Integrated Development: Dual practices + scrimmages for all divisions and built-in pre-game practice time along with a balanced practice and game schedule for Juniors, Farm, and Majors.
Flexible Divisions and Progressive Development: T-ball, Juniors, and Farm Teams will be matched with other teams of similar skill level while Juniors and Farm pitching rules will be tailored and adjusted throughout the season to ensure hitting and fielding can also be a focus.
Development Pathways: Multiple development pathways to support your short and long term baseball goals:
Interleague and House Games: In addition to our in-house games, we will partner with other local baseball organizations for second year Juniors, Farm, and Majors players - almost all hosted at Big Willow fields.
The Registration "Spring Registration" is not currently available.
Register as soon as possible to assist us with honoring more friend requests.
Needs-based Scholarships are available.
Refer to our main Registration page and the SportsEngine Mobile App Resource page for instructions
President
Phone: 952-999-6037
See the bottom of this page for Coach Registration details
A: Players age 4 through 12 (as of May 1 for the season year) are invited to play in our Spring league. See the table below for more info. Exceptions may be made for 3-year old players who turn 4 during the baseball season. Please contact president@bigwillowbaseball.com to discuss an age waiver.
A: Yes! Friend requests can be made during the registration process (write them in order of priority, as not all friend requests are guaranteed). We want players to play with their friends, but we also want to ensure balanced teams. For Juniors, Farm, and Majors we conduct evaluations and consider those results in conjunction with friend requests. Additionally, those who register before February 1st have a greater likelihood of more friend requests being honored.
A: No. All registration for the Spring season is for individual players only.
The deadline to register is March 16th at 11:59 p.m. Be sure to register as early as possible because registration space is limited. Your early registration also helps league officials create teams, plan schedules, recruit parent-coaches and honor friend requests.
Please refer to our refund policy section.
A: Big Willow board members (who are already volunteers!) are exempt. Head coaches are exempt. Sponsors are exempt. All others, including assistant coaches, are required to either complete the required volunteer shifts for the season per player or purchase a buyout. Volunteer shifts will be communicated closer to the start of the season. See the Parent Volunteers section for more info.
A: Contact the registrar at president@bigwillow.com
A: The Spring season runs from approximately April 20 through approximately June 30.
A: Big Willow welcomes players from all over the West Metro. While Big Willow is based in Minnetonka within the Hopkins School district boundaries, players in past years have come from Hopkins, Minnetonka, Golden Valley, Plymouth, Edina, Eden Prairie, St. Louis Park, Wayzata and more.
Mites: Teams are formed by the league organizers using friend requests, schools attended and availability of head coaching volunteers. Our goal is to create teams with familiar faces for kids to build friendships and create a love for the game.
Juniors, Farm, and Majors: Teams are established using player evaluations and knowledge of player skills based on past performance. Our goal is to create evenly balanced teams to provide for fair competition and a fun and enjoyable season. We will honor friend requests the best we can while still maintaining balanced teams.
A: Each division will meet twice a week and will involve either a Practice+Scrimmage or a Games. We believe in ongoing development and having fun, therefore, practices will include a 30-minute scrimmage with another team. For Mites, we will have rotating development stations at all practices/scrimmages and games so that your child is engaged throughout the session.
A: See the table below.
A: Weekday game start times will be as follows, but these are subject to change once all rosters are finalized.
Saturday game start times will be as follows:
A: End of season events are determined during the rostering and scheduling process closer to the start of the season.
Please note that if your child's birthday falls between May 1 and August 31 and you have questions about which division he or she qualified for, you may email the registrar contact. Please also note that the age brackets below apply to our Spring league. Summer league divisions will differ - please refer to the Summer league page.
| Division | Description | Participation Criteria | Program Days | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mites | T-Ball - Fun introduction to baseball and team play. | For kids going into Pre-K, Kindergarten, or 1st grade; No previous T-ball experience; 4, 5, and 6 year olds as of May 1st. | Tuesdays and Saturdays | $125.00 |
| Juniors | Coach/Machine Pitch - Emphasis on developing basic baseball skills, knowledge and game situations. | For kids going into 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade; 7-8 year olds as of May 1st. (6 year olds with prior experience may participate.) | Wednesdays and Saturdays | $165.00 |
| Farm | Player Pitch (First Level) - Emphasis on building hitting, fielding, and pitching skills, and participation in games. Teams organized by draft to provide balanced competition. | For kids going into 3rd, 4th and 5th grades; 9-10 year olds as of May 1st; 8 year olds with advanced skills may participate in Farm try-outs | Monday-Thursday 2-3 days/week | $165.00 |
| Minors A | Intermediate Baseball - Players continue to develop and apply baseball skills in a more competitive environment. Emphasis on developing consistency and well-played games. Teams organized by draft to provide balanced competition. | For kids going into 5th and 6th grade; 10-11 year olds as of May 1st; 9 year olds with advanced skills may participate in Minors A try-outs | Monday-Thursday 2-3 days/week | $165.00 |
| Majors 12 | Advanced Baseball - Players continue to develop and apply baseball skills in a more competitive environment. Emphasis on developing consistency and well-played games. Teams organized by draft to provide balanced competition. | For kids going into 6th and 7th grade; 11-12 year olds | Tuesdays and Thursdays | $165.00 |
Juniors, Farm, Majors Divisions - Formed through an evaluation process to make sure that teams are evenly formed, with school and friend requests used as additional considerations.
Mites (T-Ball) Division - Formed by friend requests and school attendance as best as possible. Any sign up after team formation will be placed in empty spots to fill teams evenly.
Minnetonka Big Willow Baseball requires that every family fulfill volunteer shifts per player as noted in the Table below. These volunteer hours are used to support the concession stand and other functions. Concession stand volunteer opportunities will be communicated closer to the start of the season.
You may elect to not fulfill volunteer duties at the time of registration. The volunteer buyout fee noted below will be added to your registration cost.
If you elect to volunteer and your family's hours are not fulfilled by the end of the season, you will be billed the incomplete volunteer fee. All volunteer requirements must be scheduled by June 1st to avoid the incomplete fee.
| Volunteer Requirement | Teenager Hiring Program | Buy Out Amount | Incomplete Volunteer Invoice Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per Child | 5 Hours (2 shifts) | $150.00 | $150.00 | $350.00 |
We are also actively recruiting several board member positions, including scheduler, facilities lead, summer ball coordinator, and tournament director. Board members are eligible for one free Spring registration. Please contact our current president, Kara Francis, prior to registering if you'd like more information regarding board level positions. (president@bigwillowbaseball.com)
Big Willow Baseball Association uses TrustedCoaches for all Background Checks, Concussion, and Abuse Prevention Training. All volunteers wishing to coach will need to complete the following Coach Registration as well as required training. Previous background checks/training will need to be brought up to date. Thank you - Big Willow Board.
Note: For best results, complete the coach registration form using the same Sports Engine login used to register your kids.