Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) print page

You asked. We answered. Here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions we receive. Don't see your question on the list? Contact us and we may add it here.

Q

When is/are _______________ (fill in the blank with the event you're looking for)?

A

All our events are located on our events page.  If it's not posted there, then that specific event is not yet finalized. When we post new events they also go out to those on our email list the following morning (if you've chosen to subscribe to an events option).  To subscribe and receive these emails click any "subscribe" link on this site.

We also post various flyers with specific information pertaining to certain events.  These can be found under "Files for Download" on the right side of this site's home page.

Event reminders are also posted to our news page when we get closer to that event.  These news articles can be subscribed to just like events mentioned above.

Q

Does my child need to attend player drafts?

A

No. Players should not attend drafts.  This is for coaches and MJBSA board members/commissioners only. Parents/players will be contacted shortly after drafts with information on upcoming practices.

Q

Does my child have to attend the player evaluations? What if we can't make it to his/her assigned session?

A

Players that DO NOT need to attend evaluations include the following: Teeball players (Teeball is not evaluated), those returning to the same team as last year, siblings of players returning to the same team that are playing on the same team, and those players who are playing on a team coached by their parent. If your child falls into any of these four categories we ask they that they DO NOT attends evaluations as there is limited space and time to complete each league.

Players that DO need to attend evaluations: Any players registered in the transitional league and any players not falling into one of the four categories listed in the above paragraph.

Those players in the transitional league that do not make evaluations may be placed in Teeball. Players that should attend player evaluations, but do not for whatever reason, will have their registrations placed in the blind draft pile and will be chosen according to our player draft policy.

Q

When will I be notified as to what team my son/daughter will be playing on?

A

You will be contacted by your son/daughter's coach once evaluations and drafts are completed.  Historically we have held evaluations on a Saturday in March with drafts completed the next day.  Check out our events calendar for the current season draft date.  Coaches will need a few days to compile their paperwork, but should be in contact with you sometime that week as practices usually begin shortly thereafter.

Q

How are league standings calculated? What leagues does MJBSA keep standings for?

A

League standings are calculated as follows for conference games only (for what constitutes a conference game, see the other question about non-league games):

( # of wins + ( 1/2 the # of ties ) ) / total # of games played.

These will be displayed on the home page for all leagues except Teeball and Transitional (we do not keep standings for these two leagues) and on each individual league page (baseball, softball, etc.).

Games on each team's schedule are designated as conference or non-conference for clarification.

Q

My son/daughter has a practice/game on city field A/B/C/D. I know where the city fields are, but which field is which? How about the other fields?

A

City field D is closest to the high school, City C has the grass infield, City B is next to City C, and City A is closest to Schwartzkopf Park.

Maps for these fields as well as other fields used by our organization are listed on the lower right side of the homepage.

Q

How old does my son/daughter have to be in order to umpire with MJBSA. What is the cutoff date?

A

Those interested in umpiring must be 12 years old by April 1st, complete an application, attend four training sessions, and pass a written test at the end of their last session. We also want them to umpire 1-2 pre-season scrimmages. These are usually scheduled the weekend after the written test, but timeframe may vary due to field availability. Keep an eye on our events calendar for specific training sessions and scrimmage dates/times.

Q

What do I need to do in order to coach a MJBSA team?

A

Those interested in coaching must attend one of our walk-in registration dates, submit a Coaching Application and Agreement, and complete an online background check. Keep in mind that submission of this information does not necessarily mean you will be chosen to coach.

To save those interested some time we usually post the Coaching Application and Agreement to the website for download prior to walk-ins. It can be filled out and brought with you. See "Files for Download" in the homepage sidebar.

If walk-in registration dates have passed for the current season please get in touch with our league president.  Contact information can be found on our board members page.

Q

Can my son/daughter follow their coach and/or teammates up to the next league so they can be on the same team?

A

No, MJBSA does not permit this practice. All players moving leagues must go back into the draft process. We believe this is the best process to distribute talent equally across all teams.

Q

I keep checking your Twitter account and the weatherline, but it's almost 3 o'clock...when will I know if practices/games are going to be moved/delayed/cancelled?

