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About the Soderville Athletic Association
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Soderville Athletic Association (SAA) provides recreation-level youth baseball and fastpitch softball, and competitive-level fastpitch softball opportunities to children in our community.
SAA provides this youth sports experience to kids residing or attending schools in the communities of Ham Lake, East Bethel, Oak Grove, St. Francis, Burns Township, Bethel, and portions of the surrounding communities of Andover, Blaine, and Isanti. Players from other communities are also welcome to play in SAA under special circumstances that must be discussed with SAA before registering.
For over 50 years, SAA has provided opportunities for a rich youth sports experience in our community. The SAA Board of Directors is committed to not only upholding this history, but also to strive to improve on this experience each year.
AGE DETERMINING DATES
Deciding which division your child is eligible to play can sometimes be confusing. Baseball and softball use different dates to determine age, as follows:
Baseball (regardless of sex) - May 1
Softball (girls only) - January 1
To ease the confusion during registration, ask yourself how old will my child be on the age determining date in 2009. Girls playing in baseball must use the baseball age determining date.
Players may play up a level (within reason), but they may not ever play in a age division below. SAA urges all players to stay within their age division unless they show exceptional skills and maturity.
SAA Season
Our goal is for the season to start about April 20th - but that will be based upon field conditions. Depending upon the age division, the season will end sometine in July.
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Our In-House (recreational) Programs
SAA offers recreational level baseball and fastpitch softball, along with competitive level (traveling) fastpitch softball. Our baseball program is open to both boys and girls, and the fastpitch softball program is open to girls. The following are brief descriptions of each program:
6U Baseball
The 6 & under (6U) baseball division is our introductory level for both boys and girls. The primary focus is to get the kids to enjoy themselves, learn to throw, catch, and hit the ball. This is a coach-pitch level with a softer (Incrediball) ball than standard. Several coaches are usually on the field helping the kids during the games. Practices and games are held on Friday nights.
8U Baseball
The 8 & under (8U) baseball division is a coach-pitch level using standard (hard) baseballs. Players begin to learn more of the fundamentals of the game. There is no stealing at this level, but there is usually plenty of offense. There are usually one or two coaches on the field to guide the players during the game. Practices and games are held on Monday and Wednesday nights.
10U Baseball
The 10 & under (10U) baseball division is the first division where the players begin to pitch, and the coaches manage the team from the bench. Players are introduced to walks, strikeouts, and stealing. This level is approaching "real" baseball. Practices and games are held on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
12U Baseball
The 12 & under (12U) baseball division continues to approach the rules of high school baseball with limited leading off and longer basepaths, but is otherwise similar to 10U baseball. Practices and games are held on Monday and Wednesday nights.
13U Baseball
The 13 & under (13U) baseball division use slightly longer basepaths than 12U, has full stealing, and closely resembles high school baseball rules. The structure of the schedule for this division has not yet been set, and will depend upon the number of participants and teams. The 13U SAA teams may be playing "interleague" games with Andover, Isanti, Cambridge, and other teams. The format will not be determined until early April.
15U Baseball
The 15 & under (15U) baseball division closely follow high school rules, playing on full-size baseball fields. Just as with the 13U division, the schedule structure has not yet been determined.
16U and 17U-19U Baseball
New for 2009, SAA will be accepting registrations for a 16U and a 17U-19U baseball teams this year. Teams will be formed only if enough registrations are received to form a team. If you are interested, SAA encourages you to register. If a team is not formed through SAA, your entire registration, volunteer, and fundraising fees will be fully refunded to you.
8U Fastpitch
The 8 & under fastpitch division is a coach-pitch level using smaller softballs than the older divisions. Players begin to learn more of the fundamentals of the game. Girls 6 and younger are encouraged to play in the 6U baseball division to first learn the basics of understanding the game before playing in 8U fastpitch. Practices and games are held on Monday and Wednesday nights.
10U Fastpitch
The 10 & under fastpitch division is the first division where the players begin to pitch, and the coaches manage the team from the bench. Players are introduced to walks, strikeouts, and stealing. Practices and games are held on various nights as these teams will play other SAA teams along with teams from Centennial Fastpitch. The schedule will be determined after we have all the registration numbers.
12U/14U/16U/18U Fastpitch
The 12 & under fastpitch division, and the older divisions, are intended to continue the development of players' fastpicth skills. 12U Fastpitch practices and plays on Tuesday and Thursday nights, while the older divisions practice and play on varying nights.
Our Traveling (competitive) Fastpitch Program
Information regarding the SAA Traveling Fastpitch program can be found on our "Traveling Fastpitch" page of the web site.
SAA In-House Year-End Tournaments
Perhaps the highlight of the season for our recreational divisions are the year-end tournaments where every team in the division compete for the division championship. The tournaments are held over various weekends throughout July at one of our three ballfield complexes. The dates for these tournaments are still being worked out and will be communicated to the association as soon as possible.
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