Here are the most frequently asked questions regarding the SSYS Baseball and Softball programs.  If you cannot locate your specific question & answer, please go to the Contact Us page where you’ll find additional SSYS contact information.

1. Why should my child participate in the Sandy Springs Youth Sports Baseball or Softball program?
2. Is there a calendar with the key dates?
3. When does the season begin and end?
4. When and how do I sign up? What is the deadline?
5. How much does it cost to participate?
6. Is financial assistance available?
7. What am I responsible for purchasing in terms of equipment? What does the league provide?
8. What sort of time commitment is expected of parents and players?
9. I have more than one child in the program.  Can their schedules (practices & games) be coordinated?
10. Can my child play with his or her friends?
11. Does my child need experience to play?
12. How do you determine who plays in which league?
13. Do all children “make” a team?
14. How do the leagues vary? How are teams selected? Are there minimum play rules? Are there equipment rules?
15. Who should I contact if I’m interested in volunteering (Team Manager, marketing, web site, events, etc.)?
16. How do I becoming a sponsor or donation to the SSYS Baseball & Softball program?
17. Where can I buy SSYS merchandise?
18. When will the game schedules be posted and are they available online?
    

Answers

1.   Why should my child participate in the Sandy Springs Youth Sports Baseball or Softball program?

• Outstanding Programs - Sandy Springs Youth Sports has been part of the community for well over 40 years.  We offer Dizzy Dean baseball programs for boys ages 4 – 12 and ASA fastpitch softball for girls from ages 4 – 14.
• It’s Convenient – SSYS practice and games are held at Morgan Falls Park which is conveniently located in Sandy Springs and is easily accessible by residents of Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, and East Cobb.
• It’s Fun– SSYS is fun for both the kids and families!  With over 800 children in the program, your child will have an opportunity to play with old friends and meet new ones!  Similarly, our parents will have the chance to enjoy watching their child grow both athletically and socially while building camaraderie with other parents.

2.   Is there a calendar with the key dates?

Go to www.sandyspringsbaseball.com and select the Calendar option from the menu.  The calendar will be updated regularly.

3.   When does the season begin and end?

Player Evaluations typically take place in late January, practices start in early February and games start in early March.  For exact dates, please refer to the official SSYS Calendar.

4.   When and how do I sign up? What is the deadline?

Regular registration typcially takes place from November 1st through the first week in January.  (Go to the Registration Dates page to learn about key registration dates.)  Once the late registration period starts, families are charged a late fee and are not eligible for the sibling discount...SO REGISTER ON TIME OR BETTER YET, REGISTER EARLY!  Over the past few years our younger baseball leagues have filled up as well.

5.   How much does it cost to participate?

SSYS league fees vary by age group and are shown in detail on our SSYS Registration Fees page.  In order to ease the expense of having multiple children in the program, SSYS offers sibling discounts during our early bird registration period.  (Go to the Registration Dates page to learn about key registration dates.)

6.   Is financial assistance available?

SSYS strives to make our fees affordable, but we do make financial aid available on an as needed basis.  We want every child who has a desire to play softball or baseball to play.  If you have a child who wants to play, but cannot afford the fees, please contact the secretary of SSYS at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to initiate your scholarship request.   We also offer felx pay which allows you to pay 25% of the fee at the time of registration and the remaining 75% the first week of January.

7.   What equipment does the league provide? What am I responsible for purchasing in terms of equipment?

As noted in the fee question, SSYS provides player uniforms.  In addition, SSYS will provide bats, balls, and catcher’s gear.   Players must provide their own glove.  Baseball cleats are preferred, but not required, especially for our 4,5 & 6 year old players.  As boys get older most coaches require that all boys playing infield wear an athletic cup.  However, since there is a chance of injury anytime a player is on the field, SSYS strongly advises that parents make their boys wear one all the time!

8.   What sort of time commitment is expected of parents and players?

The success of the program is predicated on adult supervision and parental involvement.  The City of Sandy Springs provides some services to our program, but the majority of work is done by volunteers.  Each team requires a Team Manager, an Assistant Coach, a Team Parent, and a host of other helpers.  It is your responsibility to get your child to the practices and games on time and to notify the coaching staff if your child cannot be at a game.  It is especially important to let your coach know if a child cannot make a game because teams must have a minimum number of players to start a game!

Players have a responsibility to both their coaches and team mates to attend practices and games.  While SSYS understands that the players have other commitments, they must understand that they are part of a TEAM!  Missing practices and games makes it difficult for the coaches to practice and can even result in forfeits if the coach cannot field a full team.

 If you are interested in becoming more involved, or would like to find out more about our Board positions, please contact one of our Board members.

9.   I have more than one child in the program.  Can their schedules (practices & games) be coordinated?

With over 80 teams at SSYS it is impossible for our coaches and scheduler to try and coordinate schedules of children in the same family.  Practice and game times are rotated between teams within leagues, so your child’s practice and game times will vary from week to week.

10.   Can my child play with his or her friends?

With our youngest players (ages 4, 5 & 6), we make every effort to honor requests for school or neighborhood friends to play together.  As children get older, teams are drafted in a process that strives for equitable teams, so it is more difficult to honor teammate requests.  However, we do accommodate requests, if possible.

11.   Does my child need experience to play?

No, SSYS welcomes children of all abilities.

12.   How do you determine who plays in which league?

A child’s “league age” determines in which league a child will play.  In baseball, a child’s league age is their age as of 4/30 and in softball, a child’s league age is their age as of 12/31.  Click here to see the updated league age chart.

To promote competitive balance and to ensure a safe experience for the children, players are grouped by age.  SSYS does not allow our baseball players to play “up” – NO EXCEPTIONS!  There are occasions, where we will keep a player “down” because of safety concerns, but all players must go to the evaluation of the league they should be in based on their age.

13.   Do all children “make” the team?

YES!  All registered players are placed on a team.  10-12 Year-old baseball players who did not play on a National League team during the previous season are eligible to be drafted by a National League team once the evaluations are complete.  If they do not get drafted to a National League team, they are drafted to an American League team.

14.   How do the leagues vary? How are teams selected? Are there minimum play rules? Are there equipment rules?

As the child age through the rules change to accommodate increasing skill levels.  If you are interested in seeing complete league descriptions, you can download the complete league description from the particular league’s home page.

15.   Who should I contact if I’m interested in volunteering (Team Manager, marketing, web site, events, etc.)?

You can indicate your desire to volunteer on our registration form or contact any of the SSYS Board Members or Officers.

16.   How do I become a sponsor or donation to the SSYS Baseball & Softball program?

Complete sponsorship information is available on the Support SSYS page.  We welcome Corporate Sponsors, Team Sponsors ($600), and Booster Club support!

17.   Where can I buy SSYS merchandise?

SSYS merchandise is available throughout the season during Opening Day, Saturday game days, and Family Night.

18.   When will the game schedules be posted and are they available online?

Before game schedules can be posted player evaluations must be completed and teams drafted.  With over 80 teams to schedule, it takes several weeks to create the schedule and get it posted to the web.  Please be patient as we make every effort to get this process completed as quickly as possible.  To see the online schedules for your child’s league go to the League Schedules and Standing page for Baseball or Softball or go to the League Home page for your child’s league.  In addition to being available online, your Team Manager will also provide you with a schedule as soon as it is available.