2023 Spring Season

This page will give you an overview of the 2023 Spring Fastpitch Season with as much information as possible.

2023 Season Reference Information

Our Parent Orientation meeting occurred on March 8.
Please see the attached Parent Orientation Package for the coming season.
You may watch the playback of the meeting at:

u9/u11 Meeting
u13/u19 Meeting

Note: If you are looking for information for our Timbits U7 Program (born 2016 & 2017), please visit our Timbits U7 Page

Recent Updates

Listing updates through the offseason in preparation for 2023 Season:

FOR KEY COMMUNICATIONS, PLEASE SEE OUR NEWS PAGE.

Mar 9 / 2023: Parent Orientation and Information Package has been posted at the top of the page.
Mar 1 / 2023: All age groups have a few open spots to fill our last teams. Please don't delay and miss out, and sign-up today!
Feb 18 / 2023: u9 Registration deadline extended to TUESDAY (Feb 21)! Avoid late fees by signing up today!
Feb 17 / 2023: Final day for u9 registrations before late fees apply! Players still interested in signing up for u11 to u19 age categories can still sign-up as a LATE registration.
Jan 4 / 2023: REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for Spring Season, Rustbuster, Try Softball Intro, and Coach Applications
Jan 2 / 2023: All of our 2023 information and dates have been updated. Initial Rustbuster information posted. Evaluation schedule continues to be a work in progress, but initial dates have been posted. 2023 Season Fees now posted as well. Registration is expected to open by Wednesday, January 4.
Dec 23 / 2022: WHS has moved u7 Timbits program to Tuesdays & Thursdays
Nov 8 / 2022: Calgary Minor Softball has announced that the u9 Division will move to MONDAY and WEDNESDAY games in the 2023 season. CMS has decided to keep the season length the same for the 2023 season, with the one exception that ALL u11 Division levels will finish their season by the end of June.

NEW IN 2023

Here are some key changes in 2023:

Game Night Changes:
- u7 Timbits Game nights moved to Tuesdays & Thursday
- u9 Game nights moved to Monday & Wednesday
u9 Senior Division Added
- This year we will be evaluating all u9 players to split into Calgary Minor's Senior & Junior Division
- Both divisions will play with the modified 6-player game
All u11 Divisions to finish by end of June
- Change from 2022, where Div 1 & 2 seasons went into July
Volunteer & Jersey Bonds
- Each player will be required to submit Volunteer & Jersey Bonds once teams are formed
- For further information, visit: WHS Bond Policy
Umpire Fees Split Out
- WHS will align paid umpire fees to teams that actually get paid umpires
- Teams in u15/u17/u19 will pay Umpire Fees up-front ($50) and be refunded if necessary
- Teams in u9/u11/u13 will pay Umpire fees only if selected for Division 1 Selects team

Age Categories

Softball programs differ based on the Year of Birth of each player. For example, U9 will be all players that are under 9 years old as of the end of 2022 calendar year (Dec 31). Age groups align with Softball Canada's alignment.

Age Group	Birth Year	Games	Length (Hrs)	Practices	Evals	Rules
U7 Timbits	2016 & 2017	Tue & Thu	01:15	None	No	Fun activities
U9	2014 & 2015	Mon & Wed	01:30	Weekends	No	Modified Rules
U11	2012 & 2013	Tue & Thu	01:30	Weekends	Yes	Full Games
U13	2010 & 2011	Mon & Wed	01:45	Weekends	Yes	Full Games
U15	2008 & 2009	Tue & Thu	01:45	Weekends	Yes	Full Games
U17 & U19	2004 - 2007	Mon & Wed	01:45	Weekends	Yes	Full Games

(Table best viewed on desktop version of site; please scroll left/right to see all columns)

Requests for Age Category Exceptions: Can be made via your registration form, and must be followed with an email to info@westhillsoftball.ca. Exceptions will only be granted to players within 1 year of the desired age category. Determination will be considered based on team sizes, skill level (through WHS Evaluation Process), and safety of all participants. Reasons for exceptions can include but not limited to: preference to play in a more competitive age group, desire to play with a sibling, new players with birthdays late in year (young for age group), or safety concerns. Additional paperwork will be required.

Season Dates

For the 2023 season, Calgary Minor Softball (CMS) will continue with the extended season for Division 1 & Division 2 tier players for age categories U13 to U19. Here are the approximate dates for our 2023 Spring Season *U11 will end at the end of June for ALL Division levels.

