Georgetown Youth Baseball Association

Who and what is GYBA?

The purpose of the Georgetown Youth Baseball Association (GYBA) is to provide the opportunity for boys and girls between the ages of three (3) and eighteen (18) the opportunity to play organized Baseball and Softball. We want them to have fun, be taught the fundamentals of baseball and softball at each League skill level. We want them to be taught good sportsmanship, positive attitude, fairness and team values, and provide the best possible fields and atmosphere for everyone, and to provide the best possible coaches and assistant coaches.

We do this as an all-volunteer Board of Directors consisting of; local business men and women, residents of the community, and fathers and mothers of the kids we help teach and mentor. We do all of this without financial gain. The gain we receive is the enjoyment of the time spent helping kids and continued development of the Georgetown baseball programs.

Who do I call if I have a question or an issue that needs to be resolved by the League?

If at any time you have a problem or just want information, please go to the Board of Directors page and you'll find a list of Board Members and coordinators. You'll also see job descriptions and a contact link for them. Typically, you should bring up concerns or questions to your coach first, then the age division commissioner. If the coach does not address your concern, or the season has not started for your player, you may contact your league commissioner. If he/she can't resolve the issue, you should next contact the age division's Vice President (there is a VP for the 4-10 year old age divisions and another for the 11-18 year old age divisions). Please note that our Board is an all-volunteer organization and we may not be able to respond to you within the same day, however, we should be able to get back to you within 48 hours.

You are also welcome to attend a board meeting and express your concerns directly to the commissioners and officers. We usually meet on the first Wednesday of each month. Please e-mail the President if you wish to be added to the agenda for the next meeting and to confirm the meeting location and time.

When will the season begin?

Please check the website for league dates and events. The Spring season typically starts near the end of February while the Fall season typically starts after Labor Day weekend.

When will practices begin?

Depending on the date of the league's team drafts, we try to start practicing 2-3 weeks prior to the start of the season. Practices can start the week after draft night once the coach has his roster and contacts his team members and parents. Practices schedules are determined by the coaches.

How long will the season last?

The Spring season has about 12-14 games (with a mid-season and end of season tournament) and usually lasts about 10-12 weeks while the Fall season has 8-10 games (including an end of season tournament) and usually lasts 6-8 weeks. After Spring season we offer an opportunity for selected players to participate in the Centex All-Stars series. 

Where are games played?

At GYBA each age division generally has its own field, so almost all games will be played on the same field at the GYBA San Gabriel Park complex (435 Morrow St.). There are some exceptions to this with interleague games, open team leagues, tournament games and others so it is best to confirm game location and time with your coach if you are unsure. To see a map of the GYBA San Gabriel Park complex, click on "Directions" on the Main Menu of our website.

When are games played?

Times change from season to season depending on the number of teams. You should always follow the schedule handed out by your coach or posted to the website. During the season, each team typically plays one game during the week and possibly one on Saturday depending on scheduling. During the week, the first game typically starts at 6:00 pm (you will need to be there at least 30 minutes prior to start, but your coach will tell when he wants you there) and the second game begins 10 or 15 min. after the first game is completed. On Saturday, games for all leagues typically start aaround 8:00 am and are played all day until the schedule is finished. 

Remember each league's games last different lengths: 4U games are 45 minutes, 5-6U games are 1 hour, 7-8U games are 1:15, 9-10U games are 1:30, and 11-14U games are 1:30. It is recommended that players arrive at the field 1 hour prior to game time so managers can warm them up and get the line-up cards ready prior to the start of the game, but the coaches will direct you as to when they want you at the field.

How often and where will my child practice?

Coaches will set the frequency and location of practices. During the Fall season GYBA limits the number of team meetings (practices/games) to three, and four during the Spring season. Prior to the beginning of the season, teams will usually practice once during the week and once on the weekend. When the season starts and you're playing a game or two a week, usually practice will be once or twice a week. However, this can vary due to the individual manager's particular schedule. You should expect practices to last 2 hours for older children and 1 to 1 1/2 hrs for younger children. 

