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2023-24 Season Information

click here for       Tryouts information

 

click here for     Letter from WGHS Baseball Coach Wiggins -  about the Jr Statesmen program

 

2024 / 2025  Tryouts:


We are excited to announce our 2024/2025 Season Tryouts.

All grade levels have to attend tryouts. In an effort to accommodate schedules, we will be
offering 3 different opportunities to attend a tryout. Tryouts are open to all players that live in the Webster
Groves School District boundaries; This includes public and private school players. No pre-registration
required, just walk up and register at the gate.
Please see the below details and spread the good word.

 

Dates:   July 13th, 20th, and 27th,  2024
Location:   Webster Groves High School- Kopplin Field


Times:
10:30am-12:00pm  9u & 10u players (3rd/4th grade)
12:00pm-1:30pm    11u & 12u players (5th/6th grade)
1:30pm - 3:00pm      13u & 14u players  (7th/8th grade)


What to bring: Please bring bats, gloves, helmets, and water
Please make sure players wear Orange and Black.
Returning players wear their uniforms or practice
jerseys.

 

 

Jr. Statesmen Baseball is open
Open to all baseball players living within or attending the Webster Groves School District. Continue reading below for the details on our program, including our mission, goals, business structure, player expectations, season highlights, and player fees.

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2024-25 Development Teams
 For 9u-11u (3rd-5th Grade) players

Tryouts are required, and free, only to access skill level.

Players will be placed on an appropriate team based on skill.

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2024-25 Club Teams 
For 12u-14u (6th-8th Grade) players

Tryouts required, and free.

                                   Contact Chris Hansen at loftylola@gmail.com for more information and to schedule a tryout.

To make player payments, GameChanger will be used for each team

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JSB Player Fees Payment Schedule

Club  and Development Teams - 50% due by September 1, 2024 as acceptance of roster spot;

Final 50% due January 15, 2025

 

 

Club Teams (12u-14u = 6th-8th Grade) - tryouts required, see date/time details below
Club Teams (12u-14u = 6th-8th Grade) - tryouts required, see date/time details below

Jr. Statesmen Baseball

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.
 

 

Season Highlights for the JSB Program

• January-March: Winter Warm Up (Club Teams: mid-Jan thru mid-March /  Development Teams: mid-Feb thru mid-March)

  March-June: Indoor & Outdoor Routine Practices (minimum two nights per week)
  April–May: Club Teams play a series of Private & Public School Games (12-15 games) 
  April–June: All Teams play Leagues + Local Tournaments (15-18 games) 
  June: Jr. Statesmen Baseball Summer Camp with WGHS Varsity Coaches (open to JSB and non-JSB players) 
  July: Club Team tryouts for 2022-2023 Season 
  September-October: Fall Development & Professional Training and Tournaments

 November - December: Small group hitting Training (up to 5 lessons per player)
 

Player Expectations

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.

Player Costs

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). 

 

2021-2022 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. 

  • $1,300 per player for Club Teams -  Includes all described program deliverables
  • $1,000 per player for Development Teams - Includes all described program deliverables

*Fall Ball 2021
Our Fall Ball opportunities will be heavily focused on development and professional training.  We are excited to announce that JSB is partnering with St. Louis Cardinal coach Joey Hawkins, supported by other professional players and coaches from the Cardinal system to offer players a focused 6-week training program in September and October. The Player Fees noted above include this 6-week instructional training, all facilities / equipment for the sessions, and one local tournament.  In addition to these professional training sessions, the players will have team workouts with their dedicated head coach. If teams decide to pick up extra tournaments, based on your player availability, there will be an additional cost of $40 per player per tournament.

JSB Steering Committee

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

JSB Club Team Tryouts

·  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 11th, 18th, & 25th 
·  Location: Webster Groves High School - Plymouth Field
·  Tryouts are Free 

Summer Baseball Camp

·  Open to anyone (JSB and non-JSB players)
·  Grades 3rd-5th (9U-11U) in the 2021-2022 school year
·  Monday-Thursday in June or July 2022 (dates TBD)
·  9 am - 12 noon
·  
Led by WGHS Varsity Baseball Coaching Staff 
·  Location: Webster Groves High School - Plymouth Field 
·  Cost: $125 per player

Sponsors

Please support these local community businesses as a thank you for their Sponsorship of the Jr. Statesmen Baseball program. 

 

 

 

 

Fall Development Clinic - 3rd & 4th Grade

Jr. Statesman Baseball and  Webster Groves High School Baseball Present 

An Introduction to the Statesmen Way  - 3rd and 4th Grade Fall Development Clinic

Learn the Statesmen Baseball fundamentals in a competitive and fun environment.  Players will develop their individual skills while participating in fun competition based drills.

Open to all current 3rd and 4th grade players that live within the boundaries of the Webster Groves School District

Led by JSB/ WGHS/ and Special Guest Pro Coaches From the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels

4 part clinic on weekdays TBA - October  2021

5:00-630pm

Brentwood Park Field 1 

$120 per player ( Max 20 players.  First come.)

register at 

 

for more information contact Chris Hansen at loftylola@gmail.com

 

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