Shoreview Area Youth Baseball

In the American League emphasis is balanced between player development and winning. Teams are formed based on tryout scores and geography. Batting is round-robin. Every player must play a minimum of four innings in the field each game, with at least two in the infield and one in the outfield. Practices will begin in early April and games begin in late April. Teams have one to  two practices and two games per week, and there will be games on Saturdays and Sundays. The season ends after playoffs in early July. Some AL players will participate in a district tournament in late July.

A high level of commitment is expected of National League players, who will play two to three games per week and practice at least two times per week. All 11- and 12-year-olds have batting and fielding tryouts on February 21st or 22nd  with an optional pitching and catching tryout on February 22nd. Those receiving the top scores are eligible to be drafted for one of the NL teams. Each NL team consists of four to six 11-year-olds and six to eight 12-year-olds. Play begins with a tournament in mid-April followed by approximately 21 league games and an end-of-year tournament. Both 11- and 12-year-olds are eligible to be selected for one of the three tournament teams that will play in tournaments during July and early August. An additional fee of approximately $150 will be required for each player selected to play on the tournament teams.

Individuals interested in coaching at this level need to submit an application. See the Documents portion of this web site for the application and submission instructions.

Little League(11-12 year olds) will have 2009 tryouts at the Bethel College Sports and Recreation Center(Fieldhouse) on February 21st or February 22nd. 10 year olds may choose to "play up" and be considered as 11 year olds for team formation purposes. This year, all children will only have to report on one day, based on alphabet for both hitting and fielding. PItching/catching tryouts are optional. All players are encouraged to tryout, even if they wish to be placed on an American League team. Players wishing to be placed on a National League team must try out. Click on either of the links below for the tryout schedule. Beneath the tryout schedule is an explanation of the tryout process, including scoring basics.

National League Practices

Practice schedule will vary from team to team. Managers are responsible for scheduling practices and securing practice fields. When the season begins and new teams are formed, players can expect to practice three to five times per week depending on field availability and Managers coaching philosophy. Once the regular season begins, practices will be scheduled once or twice a week depending on game schedule.

National League Game Schedule

Starting in mid April, SAYB National League teams will play in a warm up tournament against teams from Centennial Lakes Little League and Coon Rapids Little League. This is a fun opportunity for the kids to play their first games and parents to watch competitive baseball in a tournament setting. The tournament is held at the Centennial Lakes Little League fields, with each team playing between 4 and 8 games depending how far the team advances in the tournament.

The SAYB National League regular season will begin the first week in May, playing approximately 21 games through the months of May and June, ending the last week in June with a League Championship Tournament to determine the 2009 SAYB National League Playoff Champion.  

Playing Time – SAYB National League Season

Players will play a minimum of 4 innings per game. Playing time does not need to be equal for all players in the National League. Players will not necessarily play all positions during the season. It is up to the Managers to place players in positions that are suited to the abilities of each player. At this age level and this competition level, players begin to play at those positions that they are best at, and more importantly, at positions that the Manager believes will best help the team win the game. It is up to the Manager to set the lineup and to evaluate the players’ abilities to achieve the goals of the team and develop players at more than one position. The Manager is not required to play your child at every position. The same goes for the batting order. There is no requirement to rotate the batting order.

Players in the National League will be eligible to be selected on or about June 15^thto play on one of the tournament teams that compete in the District tournament. District winners have a  chance to advance to the State, Regional, and Little league World Series. Each tournament team will begin practicing immediately following or prior to the SAYB league playoff tournament conclusion. Each tournament team will participate in the District tournament and 2 or 3 additional tournaments that take place through July and early August.

How are Tournament Teams Formed?

For 2009, SAYB has three separate charters in Little League (ages 7-12). The National Little League Organization dictates that for every 20,000 people in the league area, a separate charter is required. The area that makes up SAYB is made up of approximately 60,000 people, thereby requiring three separate charters.

The three-charter requirement means that we must select our tournament teams from ONLY those players playing within the charter. At the start of the season, the teams are divided into the three charters. A player that is selected to play on a team is the North division can only play on a tournament team that is made up of kids from the same charter. At the District Tournament, we are allowed to enter one all-star team from each charter.

Our organization follows Little League rules, so many of the things we do at the 11/12 year old age group are restricted by these National rules. SAYB consists of three separate charters (see above) and will select a tournament team for each of these charters (3 - 12 year old tournament teams and 3 – 11 year old teams). Tournament teams will have 11 players on each team.

The 12 year old tournament teams will be formed based on the charter that the player is in. There are a total of 16 - 12 year old players in each charter with only 11 players from each charter making a tournament team. This means that not all 12 year old players will make a tournament team. Throughout the SAYB season, Managers are responsible for keeping statistics on their players and keeping a score book for each game. On or around June 15^th Managers will meet to form 12 year old teams. Teams are formed by reviewing statistics, and feedback from all Managers.