Generally speaking, coaches will need to find their own practice facility. To help our coaches, kids, and parents with practice space, GYBA will attempt to schedule practices at its fields where there is availability in the scheduling. Sometimes field availability is limited at GYBA due to the limited number of fields, field maintenance, tournaments (fund-raising for GYBA), etc.

Can my child be placed on a team with one of his friends?

WE CANNOT GUARANTEE PLACEMENT OF ANY PLAYER WITH ANY TEAM OR COACH. While we can't always honor these requests, we do our best to honor such requests in Fall and Spring. You need to express your wishes for such arrangements on your registration form or skills assessment. At this time, the registration form will be reviewed and an attempt will be made to honor your request. 6U and older the players are drafted. The draft helps keep all teams competitive and to create a fair method of selecting teams. As players get older, there are fewer teams. We understand that parents have many different reasons to ask for special requests, and it would be great if we could always grant these requests. However, please understand that we simply are not able to guarantee team placement.

What equipment will my child need before the first practice or game?

The registration fee includes a jersey and cap to each player for use during league games. A player uniform consists of a glove, a pair of baseball pants, a baseball jersey a baseball cap, a belt, socks, and cleats. The pants are usually gray or white, but some coach also choose pinstriped pants. Be sure to check with your coach and team mom prior to buying new pants for the season. Metal cleats are not allowed in the younger age groups. 

A quality leather glove is usually a must in the 6U and older leagues. Vinyl and simulated leather gloves may be cheaper, but tend to cause the player a great deal of frustration, because it's very difficult to form a pocket in gloves made of vinyl or simulated leather and the ball tends to pop out when the player attempts to catch it. You shouldn't buy a glove that is too big for the player. Gloves range in size from about 10" to 14". You shouldn't buy a large glove anticipating that "he/she will grow into it". The glove should be bought to last for about 2 years of play. 4U to 6U players should have about a 9" -10 1/2" glove; 8U, 10 1/2 to 11" glove; 12U and up 10 3/4" to 11 1/2" glove.

You will also need a bat and a helmet. Bats come in a wide range of prices, sizes and quality. You can consult with your local sporting good suppliers for a size chart or see the bat manufacturers on their web page. As with gloves, bats and helmets need to be appropriate for the age and size of the player. The official bat shall conform to GYBA bat rules.

All players should bring a windbreaker, jacket or sweatshirt to games and practices during early spring and late fall.

What are the age cutoffs for league play?

The league cutoff date is April 30th. A player's league age is determined by his or her age prior to May 1st. For example, if your player turns 6 on May 2, 2015, then the player is considered to be a 6 year old for the coming Fall and next Spring's play as he would not be 7 unlit after April 30, 2016. Another player who turns 11 on or before April 30, 2016 is considered an 11 year old since the birthday occurs before the cutoff date and would be required to play in the 11U-12U division.

What are player tryouts/skill assessments and when are they?

During both the fall and spring seasons, all players except 4U (T-ball) must attend a tryout session to be drafted onto a team. The tryouts give the managers within the league an opportunity to evaluate each player prior to the draft. The tryouts consist of players fielding ground balls and pop-flys, throwing balls from shortstop to 1^st base, and hitting with a coach or a Commissioner pitching depending on the league they are playing in.  We try to hold tryouts in a non-intimidating environment.

Please check the website for tryout dates.  If you have paid your registration fee prior to tryouts and do not attend tryouts, your player will be placed on a team via the draft hat pick system.

Please note that your player is only required to attend one of the tryout windows for their 5-10 minute assessment.  Lines can be long in the 6U and 8U age groups, so please be patient.  We try to get them through the process as fast as possible.

If my child does poorly at the skills assessment, will he/she be cut?