Age Category	Preseason	Season Practices	First Game	Playoffs***
U7 Timbits	n/a	n/a	Apr-22	n/a
U9/U11 - All Divs.	Apr 10+	1 per weekend	Apr-29	Jun 12 - Jun 25
U13-U19: Div. 3	Apr 10+	1 per weekend	Apr-29	Jun 12 - Jun 25
U13-U19: Div. 2	Mar/Apr*	1-2 per week **	Apr-29	Jun 26 - Jul 9
U13-U19: Div. 1	Mar/Apr*	1-2 per week **	Apr-29	Jul 5 - Jul 20

(Table best viewed on desktop version of site; please scroll left/right to see all columns)

* Pre-season Indoor practices can start as early as March at the conclusion of evaluations.
** Higher division teams will attempt to have more than one practice per week, based on availability.

SEASON FEES

For reference, please see our 2023 Fees Page

TIMBITS PROGRAM

Our Timbits program is run locally within West Hill Softball and does not participate in a Calgary Minor Softball League. For more information about the program, please visit our Timbits Program link.

PRE-SEASON SCHEDULES & KEY DATES

For all our Key Dates Before & During the Season, please see our Key Dates page

All New Families to West Hill Softball MUST attend our Preseason Parent Meeting. Communication will be sent to all those registered.

PLAYER EVALUATIONS (Mandatory)

Evaluations are run for all programs U9 to U19, and is mandatory for all players. Evaluations are necessary to ensure placement of players on teams at appropriate levels (Division 1, 2, & 3) and specific teams. For more information and dates, please see our Evaluation Page.

New in 2023 - u9 will be split into TWO Divisions, "Senior" and "Junior". Evaluations will determine level of play.

MODIFIED U9 GAME RULES

The Modified game (6 players on field, Home Run line, Coach pitch) will be used for the U9 group (for both Junior & Senior Divisions). You can read about the Modified rules on the Calgary Minor Softball Modified Rules page

GAME TIMES

Game nights start at 6:45pm across all CMS Games. (u7 Timbits start at 6:15pm)
Players are asked to arrive 30 to 60 minutes prior for warm-up & preparation, based on their age category & level

PRACTICES

In addition to the game schedule, coaches will schedule practices on a weekly basis, typically on weekends (Saturday or Sunday mornings, or Sunday late afternoon / evenings). Practices will typically be scheduled for the same time each weekend.

Practices will start either indoors or outdoors in early April. Additional fees may be collected for some team-based indoor practices (to offset the gym costs).

Division 1 & 2 teams may have additional practices during the week or weekend. They may also have indoor practices as early as March.

CALGARY MINOR SOFTBALL OPENING WEEKEND - April 29-30

All teams will participate in opening weekend, which will consist of 2 games on each of the Saturday & Sunday. This is a great way to get into the season quickly! Game play is the best way for players to be introduced to the game quickly.

TOURNAMENTS

Each team has the opportunity to participate in various weekend tournaments within the city and across the province or beyond (including our own WHS Tournament on June 16-18 weekend)

Teams/coaches are encouraged to participate when/where they can for great team development. SIGN-UP EARLY, spots go quickly in many tournaments.

Updated tournament listings can be found at https://www.softballalberta.ca/tournaments/listings/.
Once teams are finalized for the season, teams can determine if they would like to play in tournaments during the season.

Typically, Division 1 and 2 teams would aim to play in 2-4 tournaments. Division 3 teams aim to play in 1 or 2 tournaments, if possible.

CITY CHAMPIONSHIPS / PLAYOFFS

For all age categories & divisions, each team will qualify for a city-wide league playoffs referred to as "City Championships". You can find the general Calgary Minor Schedules online here.

SOFTBALL ALBERTA PROVINCIALS

Note, provincial participation is considered part of the program for all Division 1 teams ("B" or "C" Level), Division 2 teams ("C" or "D" level), and some strong Division 3 teams ("D" level). WHS Teams & players are encouraged to register and compete at Provincials.

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS: In many age categories and divisions, teams will be required to qualify to attend provincials weekend. These qualifiers are currently scheduled for the June 23-25, 2023 weekend.

PROVINCIAL DATES: (As of January 1, 2023 - subject to change) Please keep these dates in mind when planning your summer vacations, but visit the Softball Alberta Provincial site for the most up-to-date and official dates and locations for Provincial Championships.

Softball Alberta 2023 details for reference listed below:

Dates	Categories	Level	CMSA Divisions
June 23-25	Qualifiers	All	All
June 30-July 2	All U11	All	All
July 7-9	U13-U19	'D'	Low Div 2 & Strong Div 3
July 14-16	U13-U19	'C'	Low Div 1 & Strong Div 2
July 21-23	U13-U19	'B'	Strong Div 1