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Rec Baseball

The Baseball program at Keller Youth Association (KYA) has become widely recognized as one of the best and most complete all-around programs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The KYA Baseball program has been built upon the following guiding principles:

  • To help our youth develop into better adults through participation in organized sports.
  • To foster an atmosphere focused on sportsmanship, teamwork, trust and fundamentals.
  • To guide and assist our participants to gain the necessary skills, confidence and discipline to become positive, healthy citizens and role models of the future.

KYA Baseball offers multiple programs and levels of play including Recreational, Elite as well as Select. KYA Baseball has successfully been able to maintain a positive balance within our program for our Select and Elite teams, as well as our Recreational leagues.

REC baseball registration fees per season: 
BlastBall:   $100
5U - 14U:   $175

The chart below is a rough estimate on the league comparisons for a Spring season.

Spring Season Comparison

Rec Elite Select
Weeks ~ 12 ~ 16 ~ 16
Games/Wk 1 ~ 1 - 2 ~ 1 - 3
Total Games ~ 12 ~ 20-30(+) 30-50(+)
At-Bat/Game ~ 1 - 2 ~ 2 - 3 ~ 2 - 3
At-Bat/Season 15-30 40-90(+) 60-100(+)
Innings/Game ~ 3 - 4 ~ 4 - 6 ~ 4 - 6
Innings/Season 40-50 80-180 140-200(+)
Practices ~ 1 - 2 ~ 1 - 2 ~ 1 - 3
Tournaments? None Encouraged Required
# Tournaments None ~ 2 - 6 ~ 4 - 8
Reg Fees ~ $175 ~ $225 ~ $250
TOTAL Cost/Season ~ $250 ~ $500* ~ $750*
Commitment Trying it out / Average level talent  Enjoys Baseball / All Star level talent Serious about baseball / Top level talent

* Cost can be offset by fundraising and sponsorships.

KYA Recreational Baseball Program

The KYA Recreational Baseball Program is designed to attract as many players in the community, who have a sincere interest in the game, as possible. In our younger leagues we attempt to include every single player who registers to play. Our goal is to give the youngest players in our program an opportunity to gain a fondness for and an interest in the game. We also strive to give them every chance to learn the basic skills the game requires.

As our recreational players advance in age, we still provide an "all inclusive" approach to participation. The privilege of increased participation is earned through attainment of performance levels by conscientious attendance at games and practice sessions, as well as general conduct and development on the playing field.

Here is some great insight by one of our own KYA coaches, Clint McGill, that deals with the challenge of  "Good in practice but struggle in games?  4 free tips on how to crush it on game day".

KYA Field Dimensions

Age Division Base Path Distance Pitching Distance
5U 55' N/A
6U 55' N/A
7U 60' 40'
8U 60' 40'
9U 65' 46'
10U 65' 46'
11U 70' 50'
12U 70' 50'
13U 80' 54'
14U 80' 54'

Recreational Levels of Play

Level of Play Age (as of April 30, 2024)
BlastBall (PreT-Ball) 3-4 Years Old (Co-Ed)
(Modified T-Ball) 5 and 6 Years Old (Co-Ed)
(Coach Pitch) 7 Years Old
(Coach Pitch) 8 Years Old
(Kid Pitch) 9 Years Old
(Full Baseball Begins) 10 Years Old
(Full Baseball) 11 and 12 Years Old
(Full Baseball) 13 and 14 Years Old

Recreational All-Star Program

KYA Baseball’s recreational teams also field highly competitive All Star teams to compete in area city tournaments each summer. In past years, KYA Baseball has been able to advance teams through District play and has earned District, Sectional, Zone, State Championships and World Series Championships.

What equipment does KYA provide? 

T-Ball – Tee, catcher’s helmet, batter's helmet and game balls.

For all other leagues, KYA provides catcher’s equipment, batting helmets, and game balls (The Coach will have to provide a Deposit)

Coach’s Freeze Rule

  1. A new coach (coach who did not head coach the previous spring season) is allowed to freeze his son and one assistant coach’s son granted his assistant coach’s son did not play for a KYA spring Rec team.
  2. A returning head coach in good standing or official assistant coach (if head coach is no longer coaching) of a KYA team in the previous spring season is allowed to freeze his son and 4 other players returning from his prior year’s spring team for a total of 5 freezes. (Twins count as two freezes.  A coach will freeze one twin in one round and the other twin in his next round.)
  3. A player not returning to his/her previous year’s spring team must return to the draft pool.
  4. Wild card drafts are not permitted.
  5. The draft rule runs from spring season to spring season. Fall season is not considered.
  6. If a player does not complete the tryout in its entirety (100%) then that player will be put into the blind draft.  No exceptions.

FREQUENTLY ASKED REC Baseball QUESTIONS

1. When are sign ups? 
Spring: Online registration opens in December
Fall: Online registration opens Mid-July to Late-August

2. How much does it cost per season?
BlastBall:   $100
5U - 14U:   $175

3. How do I sign up? 
Online - Link will be posted on homepage when registration is open

4. How long is the season? 
Spring: Mid-March thru Mid-May
Fall: Mid-September thru Mid-November

5. When do practices start? 
Practices begin soon after registration completes

6. How many practices and games are there per week? 
Teams are allowed 3 events (games and/or practices) per week, expect 1-2 games per week

When are games?
Spring:

  • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday (Evenings)
  • Saturday (All day 8am - 8pm)
  • Blast Ball games are early Saturday mornings
  • Weeknight T-ball game times are 6:00pm and 7:00pm
  • Weeknight 7/8U games times are 6:00pm and 7:30pm
  • Weeknight 9/10U game times are 6:00pm and 8:00pm
  • Weeknight 11/12U game times are 6:00pm and 8:00pm
  • Weeknight 13/14U game times are 6:00pm and 8:00pm
    Wednesdays and Sundays can potentially be used for rain out games. 

Fall: Friday evenings, Saturday (all day), Sunday afternoon and Monday Night may be used for rain out games. *Some weeknight games may be scheduled to ensure the season is completed on time.

7. Where are games and practices? 
Games are played at the Keller Sports Park.  Practice locations are held at one of the city parks or schools determined by the head coach.

8. Can my player be put on a team with his or her friends? 
Spring: There is no guarantee. Efforts are made to honor requests in BlastBall and T-Ball. In the older age leagues, players are placed on teams through a coach’s draft. NOTE: Only returning head coaches are allowed to freeze 5 players from their previous Spring team.
Fall: Yes, we try and honor all team requests but cannot guarantee that every team will be able to accommodate all of the requests.  Teams can be created by a coach as long as that team has no more than six (6) "Select, Elite or All Star" players on the team. Each team roster will be reviewed. Commissioners will also put players on teams as there are no player looks or drafts in the Fall.

9. What equipment do players need? 
Glove, rubber cleats (no steel cleats allowed except in 13/14U), athletic cup, (personal bat and helmet are optional)

10. What other costs are involved? 
The league provides a hat and jersey. Teams may decide to purchase matching pants, belts and socks.

11. Does everyone get a trophy/ring/medal? 
Spring: BlastBall and T-Ball players receive a participation trophy. 7U-14U leagues trophies go to 1st and 2nd place teams.
Fall: BlastBall is the only division to receive a trophy in the Fall. Trophies are reserved for our Spring T-Ball participants, Divisional Champions, Tournament Champions and Finalists.

12. What is NYSCA certification for coaches? 
It is a nationally recognized organization and ensures that coaches are trained. All coaches must be certified by taking an online class through NYSCA.