In all divisions, all children participating in player tryouts will be placed on teams during the draft. All players missing the tryout will be drawn blindly and placed on teams. All kids who want to play will be allowed an opportunity to play on a team.

What are protected players?

The manager (head coach) for each team is allowed to protect their own children as well as their assistant coach's child prior to draft. This is so the manager and assistant coach can work together to manage a team. Some divisions during some seasons allow for a few additional protections please contact your Commissioner to find out how many Protections are allowed for your Division. 

How are children placed on teams?

All players in all age divisions, except 4U (T-ball), are required to be evaluated prior to the draft. 4U T-ball players are placed on teams by the Commissioner. At the "tryouts" both returning and new players are given the opportunity to show their skills in front of all of the coaches for their particular league. Each manager rates the players and all players are then scored by each coach. This score is only known by each coach and the Commissioner, the Commissioner then provides a draft average score to each coach for the draft. During the draft, the coaches will draw a draft number out of a hat to determine drafting order. Then the coaches select their team members with the help of the draft scores and notes made during tryouts. The coaches with the first draft number picks first. During the second round the coaches with the last number picks first. This is called a "snake draft". This continues until all players are picked. This method allows for parity for all teams. Those players who miss tryouts have their name placed in a hat. Then all coaches will blindly pick from the hat in the order of their draft number, as described above, until all hat picks are taken. There are no guarantees a player will be place on a specific team or with a specific coach in either the fall or spring seasons. (Exception: see protected players).

If my child is unhappy with the team he has been placed on, can he be moved?

No, not after the draft. Only in extreme cases do we allow children to switch teams after the teams have been formed. Such requests must be made in writing to the league's Commissioner. The request should include the reasons why you would like to change. The commissioner will then bring this request to the league Vice President who will take it to the Board if he/she feels the reason has validity. If the commissioner thinks the issue can be worked out between any parties concerned or via a method of help, he/she my request your assistance in trying this first. If for any reason you feel you cannot go through your league's commissioner, then feel free to make the request directly to the Vice President that heads your child's league. See the Board of Directors page for assistance with who to contact.

If my child decides to quit, can I get a refund?

If you request to drop prior to player try-outs, then you will receive a refund of your paid registration fee less a $25 processing fee due to hard costs associated with your player's registration. Once tryouts are complete, no refunds will be given. No refunds are given to decal orders, sponsorships, donations, late fees, or because of team placement.

Are regulation baseballs used in 4U and 5-6U T-ball?

No, in 4U T-ball, we use a Reduced Injury Factor ("RIF") baseball. It is the same size as a regulation baseball, but softer. Your child's first introduction to a regulation baseball will occur in the 5-6U division.

Do children or coaches pitch in T-ball?

No pitching is allowed in T-ball. All players must hit the ball off the tee. For the specific rules, see the Rules page.

Do children pitch in the 7-8U Coach Pitch league?

No kids pitch in the 7-8U Coach Pitch league. Only coaches are allowed to pitch in both the American League and National League of 7-8U. For the specific rules, see the Rules page.

How are Centex All-star tournament teams selected?

During the spring season each coach will be allowed to nominate players from their team to participate on an All-star Tournament Team which competes with other area league teams. After the date to submit nominations has passed (usually some time during the second week of April) all the regular season coaches from each division will meet to vote on the players to be assigned to the tournament teams. All regular season coaches may apply to be the head coach of a tournament team. Coach selections will be done by the coach selection committee.

What is Field Work Day?

This is the one day before each season starts (Spring and Fall) where we spruce up the fields and bring them to game-ready condition. We require all coaches - heads and assistants - to work field day. We also ask parents or anyone interested in helping to come out and help. Some seasons, it is as simple as putting down some new dirt, painting, raking, and cutting back some grass. Other seasons it may require replacing bases, mounds, fencing, batting cage nets, etc. GYBA is a completely volunteer organization. All board members and commissioners are volunteers and don't get paid a dime for their hard work. We ask you to volunteer some of your time to help make GYBA a great place to play for our kids. Thanks for your help. Please see the Volunteer Opportunities link at the bottom of the Main Menu on the GYBA website.

