Baseball Frequently Asked Questions
When can we register? Registration is now open and will close February 15.
What if I forget to register? You will be charged a $50 late registration fee.
What happens if my son/daughter registers after the deadline? How does he get on a team? If there is room on a team he will be placed in the order that teams are in the draft.
What kind of baseball league does the WNSL offer? The WNSL feels that all youth sports should be recreational in nature yet also be competitive and the players should have to work at the sport. The sports program is not a baby sitting service yet is a league that does not have a “win at all cost” attitude. Sportsmanship, camaraderie, fun and learning the game are the most important aspects of Baseball. The “Travel Ball” mentality should start later in the career of a player. We play 10-16 games (depending on the division) for the recreational regular season and have tournament teams that will play more baseball for the more serious players. The tournament teams will play at a higher level of competition. The tournament teams will begin early this year and have outside practices and games during the regular season. The WNSL feels that the casual recreational player as well as the more serious competitive player will be accommodated. In short, the WNSL wants the players of all different levels to have fun and excel and feel good about what they are doing.
Does the WNSL provide other baseball activities? The WNSL will have a Sounds day where the league players and their families can go to a Sounds game at a reduced price and be recognized at the game. There will be other activities around the concession stand that will be fun for the players. We have a “Play of the Day” each Saturday that rewards the players for performing a play that the league feels is special. We normally have something special for Mother’s day as well. The WNSL wants baseball to be fun for all players and their families.
What are the age divisions? We have 5 divisions (5-6 year olds, 7-8 year olds, 9-10 year olds, 11-12 year olds, and 13-15 year olds). The child’s age on April 30th determines which division they will play in. This is a change from July 01 in the past. Because of this, we will not be allowing kids to “play down” a division if their birthday is close to the cut-off date. A child may be able to “play up” a division.
Is the WNSL affiliated with a national baseball organization? The WNSL is affiliated with the Cal Ripkin division of Babe Ruth Baseball.
How much does it cost? 5-6 year olds are $110, 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12 are $190, and 13-14 are $50.
Why does it cost so much? Baseball is expensive to run. The WNSL does not ask you to volunteer to help run the league. No parents work in the concession stand and there are no volunteer workers, except commissioners. We pay insurance, provide uniforms, staff the concession stand, do all the field maintenance, etc. there is a lot of preparation work that has to be done to the fields both before the season, and prior to the games each day. Each team will play a lot more games than in basketball and we have to pay the umpires for each game. We are trying to upgrade the facilities a little bit each year. This year we will have 2 new batting cages behind field number 1. We have a number of sponsors, but we are always looking for more. Contact Scott Tygard at stygard@comcast.net if you are interested in sponsoring the league.
Why is the 13-14 year old division so much less expensive than the others? This group provides their own uniforms and umpires. We are only covering the cost of insurance and administration.
What are the rules for the different divisions? Basically we start out teaching basic skills and the game becomes more like “real” baseball as the kids get older. 5-6 year olds play coach pitch or tee ball. Everyone bats and plays in the field. 7-8 year olds move up to machine pitch, everyone bats and 10 play in the field. 9-10 year olds move up to kid pitch. Everyone bats, and nine play in the field. Runners can steal bases, but not lead-off. 11-12 year olds play on a little bigger field. These rules are pretty close to real baseball.
How do you form teams? We are allowing coaches to bring their own team f 12 players. Players without a team will be placed according to their special requests on the registration section.
How is my child placed on a team? A player is placed on a team or by a commissioner if a player is not on a team.
What if none of the coaches know my child? It doesn't matter, all players will be placed on a team or if there are enough unallocated players, a new team will be formed and a coach will be found to coach them.
How do you come up with team names? The coaches will choose their team name at the draft. This year we will be using Minor League names again.
Where are the games played? All of the games, with the exception of the 11-12 year division, are played at the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ on Old Hickory Blvd., near the intersection of Hillsboro Rd. The 11-12s play on the small field at Warner Park near Old Hickory Blvd. The 13-14s play on the bigger field.
When will the season start? Practices can start as soon as the teams are formed. Our first games will be early April. Each team will play 1 game on Saturday, and 1 on a weekday except 5-6 year olds, who only play on Saturdays (unless there are rained out games to make up, then there may be additional weekday games, or games on Sunday afternoons). The “regular” season will end on May 20th, and will be followed by a 2 week tournament. The 2006 season (including the tournament) will end the first week in June.
June 1 seems early for baseball to end. Are there any other opportunities to play after that date? The WNSL sponsors post season “All-Star” play for players that are interested. These teams will be chosen by the league commissioner and coaches. They will play in the Babe Ruth district tournament. They may also play in the Babe Ruth state tournament if they qualify in the district in the district tournament. Beyond that each team is free to play as much or as little as the families choose. There are a number of invitational tournaments around that any of these teams can play in. the league will help you find these.
How many tournament teams will there be? That depends on a number of things. First, it will depend on how many players we have interested. Let your coach know toward the end of the season if you are interested. Secondly, we have to comply with Babe Ruth rules. According to this, we are required to have at least one team for each division. If a particular division (9-10s, for example) has a large number of teams, we would likely break that into 2 divisions for scheduling, so we would have 2 tournament teams in that division.
Is the cost for tournament players included in the initial fee? No, the cost for tournament players is additional. They get new uniforms and we have to pay tournament fees, etc.
How are tournament players selected? In the first few weeks of the season tryouts will be conducted. Parents must commit through July to be considered for tournament teams.
When and how often do teams practice? Teams will practice once a week before the games start and once games start the practice times will be limited due to field availability. Teams may practice as often or little as they wish. The teams will be given a practice slot for each week but if they want to find their own practice spot they are welcome to do that. Teams normally take a break from practice during Spring Break also.