Frequently Asked

“League age” refers to the age of a player as of April 30th of the current season. As an example, if your child turns 10 on April 1st, he or she is considered “league age” 10. But if your child turns 10 on May 1st, he or she is considered “league age” 9. When determining in what division a child should be placed, HYBSA uses the child’s “league age” and NOT school age/grade.

T-Ball, Rookies and Softball are different. HYBSA T-Ball, Rookie Ball and Softball are not part of Cal Ripken Baseball and therefore we allow GRADE to be a factor in determining placement. For example, if your child is in first grade but will not turn 7 until May; and you would like you child to play with his or her classmates and feel there is not a safety issue, you are allowed to place your child in Rookies.  For softball, we compete in the Cortland Youth Softball League at 2 levels – Minors for Grades 3&4 and Majors for Grades 5 & 6.

Due to insurance liability, please do not alter a child’s DOB.

HYBSA provides catcher’s gear, team shirts, and hats for baseball and softball. Players need to provide their own gloves, pants, team-colored socks, cleats, and a positive fun attitude. Most parents provide their own League approved bats, helmets, and face masks (softball only). If any of these items pose a hardship for families, please contact the HYBSA Board of Directors.

HYBSA is committed to compliance with the Cal Ripken age requirements for Minors and Majors, and in fairness to all kids, requests to play up a division will not be entertained unless your child meets the age requirements and is not at risk of injury.

Requests to play in a higher division in Softball, Rookies and T-ball will be granted based on your child’s grade level and ability. In other words, if your child classmates are playing in a particular division and you would like your child to play in that division, HYBSA will honor that request unless there are safety issues (i.e. your child risks injury).

If you believe that your child is not developmentally ready for the competitive divisions (Minor baseball/softball, Major baseball/softball) you can request that he or she remain in the lower divisions for an additional year.  Please put your request in the comment section of the registration form or contact your Player Agent directly.  League division descriptions are located on the HYBSA web site.

We DO NOT honor requests for specific placements in competitive divisions, specifically Majors baseball/softball, and Minor baseball/softball. We try to honor requests in non-competitive divisions (T-ball and Rookies) but we cannot guarantee it. We will guarantee the siblings will be kept together in both competitive and non-competitive divisions.

If you would like to make a request, please add it to the “Comments” section of the registration form and/or contact your Player Agent directly.

Per the board-approved refund policy, registration fees are treated as donations towards the operations of HYBSA.  A refund of registration fees may be considered under special circumstances.  To request a refund, the parent/guardian of the player requesting to withdraw from registration must submit a written request detailing the special circumstances justifying the refund on or before March 1st of the registration year.

The letter will be submitted to the Board of Directors for consideration. The Board, in its discretion, may authorize a refund of all or part of the fee.  Once approved by the Board of Directors, a check for the amount authorized, will be issued within eight weeks.

No consideration will be given to a request for refunds received after March 1st of the registration year.

Even though HYBSA Rookie and T-ball teams are not part of Cal Ripken Baseball, HYBSA uses Cal Ripken age guidelines to determine placement and only under very rare circumstances will HYBSA make an exception. Please contact the Player Agent to request an exception which will be reviewed by the HYBSA Board of Directors for approval.

All “league age” 5 year olds MUST play T-ball, no exceptions. In addition, all “league age” 6 years olds must play T-ball if they have not already played the previous season. Additionally, in order to be eligible to move up to the Rookie League division players must have participated in one full season of T-Ball. Players age 7 and older are exempt from this rule and will be placed in the Rookie League division.

HYBSA follows these rules strictly for 5 year olds. However, for older children, HYBSA factors grade and will consider placing, for example, first graders that are not league age 7 in Rookies.

Per the HYBSA draft process, 9-11 year olds are eligible to try out for the Minors. Specifically, 8 year olds are eligible to try out for the Minors division by invitation only as selected by the Manager and Drafting Committee. If your child is not invited by HYBSA to try out for minors and you feel he / she should have been invited, please contact the Minors Coordinator, President or Vice President.

Per the HYBSA draft process, 11-12 year olds are eligible to try out for the Majors. Specifically, 10 year olds are eligible to try out for the Majors division by invitation only as selected by the Manager and Drafting Committee.  If your child is not invited by HYBSA to try out for majors and you feel he / she should have been invited, please contact the Majors Coordinator, President or Vice President.

HYBSA registrations are sorted by age not division so there is no need to worry about which division. Players eligible for the draft will be contacted by a Player Agent. Players not drafted onto a Major baseball team will automatically be placed in the Minors division.

On the HYBSA registration form you will have the option to select that you are interested in being a volunteer Manager or Assist Coach, along with several other volunteer options. Player Agents work with the previous year’s Managers to determine who is interested on coming back to Manage a team. From there Managers are selected and presented to the President who has the final approval. All Assistant Coaches are selected by the team Managers for each team and again approved by the President. No Manager or Coaches position are automatically carried over from season to season.

Yes. Every year ALL HYBSA Managers, Assistant Coaches, and Board Members are required to submit to a background check, which will be closely managed/guarded by the league President and Saftey Officer. Also, if you have already been through the background check process via school or another youth program, you are still required to submit to a HYBSA background check, no exceptions.

Absolutely!  Babe Ruth is the next level of baseball for participants in ages 13-15.  In addition, there is Bromfield Middle/High School baseball and softball teams that may also be an option to consider. You can get additional information at the school Web sites.

Ryan Land Field and the HES fields are owned by the Town of Harvard and managed under the Park & Recreations Committee. HYBSA is the primary contributor and caretaker of the Ryan Land infields and Park and Rec/DPW is responsible for mowing, weed whacking and rubbish disposal. T-ball, Minors and Majors are the primary users of the Ryan Land field space although from time-to-time it is used by the High School softball teams and other teams.

The fields at HES are shared with High School Softball and HYBSA shares upkeep with Park and Rec/DPW.

Much of the infield upkeep for each facility is done by volunteers so please consider lending a helping hand when requests for field maintenance are made.