How do I become a coach?

To become a coach, you must fill out a coaches application during registration. You are also required to give permission for a background check. You need to give coaching background, if any, and character references. The Commissioners and Vice Presidents will review all applications and select the coaches for each season.

What is the coaches clinic?

GYBA provides training, and support to all coaches by offering open communications to the Commissioners and requiring participation in a pre-season coaching clinic. The coaches clinic is designed to provide the opportunity for our experienced coaches to pass on knowledge to the new coaches, and allow those experienced coaches the opportunity to refresh their skills. This also allows the Commissioners a chance to communicate with their coaches on a face-to-face level and review what we want taught in GYBA.

Rain out information?

The web page will be updated as soon as we can get the information that games are canceled. On large rain event days, it will be an easy call for our Facilities Manager to make. He will contact us and we will update the page between 4:00 & 5:00 PM weekdays, and between 7:30 and 8:30 AM on Saturdays. On days when there is thunder, lightning or light rain just before at or during game time, a Board Member on Duty will need to evaluate the fields and contact us with specific information about which fields are playable and which are not. We may not get the data updated until closer to or at game time on these days. Remember, the Board Members and the Commissioners are volunteers and have regular jobs. On some days it may be impossible for them to leave work early to evaluate the fields and an update may be later than we all would like.

On the front page of the GYBA website, you will see a section titled "Email and Text Alerts". You need to register your phone to receive email and text alerts as to field and game status. This is the most efficient way to communicate to you about these and other important issues.

Please be aware of the GYBA Weather and Lightning Policy.

Weather Policy?

GYBA works diligently to ensure that games are played on game days if at all possible. If the playing condition of our fields is in question due to weather, a final decision should be made by 4:00 p.m. for weekday games. Playing conditions for weekend games will be evaluated and a decision made by 8:30 AM. Once the decision is made, we will post the status to our website and send notifications through the GYBA text/email alert system.  If the website has not been updated, you should assume that all games are to be played as scheduled. The GYBA Board of Directors reserves the right to cancel any game due to unfavorable weather conditions. .

Lightning?

If lightning occurs during games, the Board Member on Duty may communicate with the field umpires to suspend play. Umpires may choose to suspend play at any time prior to receiving direction from a Board Member on Duty. Once fields are cleared due to lightning, they will remain closed for at least 30 minutes and games may not begin until the Board Member on Duty has notified the umpires that play may resume. If lightning occurs during practice times, you should immediately clear the field and take shelter. 

Cancellations?

Coaches may call the GYBA information line or their respective Commissioner for cancellation information. Coaches should then contact all players on his/her team. If in doubt, report to your game as scheduled.

Coaches may not cancel or reschedule games. Games that are stopped after the completion of the 3^rd inning will not be rescheduled and will be considered final. All games not meeting the completed 3 inning threshold will be attempted to be rescheduled. If a rainout occurs again, the games will be canceled and will not be rescheduled. The goal is to get as many games in as possible without extending the season beyond the original schedule. This is to allow for parents to keep their original schedules as it comes to participation in other non-baseball functions.

Cancelled games may be re-scheduled at the discretion of the League Commissioner and Vice-President.

How much do team pictures cost and when are they taken?

In the Spring, the league provides an opportunity for each player to purchase and take part in the individual and team picture. Packages, trading cards, etc. may be ordered from the photographer on picture day. During the Fall season, the league does not arrange for pictures to be taken. The coach or team mom is responsible for getting a team picture taken if you want them. Many teams just have a parent take a picture and distribute copies. The prices and quantity of pictures included in the list above is subject to change. This web page data may not reflect the latest information so be sure to check with your team parent and coach.