2024 Spring Ball Season
Key Spring Ball Dates:
- Registration: Ends 1/5/2024
- Assessments: January 6th and 7th at Kaeser (Wells Fargo) Field (times TBD)
- Season: Feb to early May.
- Practices Start 2/5/2024
- First Game: 2/24/2024
- Last Regular Season Game: Late April
- League Playoffs: Late April/Early May
This season is meant to introduce new players to the sport and to continue development of returning athletes. Girls will learn the rules, techniques, and mechanics of softball. We will abide by USA Softball Rules, but also have drafted some "local rules", too. You can check these out on the About Us > Documents tab above. We also hope to teach life lessons such as respect for all (our self, our teammates, our coaches, our parents, and the officials), perseverance when the game gets tough, and dedication to being there because every player matters.
Eligibility: All girls ages 5-14 are welcome to play The Ranch Softball. If you have a player outside of these ages wanting to play, please email [email protected] so that we can determine eligibility. The safety of all our players is a priority.
Divisions: 6U, 8U, 10U, 12U, and if we have enough interest, we will have 14U teams. Our registration system will offer the appropriate division registration based on her birth year but here is the division breakdown.
Playing up or down a division is an option, and during registration you have the opportunity to indicate interest in doing so. For details on criteria for allowing players to play up or down, please refer to our Rules & Regulations.
Manager Selection: Managers are required to submit applications that are reviewed by the Rules Committee so they can provide their recommendations to the Board. Recommendations are put to a vote by the Board. If we expect to have more teams than we have Managers, additional Managers will be recruited. All volunteers are required to have a background check and complete SafeSport training. In addition, volunteers may also be required to complete concussion training. For more detailed information about Manager selection, please refer to our Rules & Regulations.
Team Formation: Players in 8U-14U divisions attend assessments and are given a skills score that is used to help ensure the distribution of talent across all teams. Approved Managers participate in a draft to choose their teams. Teams are reviewed by our Player Agent for balanced talent. If necessary, they will arrange for trades. Once they have finalized teams, rosters are reviewed and voted for approval by the Board. For more detailed information about the draft, please refer to our Rules & Regulations.
Note: 6U teams are not drafted as we do not assess this division. 6U teams are formed by the Player Agent, with input from the Manager. We will do our best to honor any friend requests and place on teams with players from the same school.
Practices: Initially practices will be 2x/week and will drop to 1x/week when games start. Practice start times vary with times as early as 4:00 PM and as late as 8:00 PM with 6U/8U/10U divisions having earlier practices and 12U/14U divisions with later practices. Practices may be held at Rancho Bernardo Park, 4S Sports Park, Kaeser Field, and Liberty Park.
Games: 2x/week and will be held one day during the week and on Saturdays. Similar to practices, weekday game times are as early as 4:00 PM and as late as 8:00 PM; Saturday game times are as early as 8:00 AM.
8U, 10U, and 12U divisions may interleague with other local leagues.
14U team(s) participate in a Super League, playing across North County.
Practice/Game Schedule Requests: We are not able to accommodate requests for practice and/or game day or times. We are subject to field allocation (shared with Little League) and the availability of our volunteer Managers.
Other Requests: If you have a request to accommodate any unique circumstances that would enable your daughter to play, please email [email protected].
Cancellation Policy: Refunds are subject to the current Rules & Regulations applicable to the season you are registering for. There will be NO refunds after assessments. After assessments, the Executive Board may elect to provide a prorated refund upon receipt of a written request and explanation from the player's parent/guardian.
Any questions you have that are not addressed in our Rules & Regulations and FAQs can be emailed to [email protected]. Our Registrar will forward to the appropriate volunteer to address if they are not able to.