Jr. Statesmen Baseball (JSB) is a competitive baseball program designed to mentally and physically prepare 3rd thru 8th grade (9u-14u) players for Webster Groves High School (WGHS) baseball. Community-minded and community-grown, this program is open to any player living within or attending the Webster Groves School District that dreams of playing for their high school team. Who doesn’t want to be a Statesmen!
 

Trust the Process. Celebrate the Success.
 

Program Mission
Our mission is to build a program that trains and develops players from an early age (3rd grade; 9u), so they are ready to play for the Statesmen in high school… and that they stay in the Webster school system, because we have the training and experiences they are seeking. 

Program Goal
Our goal is to instill the fundamental aspects of the game along with promoting Statesmen baseball ideals, a strong work ethic, sportsmanship, and teamwork while celebrating each player's successes on and off the field.
 

Jr. Statesmen Baseball Teams
The Jr. Statesmen Baseball teams are structured in two levels: Development Teams (9u-11u) and Club Teams (12u-14u). We are proud to offer an opportunity for kids to play on the same team with their school friends, so they begin building camaraderie as a team that will take them on into high school. 

•  JSB Development Teams - As the player's first introduction to the principles, routines, and philosophies of the WGHS Baseball program, the goal of these skill-development teams will be to prepare players for the Jr. Statesmen Club and Webster Groves high school teams. Tryouts are required, only to assess skill level. Players are guaranteed to be placed on an appropriate team based on skill.
 

•  JSB Club Teams - These team rosters are filled with 6th-8th grade AA and AAA level players selected from tryouts held each summer. The goal of these club teams will be to enjoy the game of baseball while developing solid fundamental baseball skills, so they are prepared to tryout for the high school team.

JSB Coaches
Coach qualifications, requirements, and selections will be set by the Jr. Statesmen Steering Committee, JSB Coaches and Player Coordinators, Advisers, and WGBSL Board of Directors.The Development Teams will be led by dedicated and qualified volunteer coaches and the Club Teams will be led by both paid and volunteer coaches. All coaches are required to participate in a coach development program facilitated by the JSB program. The coaching philosophy within this program will be under the guidance of the WG Head Coach to ensure we are adhering to the appropriate development levels for each age group.

Business Structure
We are a non-profit, Amateur Sports Organization under the umbrella of the Webster Groves Baseball Softball League (WGBSL) so that we can leverage their community outreach for continued growth; coordination of private and public-school games; umpires, and administrative services. Direction for the program is guided by the JSB Steering Committee along with the advice of the Webster Groves High School Baseball coaching staff. 

We believe players at this age should enjoy the game of baseball. We want them to learn and develop solid fundamental baseball skills, so they are prepared for the high school team. To be successful on and off the field, we have outlined the following expectations for all our Jr. Statesmen Baseball players.

• Respect > for themselves, their teammates, their coaches, their opponents, the umpires, and their parents.   

• Hustle > always, in practice and in games. Working hard and taking pride in the job they are doing will translate into life-long work ethic skills.  

• Team > this program is bigger than one player, it is about building a team. Each one of us will support each other in our actions, our words, and our deeds. We will have a no tolerance policy for negative activities toward another player.
 

Dual Roster Expectations for Club Team Players
This is a competitive program and we are putting together a very substantial game and training schedule that starts in September and will run through June. In high season you can expect 3-4 game or practice obligations per week. The coaches are not all about winning, but they are not approaching games with the pressure of even playing time. The players that are best at position, committed to the routines, and put in the most work will see the most play time. That is why we hold tryouts for our Club Teams and select players that we feel would be a good fit for the program. 

As the official feeder program for WGHS, we are looking for players that make this their home program and make our practices and games their top priority. We don’t want to discourage players from getting extra reps and would encourage private one-on-one training; but we feel that the amount of baseball and style of baseball our program is offering will be a full plate for our players and dual rostering is not advantageous. Our expectation is that each and every player will give JSB their full attention.

To keep this program affordable for all players living in or attending the WGSD, we are committed to keeping the cost of this program at a lower price point compared to other baseball clubs. Our leadership is all voluntary, with only paid head coaches for the Club teams, a paid Skill Development Coach for small training sessions, and a paid Coach Development Coordinator to work with all of our JSB coaches. We will schedule teams in local games, leagues, and tournaments to help families only incur local travel expenses (i.e. gas and mileage). 

2025-2026 Player Fees
Include uniforms (practice shirt, jersey, pant, belt, JSB hat), indoor and outdoor practice facilities, league play, local tournaments, team equipment and incidental fees (administration costs, end of season party, etc), skill development coaches, and Winter Warm Up. 

• $1,500 per player for Club Teams -  Includes all described program deliverables
• $1,200 per player for Development Teams - Includes all described program deliverables

·  Chris Hansen loftylola@gmail.com
·  Jerry Pinkner
·  Paul Kuehler
·  Tyson Sturgeon

·  Open to any player that lives within or attends the Webster Groves School District, including private school players.
·  Players entering 3rd - 8th Grades 
· Walk Up Tryouts July 12th, 19th, & 26th 
·  Location: Webster Groves High School - Kopplin Field
·  Tryouts are Free 

·  Open to anyone (JSB and non-JSB players)
·  Grades rising 3rd-8th
·  Monday-Thursday in June or July 2025 
·  Led by WGHS Varsity Alumni
·  Location: The Center
·  Cost: