Q: What rulebook does GYGSA play by?

A: GYGSA is governed under the GYGSA Softball rules for 6U/8U and NFHS (National Fastpitch for High Schools) for 10U/12U/14U.

6U/8U Rules of play:
2026 GYGSA Softball Rules.pdf

10U/12U/14U Rules of play:
NFHS - https://nfhs.com/

Texas Diamond Rules:
2026 Texas Diamond Rules.pdf

There are no bat size requirements in girls softball like you find in baseball.  The only rule for bats is that it is a fastpitch softball bat that is ASA/USA stamped.  

Note: Each league may modify certain rules of play to best suit their league goals.  Any modified rules should be explained at the plate when the umpires meet with the coaches.

Q: My child has never played softball before, can she still come play at GYGSA?

A: ABSOLUTELY! GYGSA is a recreational youth girls softball league and is open to everyone. 

Q: At what age can my kid start playing at GYGSA?

A: We have 5 different divisions of play as shown below.

Q: Do you have a Spring, Summer and Fall Season, and when do they start?

A: Yes,

• GYGSA Spring Season is Recreational Softball.  Spring registration typically will open in the December timeframe and Close in the 1st week of February.  Teams will then be drafted and practices will start around the middle of February and Games will start around the middle of March.  The Spring Season typically will go out until the middle of May.
• The GYGSA Summer season is for All-Stars Only. In order to be eligible to be selected for an All-Star team, the player must have played at least 6 games in the division they are wanting to play in during the Spring Season. All-Stars is highly competitive tournament play with the goal of winning the Texas DIAMOND All-Stars.
• The Fall Season is Recreational Softball. Fall registration typically will open at the beginning of July and close in mid- August. Teams will then be drafted and practices will start in the middle of August.  Games typically will start around the beginning of September. The Fall season will typically go out until the end of October. This is considered a developmental season for those moving up to the next age division in the Spring.

Note: All timeframes are subject to change and the latest information for the current season will be posted on the website.

Q: What is included in the registration fee?

A: The registration fees provide the funds for 12-14 games in the Spring, 8-10 games in the Fall, tournaments (Spring and Fall), umpires, softball equipment (catchers gear, balls, tee's etc.), field maintenance, awards, as well as all other league expenses as they are incurred.

Q: How many games/practices per week?

A: The spring season generally has 2-3 games per week (1 weekday & 1-2 weekend) and the fall season generally has 1-2 games per week (weekday and/or weekend). Exceptions may occur throughout the season, particularly if there are make-up dates due to weather cancellations. Practices are generally scheduled 1-2 times per week.  Individual coaches may schedule additional practices that are solely at their discretion.

Q: What nights and times are games played?

A: Schedules are always subject to many factors, however we work hard to adhere to the following guidelines. The following guidelines are not guaranteed.

Q: How are the age divisions determined?

A: The age for a given Fall and Spring season are determined by the child’s age on September 1 of the current year. 

Example 1: Your daughter is 8 years old on Aug 31st 2026 and she turns 9 on September 1st 2026. Because she was 8 on  Aug 31st 2026 she is still eligible to play in the 7-8U division for that following Fall and Spring season. 

Example 2: Your daughter turns 9 years old on Aug 31st 2026. Because she turned 9 on or before September 1st 2026 she will need to play in the 9-10U division for that following Fall and Spring season.

Q: Can my child play up in an older age group?

A: Yes. Players must show up for skills assessments for their age group. During skills assessments they can request to be evaluated to play up. Coaches will then evaluate the player at the skills assessments to determine if the player is ready to safely play up. 

Q: What if I miss or cannot attend Skills Assessments?

A: All registered players will be placed on a team through the draft process regardless of their attendance at Skills Assessments.  However if a player does not attend Skills Assessments, the coaches are not provided an opportunity to assess the player’s experience and therefore the player (if unprotected) can not be drafted by a specific coach.  All players who are not protected and do not attend skills assessments will be drafted via the 'blind draw' process once the drafts for kids who attended skills assessments is complete. We strongly encourage everyone to attend skills assessments. This helps in the drafts to balance the league more fairly.

Q: How can I guarantee that my child is placed on a specific manager’s team?

A: The only way to guarantee the placement of a player on a specific manager’s team is if the player is listed on his/her “protected players” roster. Depending on the division each manager is allowed 2 "protected" players, unless it involves the “sister rule”.

Q: What if my “Special Request” is not granted, can I get a refund?

A:  Once the draft is complete, there are no refunds. The league cannot accommodate requests to play on certain teams or with friends. Requests can be made however they are not guaranteed to occur.

Q: How are players selected / drafted for teams?

 A: This is the typical scenario:

• Once skills assessments are completed, coaches will typically formulate a 'methodical' draft plan based on their skills assessments result.
• We start with a blind draw for draft positions. If we have 5 coaches we will put 5 numbers in the hat and whatever number the coach draws is the position that coach has in the draft process.
• Once we have the draft positions each coach (in order) will present his/her protected player forms. At GYGSA we allow each coach to protect 2 players. A protect can be for any player that has completed the skills assessments and for which the coach has a completed player protect form.
• Once all coaches have turned in their protected players, if we have any coach that is uneven in number of kids (IE: only protected 1 kids or no kids), those coaches get to "even up" (in draft position order) by drafting from the eligible player pool.  An eligible player is any player who completed the skills assessments.
• Now that all coaches are evened up after the player protects, we start the draft.  The first player pick goes to the coach in the first draft position, the second player pick goes to the coach in the second draft position until we get to the coach in the last draft position. Once the coach in the last draft position completes their selection, then that coach will pick another player. The draft will now proceed in the reverse order until we reach the coach in the first draft position. The "serpentine" process is repeated until all eligible players have been selected.
• After all eligible players have been selected, we will place the names for any players who did not attend skills assessments in a "hat". The draft will resume via a 'blind draw' from the hat until all registered players are selected on a team.

Q: How are coaches selected?

A: Coaches are selected and approved by the board of GYGSA. The board will meet to review the following:

• Coach application of the candidates
• Any known information (positive or negative) and any feedback from previous seasons
• Background check information
• Coaching ability for the age specific group applied for. 

       Note: The number of coaches is determined by the number of player registrations.

Q: How can I become a member of the Board of Directors?

A: Get involved. GYGSA is entirely run by volunteers and there is always something to be done. If you wish to get involved with the board you first need to get involved with the league.  Talk to any one of the current board members to see how you can help and get more involved in the league.