Central St. Croix Rec Baseball
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Central St. Croix Rec “CSCR” Baseball? The CSCR baseball program provides boys ages 6-14 (grades 1st – 8th) an opportunity to play baseball in a healthy and positive environment regardless of ability or experience. Our program is divided into two primary leagues: Metro Baseball League and In-House League. These leagues allow for both player development and appropriate levels of competition. The program is also divided by age and grade levels.
What is the “In-House” baseball league? This recreational baseball league is for boys U8 (1st & 2nd grade as of the registration date) through U14 (8th grade as of the registration date). This league provides a positive environment in which participants enjoy playing baseball and continue to develop and improve baseball skills.
In-House League (players based on grade-level)
U8 - Machine Pitch program for combined 1st & 2nd graders (as of the registration date). These teams will only play other CSCR U8 teams.
U10 - Combined 3rd & 4th graders (grade as of the registration date). Players pitch and umpires are added for this level and above. These teams will play other CSCR teams and Baldwin teams. Additional community team options are always being explored.
U12 - Combined 5th & 6th graders (grade as of the registration date). These in-house teams will play in the “Middle Boarder League” which consists of New Richmond, Osceola, Somerset and Ellsworth
U14 - Combined 7th & 8th grade (grade as of the registration date). These in-house teams will be playing in the “Western Wisconsin Baseball League (WWBL)” which consists of teams from Hudson, New Richmond, River Falls, Somerset and Prescott.
What is Metro Baseball League “MBL”? This is a regional (local) competitive baseball league for boys up to age 14. The Central St. Croix Rec program offers participation in the “MBL” for age levels of U10 (4th graders as of the registration date only) up to U14. This league requires player participation in annual evaluations. Please visit www.mbl.bz for more information regarding this league.
Metro Baseball League (players based on age and requires evaluation day participation)
U10 - Players must not reach age 11 prior to May 1st. In addition, per CSCR policy, players must be in 4th grade as of the registration date. These teams will play other community teams within the region- examples include River Falls, Hudson, New Richmond, Baldwin, Prescott, Stillwater, Woodbury, Somerset, Ellsworth, etc.
U11 - Players must not reach age 12 prior to May 1st. These teams will play other community teams within the region- examples include River Falls, Hudson, New Richmond, Baldwin, Prescott, Stillwater, Woodbury, Somerset, Ellsworth, etc.
U12 - Players must not reach age 13 prior to May 1st. These teams will play other community teams within the region- Examples include River Falls, Hudson, New Richmond, Baldwin, Prescott, Stillwater, Woodbury, Somerset, Ellsworth, etc.
U13 - Players must not reach age 14 prior to May 1st. These teams will play other community teams within the region- Examples include River Falls, Hudson, New Richmond, Baldwin, Prescott, Stillwater, Woodbury, Somerset, Ellsworth, etc.
U14 - Players must not reach age 15 prior to May 1st. These teams will play other community teams within the region- Examples include River Falls, Hudson, New Richmond, Baldwin, Prescott, Stillwater, Woodbury, Somerset, Ellsworth, etc.
Are players from other communities allowed to participate on CSCR baseball teams? CSCR baseball is open for St. Croix Central students only.
Do I select the league I want my player to participate in during registration? No. U8 (1st and 2nd grade as of the registration date) will automatically be placed on a roster within the In-House Machine Pitch league. All other players will be placed within the appropriate league based on their evaluation results (see below for more information regarding evaluations).
What about T-Ball? Please see the information under the Sports/T-Ball tab on the CSCR web site.
Who oversees the CSCR Baseball Program? A formal baseball committee was created in 2018. Organizational details and contact information can be found under the Baseball Committee Org tab
What are the age requirements for the Metro Baseball League? Players in their respective age groups (U levels) must not reach the next age before May 1.
What are the Metro Baseball League competitive levels within each age group (U-level)? AAA; AA; A
What are the travel requirements for players/parents in the Metro Baseball League? Central St. Croix Rec baseball teams playing MBL can expect travel to local communities for away games. Examples of local communities include River Falls, Hudson, New Richmond, Baldwin, Prescott, Stillwater, Woodbury, Somerset, Ellsworth, etc. Players and parents can expect 2-3 tournaments on weekends per season.
If my son plays MBL, will we be playing baseball every weekday/weekend all summer? No! There are 16 regular games and typically 2-3 tournaments each season. The MBL season runs from early May through the end of July. Regular season games are scheduled during the week (typically 2-3 nights). There will be one weekend tournament at the end of the season. In addition, individual teams may play in as few or many tournaments as decided by coaches and player parents. All tournaments are generally within our local communities. We are planning to add tournaments at St. Croix Central going forward.
How are players selected for Metro Baseball League teams? An evaluation of all CSCR baseball registered players (4th - 8th grade) will take place annually at the St. Croix Central high school gym.
What is the player evaluation process? On the day of evaluations, each player will be assigned a number and given an evaluation form. Please click HERE to see the evaluation form. No player names will be used during the evaluation process. Reminder: Participants must be registered for baseball through the CSCR web site.
Who evaluates each player? The St. Croix Central High School varsity baseball coach and two staff members will conduct the evaluation of each player. In addition, high school baseball players will assist with setting up and tearing down the gym that day for evaluations.
Will a player be automatically placed on an MBL team if they participated on an MBL team the year prior? No. Players will be re-evaluated each year and placed on the appropriate team based on skill level.
Will parents be allowed in the gym to watch the evaluation? To maintain the integrity of the evaluation process, access will be limited to players and evaluation staff.
Will parents be allowed to see their player’s evaluation results? Players will be assigned numbers and names will not be used. Evaluation results will be kept confidential. If parents have questions about player development, we encourage them to reach out to the varsity baseball coach or CSCR volunteer coaches for guidance.
Will a player be allowed to “play up” to the next U-level? In other words, if a 10 year old player would like to play on the U11 team (vs the U10 team), will this be allowed? Players will be able to play with other kids within their own grade level. MBL age rules (as listed above) will be enforced. Any playing up exceptions will be based on a shortage of players within the next level team and those players impacted will be determined by evaluation day results.
What happens if my player does not make the MBL team? The Central St. Croix Rec offers an in-house baseball league. All players not playing in the MBL will be assigned to an in-house league roster. All players will be notified after the evaluations whether they are placed on an MBL team or in-house team. Notifications will be communicated during the month of March.
How are the in-house rosters selected? The CSCR Baseball Committee will create all team rosters. The committee is dedicated to creating balanced rosters allowing for competitiveness and proper player development.
How are the coaches selected for each team? Based on those who volunteer during the registration process, the CSCR Baseball Committee will select all coaches and assistant coaches.
When does registration open? Baseball Registration opens in January and closes approximately three weeks later. This early registration allows everyone to be prepared for the upcoming season, including roster and coach selections, scheduling, field assignments, etc. Please check the Registration tab on the CSCR web site for exact dates.
What is the cost for player registration? Central St. Croix Rec Baseball fees are as follows:
How is my registration fee spent? Baseball expenses include: hats, jerseys, insurance, equipment, field maintenance, umpires, awards, tournament fees, league fees, etc. Central St. Croix Rec strives to keep all registration fees at a minimum and as affordable as possible. Our fees are very favorable in comparison to other communities.
When does baseball season start/end? Generally, practice for U10-U14 begins in April with games starting in May. Baseball ends in July. The coach of each team will communicate start dates once rosters and schedules are completed in late March/early April.
Who should I contact if I have further questions? Please email questions to cscrboard@gmail.com or click CSCR Baseball Committee for contact information.
