Rules & Regulations
I-5 Baseball / Softball considers all players students first and athletes second. All I-5 players will be mandated to submit all Progress Reports, Quarter Report Cards, and Semester Report Cards to their coaches for evaluation. We want all of our players to understand that their education is the most important part of their baseball / softball career. At some point baseball will end for all players but your education can never be taken away.
All players are expected to:
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Work hard in school everyday
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Treat everyone the way you would want to be treated
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Set a good example for all younger players in the program
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Play Hard
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Hustle on and off the field
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Conduct yourself off the field in a manner that makes your family proud
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Be on time
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Respect all players equipment and your own (Not your helmets fault you struck out)
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Be an unselfish player
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Always give maximum effort
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Don’t be afraid to ask a question
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Pick up your teammates because at some point you will need to be picked up too
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Be a good teammate
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Respect the Game
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Respect your Parents
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Respect your Coaches
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Work hard away from practice
*POLICIES AND PROCEDURES REGARDING ROSTER SPOTS ON I-5*
If you are offered a roster spot on I-5 we expect a full year commitment from each player from 8th grade and below. There is a great amount of administrative work and expenses involved in getting a team going prior to a game ever being played. For these reasons an initial fee will be required and will be NON-REFUNDABLE to secure your roster spot. Your payment is your implied intent and full acceptance of these terms. All outstanding balances must be paid in full by the assigned deadlines and there are NO REFUNDS. We expect all of our players to commit to their team for the entire season. We teach our players to follow through with their commitment and always finish out what they start.
Our goal is to exceed your expectations and that is why it is important for you to understand how we form our teams and the policies we employ to please as many people as possible. These policies are in no way limited to this document. If you have any questions please call us.
Everyone wants to play as much as possible, so WE TRY TO form teams with no more than 11-12 players from 13U and below (12U Cooperstown teams will roster 12 players since that is what you have to to take to Cooperstown). In our program all players will hit at the 13U level and below. This is travel ball and you only get better by playing, but your defensive time in games are earned. If you believe a team should only bat 9 we are not the right program for you. The 14U and 15U level are different and can possibly carry more than 11 players and will possibly have players sitting.
Our Philosophy on Roster Size and why we try to carry only 11-12 (with the exception of 12U Cooperstown teams and 14 & 15U): If we roster more than 11-12 players parents may complain that there are too many players and their son is not getting enough playing time. If we roster less than 11-12 players we are always at the risk of running out of pitching or catching, and if a player or two get injured or life happens we don’t have enough players to play. As you can see this is a daunting task and I-5 has no control over the events that occur in each of our player’s or families’ lives, so we have come to the conclusion that a roster size of 11-12 is the most practical Roster size to accommodate all our families from the 13U level and below (12U Cooperstown will carry 12 players) but there are exceptions to this rule for 13U and below.
I-5 Baseball / Softball is a business and we must factor in all of our costs and overhead to assure that our expenses are covered. When you accept an offer to play for an I-5 team you are accepting a “roster spot”. A roster spot is a limited opportunity for a season. If you cannot attend practices or tournaments, for any reason, I-5 will NOT REFUND any portion of your payments (i.e. If your son is injured or you are on vacation etc you are still responsible for that months dues).
The administrative responsibilities required to run each team starts many months prior to each season. The limited number of roster spots are determined ahead of time to guarantee that we can meet our obligations. The acceptance of a roster spot is your understanding that you are agreeing to these terms. Replacing players who cannot participate is extremely difficult especially when it has to be done in a limited amount of time. In most cases I-5 cannot recover the extra expense and time lost to a player’s inability to participate. We understand that injuries can and do happen and players are sometimes sidelined, however, participation in sports comes with no guarantees and that is why every player and parent must sign a liability waiver.
If your son or daughter is injured and misses time you are still responsible for your financial obligations to I-5 if you want to keep your roster spot. The bottom line is that a roster spot is a reserved opportunity for each player and whether you use it or not, the expenses associated with that spot are non-refundable.
If a tournament is rained out or cancelled, for any reason, I-5 will make every effort to try to reschedule that event or find another one to attend.