MANAWA YOUTH SPORTS – GENERAL INFORMATION (updated 2/28/2024)
Manawa Youth Sports provides a variety of programs for children in our community and school district to learn the fundamentals of baseball and softball and compete at levels appropriate to their skill sets. It’s a fantastic opportunity to get to know and interact with other children of similar ages and for those in the public, parochial, or home school to join together.
Teams are coached by parent and community volunteers. All coaches and volunteers are required to submit a background check that is processed for us by the School District of Manawa. It’s important to remember that everyone is a volunteer. There are no professional coaches here and our volunteers do the best that they can and donate countless hours of their time.
What Programs Are Available?
T-ball: For children (boys and girls combined) who are age 4 as of January 1, 2024, up through entering 5K in the coming Fall. This group generally meets one or two times per week during the month of May to practice and then moves to one practice during the week and also on Sunday afternoons in June when games begin. Emphasis is on learning to love baseball and having fun at this age. How to hold a bat, swing a bit, catch a ball, etc., all while having fun and learning to play with others.
Coach Pitch: This program is for boys and girls who are currently (2023/2024 school year) in 5K, 1st or 2nd grade. There is a good amount of competition in this league when games begin in the summer (we do keep score), but it is also a learning opportunity. Children will learn the fundamentals of baseball, such as catching, throwing, hitting, running bases, and fielding. They will also learn about being a good teammate, respecting their coaches, being grateful to their parents for bringing them, and more. This league is played with a machine (spring-driven ball tosser) as the pitcher. During games, each child receives 3 pitches from the machine and if they cannot hit the ball from those 3 pitches the batting tee is bought out and the child receives one swing from the tee. This league practices on various nights during the week, depending on the coaches’ schedules and field availability, but generally only 1 (occasionally 2) times per week. Games are held at Lindsay Park on Sunday afternoons in June and July. This league does not currently travel to other cities to play but plays against the other teams in this grouping. The number of teams is decided based on the number of children registering. To create balanced teams (as best we can), children are divided by grade and/or skill level. We cannot guarantee that a child be placed on a requested team, but we do make every effort to keep siblings on the same team. Coaches will reach out to families to communicate practices after registration has closed. Parent coach volunteers are always needed at this level.
Girls Softball: This is a competitive league (Wolf River League) that plays against teams from surrounding communities. In 2023 that included Marion, Weyauwega, Tigerton, Amherst, Clintonville, Waupaca, Menominee, New London, Wittenberg and Iola. Game schedules are determined once registration closes and the communities have a sense for how many teams they may have in each age group. Manawa generally has one at each age level. Nights of games vary and will be determined closer to April/May. Coaches will begin practices in late April/early May as well and will reach out to families with schedules as they are available. Live pitching is windmill style and players learn to watch for balls and strikes, are able to steal bases, and learn a new, more competitive side of the game in these levels of play. Manawa has three teams in this program:
***PLEASE NOTE THE NEW AGE CLASSIFICATIONS BEING USED THIS YEAR***
10U: For girls born between September 1, 2012, and August 31, 2014.
12U: For girls born between September 1, 2010 and August 31, 2012.
14U for girls born between September 1, 2008, and August 31, 2010.
Boys Baseball: This program includes opportunities for boys to learn a more competitive level of playing baseball, playing against teams from other communities, similar to girls softball, but the league teams may vary slightly. This will be determined after the 2024 league meeting is held. Games will be held in both Manawa and other communities. Manawa generally has one team in each of the divisions below (yes, boys are by grade and girls by age), however if we have a significant turnout, we can have more than one team in each division and will divide teams as fairly as we are able. Teams include:
10U – Boys currently in 3rd and 4th grade (as of current 2023/2024 school year)
12U – Boys currently in 5th and 6th grade (as of current 2023/2024 school year)
Pony/Babe Ruth – For boys in 7th-9th grade (there is an age cutoff, but the league has been flexible in the past so towns are able to field teams). Once registration is completed, the classification of Pony or Babe Ruth is determined at the league meeting in April.
Registration: Online registration can be done at www.manawayouthsports.org. Please complete a separate registration for each child and when finished submit your payment online.
Manawa Youth Sports Association (dba Manawa Area Youth Baseball Softball Association) is a registered 501(c)(3).
Please note: Manawa Youth Sports Association has a fantastic relationship with the School District of Manawa, but it is not a SDM-sponsored activity.
