parent requests, a key goal is to group players together by neighborhood and/or school.

In Girls’ Softball older leagues, players are assigned to teams by each league’s selection group – based upon ‘play with a friend’ requests, skill assessment and age balancing.

In Boys’ Baseball older leagues, the remaining players are ‘drafted’ by the league coaches – attempting to balance Playing Ages and perceived skill level. At the end of each draft, any players who could not attend their skill assessment session are assigned to teams using a ‘blind draw’ or ‘age and alphabet’ assignment.
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How will I find out what team my child is on?

After the teams are distributed, your coach should call you to introduce themselves and tell you about your player’s first practice. Players will be notified as reflected in the WYBSL spring calendar.
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Will my child be on the same team every year?

First, Spring/Summer and Fall Ball programs are totally separate programs. Fall Ball teams are not kept together the next Spring/Summer season – and vice versa.  In Spring/Summer seasons, players generally stay on the same team for the years that the players are in the same age league – unless a player chooses to be on a different team the next season. For example, ten year old players will generally stay on the same team as the prior year – unless the player asks to be on a different team. Players moving up into an older league will be placed on a new team.
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When does the season start?

Spring practices begin in mid- to late-April and the regular game season starts in mid-May. Please see the WYBSL spring calendar for updated information.
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How long does the season last?

The regular game season ends mid- to late-June. In 8U divisions and older, a post-season tournament begin after the regular game season ends.. In the league tournaments, some teams will be eliminated quickly while others will play longer. All tournaments should be complete in early July. Please see the WYBSL spring calendar for updated information.
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What days will we practice and play games?

Practices and games are usually scheduled on each league’s designated ‘playing nights’ and can be found on the General Registration webpage. Coaches may also schedule practices on the weekends – and our make-up games are played on the weekends. You can also check out our “playing days widget!”
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How often will we practice or play games?

During the preseason, practices will be scheduled for two evenings each week. In leagues older than Tee-Ball, A third weekly practice may be scheduled for Saturday. During the regular game season, coaches may schedule an additional practice on the weekend.
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Where will we practice and play?

Your team will practice and play at various parks and schools around Westerville. A map, showing the location of our diamonds of play can be found  on our website.
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What are the rules for our age league?

We use the rules of the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) with modifications for each age. Additionally, we have adopted certain “local” rules which are updated annually on our website.
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How do we find out about weather cancellations?

On game and tournament days (and for general special events, such as Photo Day, Skill Assessment Day, Skills Clinics, etc.), call the WYBSL Weather HotLine (614/523-6220). On game or special event days, the HotLine will be updated with delays, cancellations and location changes at 4:30 PM on weekdays, 7:30 AM on Saturdays and 10:00 AM on Sundays. The League will not generally give further updates on weekdays, but will update the HotLine on weekends if weather conditions change in time for us to give an alert for later games.

For practices and scrimmages, your head coach is responsible for canceling the activity and notifying team families. Any parents who would like to help with phone calls or field assessment for practices or scrimmages should talk to their coach. This is a great way to volunteer and it doesn’t require a lot of time.
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When are Make-Up Games played?

Make-up games are scheduled on Saturdays and/or Sundays to keep the schedule as current as possible. Game times on Saturdays will vary, but games on Sunday (if necessary) will not start before noon.

During the spring/summer season, our Make-Up Week is from Friday through Thursday. This generally means that if your first necessary make-up game during a Friday-Thursday period was originally scheduled on Friday, it will be made up 8 days later on the following Saturday. If your first necessary make-up game during the make-up week was originally scheduled on Thursday, it will be made up 2 days later on Saturday. Generally, your first necessary make-up game will be made up on a Saturday and your second necessary make-up game will be made up on Sunday afternoon. Of course, if we have a lot of rain during a period and are backed-up with make-up games, we will schedule make-up games as quickly as possible.

Make-Up Schedules for each weekend will generally be posted on the website schedules Friday as necessary.
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When are League post-season tournaments?

Except in Tee-Ball, each age division will play the ‘second season’ of the Spring/Summer – a post-season tournament for all of the league’s teams, beginning after the regular season ends. These tournaments give all teams the opportunity to start fresh and ‘go for the gold’. Tournament schedules will be published with the regular season schedules in early May. Games will generally be scheduled on a league’s designated ‘playing-nights’ and the weekends. In the league tournaments, some of the teams will be eliminated quickly while others will play longer. All league tournaments should be over by mid-July. Please see the WYBSL spring calendar for updated information.
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How do I become a coach?

If you are interested in coaching, you can use the same online registration application as players. If you do not have a child playing in the league in which you wish to be a coach, you can still use our online registration app to submit your name or send an e-mail message to us at wybsl@wybsl.org. You can also learn more about coaching in the WYBSL here.

If you wish to speak to someone about coaching, please speak to a WYBSL Trustee or League Manager at registration – or contact the Baseball or Softball Program Director.
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How can I volunteer to help as staff?

Volunteers can also use our online registration application to offer their time to help in a variety of staff positions. No matter how much time you have, we have a place for you in our league. Please see our Volunteers tab on the website to learn more.

What types of volunteers are needed? What jobs must be done?

A league the size of WYBSL requires the action and dedication of hundreds of adults annually. Everyone is busy! We’re very lucky that so many people in the WYBSL – parents and non-parents – find time to help, but we need you all. Whether it’s for one time, one project or – if a deeper commitment is possible – for several tasks or a year-round position, there are places for your talents and interests. When someone thinks about volunteering, they usually think of coaching – and we need hundreds of head and assistant coaches each year. But we also need scorekeepers, ‘team moms and dads’, umpires (in Tee-Ball and Coach-Pitch) and a lot of assistance in the League. From help with mailings, registration and equipment to work with concessions, publicity, advertising, All-Star Saturday, the 4th of July Parade – and many other assignments – the League can find a place for any talent or interest. So, whatever your skills or interests, your talent and commitment are welcome, needed and appreciated.
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