A

This is very weather dependent. Sometimes we can make the call early and sometimes we don't have enough information until the afternoon. If there's a possibility that we may have practices or games in the evening, we may not have any information to report until after 3pm.

Q

I have a problem with a coach, umpire, or another member of MJBSA... what should I do?

A

The most important thing to do in this situation is to NOT wait until the end of the season to report it. It's much better if the board can address it when it happens. You can bring the situation to the board's attention through or contact form. Using the "Provide feedback/report an issue" option on the form allows you to leave off your name and email address if you wish to submit information anonymously. Although we want to give you the option to submit anonymously, keep in mind that sometimes anonymous submissions are harder to address.

Q

What are the registration age requirements/cutoffs for each league... can my son/daughter "play up"?

A

Age cutoffs for each league are listed on our registration page.

Age cut offs for leagues are April 30 in baseball (including transitional and teeball) and January 1 in softball. The player must be of age for that age group on that date. For example a child who is 8 on April 1st but turns 9 on April 2nd can play in 8U where a similar child who is a day older and turns 9 on April 1 must play in the 10U league.

Players are able to play up 1 year but this is based on ability. Any player wishing to do so must attend evaluations and be approved by a board member to do so. This is a safety decision. If a player does not have the skills to play ball with a child who is three years older the player will be asked to play in the age appropriate league.

Note: Registrations to play up a league cannot be placed through our online registration system.. You will need to attend one of the walk-in registration sessions or mail in a registration form.

Q

What is the timeline for a typical MJBSA season?

A

We begin accepting online player registrations, sponsor registrations, and umpire applications towards the end of January. We usually hold two four hour walk-in registration sessions for players and coaches (required for coaches) on separate weekends in February. Player evaluations, drafts, and practices begin in March. There are usually 1-2 practices/week (date/time varies). Once games begin in mid April, practices usually cease due to field availability. Games are typically played 2-3 times per week beginning at 6pm on weeknights, with weekends reserved for make-up games. Regular season games typically end at the end of June, followed by tournament play. The season finishes in early July with our end of season Jamboree celebration, which includes trophy presentations, skills activities for prizes, and all star games.

Q

Where are practice and/or game schedules located? I can't find them anywhere on your website.

A

Practice and game schedules will only be posted once registrations are complete and we have finalized team sponsors, coaches, and field availability. We will post these to the website under each league once available. Use the main navigation link "Leagues" to locate the one for your desired league.

Q

Why are all our practices on City C? Can't anything be done about City D?

A

All fields that MJBSA utilizes for practices and games are owned by either the city of Marysville or the Marysville school system. We can make suggestions for change but can not make these changes ourselves. City C has grass on it because that field used to wash out when the creek would flood. This field does allow us to get some games in when the other fields are not playable.

MJBSA is planning on working with the city this year to get better drainage on City field D.

Q

Why does MJBSA schedule games/tourney during Honda shut down?

A

We need to keep our tournament games at the beginning of July because later in July fields become unavailable during the weekends to other groups. We start the season about as early as we can keeping weather in mind. Its more of a priority to MJBSA that kids get an opportunity to play as many regular season games as possible and our fields are pretty full once we start working in rain outs.

Q

What is non league play? Do non league games count towards league standings?

A

Sometimes MJBSA will play games against outside organizations. This allows for more games against different teams especially in older age groups. Our regular season standings are not based on these games as these are considered non conference games. We also have non conference games against teams within MJBSA. This happens when we have a team playing an extra number of games against MJBSA teams that other teams will not be playing. Simply put each team should play each other an equal number of times to determine league standings. Additional games are added to get all teams to 14 regular season games.

Q

Why doesn't MJBSA use certified umpires?

A

This is partially a cost issue, certified umpires make twice as much per game as most of our umpires. We also have a limited number of certified umpires available to us in the area. At times MJBSA could have 9 games going on at one time and 12 to 18 certified umpires would be hard to come by.

Our umpires that are not certified are required to attend 4 training sessions and take an exam at the end of that training. The board feels its important for our umpires to have this opportunity available to them as it provides many great life experiences.