Who is eligible to play for the Muskego Warriors?

The Warriors have at least one team at each of seven age levels/grades (U7/1st, U8/2nd, U9/3rd, U10/4th, U11/5th, U12/6th, U13/7th and U14/8th). You do not need to be a Muskego resident to tryout for a Warriors team. No player may be older than their age group prior to May 1st of the current year. The Warrior's allow players to tryout for a team above their age group to stay with their school class. The Warrior's will also make allowances for players to tryout for a team above their age group if it is in the best interest of both the player and the team.

Because of City of Muskego restrictions, a player may NOT participate in the MAA recreational baseball program and a select baseball program such as the Warriors.

 

What is the time commitment?

Indoor practices typically start in December. Each coach determines the number, length, and location of practices. Practices move outside in the spring once the weather warms up, typically two outdoor practices per week before games begin and one per week after that.

Games start in April or May and go to the end of July. There are typically 15 to 20 league games, and 4 to 6 tournaments of 3 or 4 games each. Most league games are played Monday through Thursday in the evenings. Most tournaments are played during the day on weekends, so that's an average of 1 or 2 league games per week plus some weekend tournaments.

Each player's parents and/or other family members are expected to help staff concession stands at the Warrior's tournament in June (2 to 3 hours minimum). Concession stand staffing is essential because the player participation fees do not cover all of the expenses associated with fielding a team. Tournament registration fees paid by the teams we host just barely cover the expenses associated with hosting them. The Warrior's program, like almost every other program that hosts a tournament, makes its money on concession sales.

We have one additional fund raiser as well, Beer Fest which is used to support all the teams and keep our player fees low. Each player is expected to sell 6 tickets and 10 raffle tickets for this event. Parents may also be needed to help with staffing this event but to be honest, even working at Beer Fest is fun!

 

Where are the games played?

All teams play in their league games as part of the Wisconsin State Youth Baseball League (WSYBL) or the M.A.J.O.R. Youth Baseball League which includes teams from Sheboygan to Racine, and from Milwaukee to Oconomowoc. All home games are played at baseball fields in Muskego, locations vary depending on the age/grade of the team.

 

How are team rosters determined?

The Muskego Warrior's baseball program is a SELECT program. Players must try-out for a team. The final roster is determined by the head coach of each team with input from evaluators and other Warrior coaches if needed. We look at a combination of tryout performance, known ability of current players, attitude and the needs of the team. A team may be looking for specific skills and select players based on those needs. Catchers for example are sometimes hard to find but you can't field a baseball team without one (playing three, four or five games on a hot weekend in a tournament, a team actually needs 2 or 3 players that can play catcher). A coach may also want to add a good hitter or two if his team is loaded with good fielders but is limited in the hitting department. We have learned over the years that blindly taking only the top scores from a try-out does not lead to the best team, and is not in the best interest of the kids.

Note: The Warriors will not force a coach to deal with a bad situation created by selecting a high scoring player from a try-out that has a less than positive attitude. The attitude of player's parents may also be considered when selecting players, please respect your son, the other players, other parents and our coaches by being considerate. The kids put enough pressure on themselves in try-outs, let's all try and keep it fun! 

To paraphrase US Olympic Hockey Coach Herb Brooks, "We're not only looking for the best players, we're looking for the right players."

 

What is the financial commitment?

The player participation fees include warehouse training, tournament fees, uniform pants and jersey, fitted baseball cap, batting helmet and bat bag. All items will have the player name and/or number on them except the uniform pants.

 

Travel expenses to away games and tournaments are additional. Some tournaments may require lodging as well.

 

Who is the coach?

Each age group has a different coach. Go to our Coaches page on this site to see who is coaching the different age groups.

 

What is the difference between the Muskego Warriors and the MAA?

The Muskego Warriors and the MAA (Muskego Athletic Association) are two organizations that provide baseball opportunities to the youth of Muskego. MAA teams participate in a recreational league here in Muskego where the teams only play other MAA teams. Warrior teams play in either the WSYBL or M.A.J.O.R.  against other select programs from southern WI.

The Muskego Warriors are an independent organization with their own structure, including a board of directors, and their own policies.