What We Offer
Nipmuc Youth Softball (NYS) offers competitive softball and training all year for girls in Mendon and Upton, Massachusetts.
Our Mission Statement
“It is the mission of the Nipmuc Youth Softball program to serve young players, their families and the Mendon and Upton communities by providing fun, safe and enjoyable youth sports experiences by recognizing each player’s physical and emotional well-being, by teaching skills development, by treating them with respect and dignity, by encouraging positive parent involvement and by enriching young lives with meaningful recreation and socialization.”
Winter
During the winter, we offer our Winter Clinics for players of all ages. The clinics are generally once a week for six weeks on Sundays from Mid to Late February through the end of March. Additionally, we offer a Pitchers and Catchers Clinics for four weeks in January and February. For U10 and U12 players that try out for the summer teams, there are Summer Team Practices held once per week from January to April.
Spring
During the spring, NYS offers a comprehensive softball program for girls 5-14 in the Mendon and Upton communities. It all starts with the Opening Day parade and festival in mid-April. Practices and games last through early June.
| Division | Age | Description |
| T-Ball | 5 & 6 yr olds (birth year 2014-2016) | Hit off tee & coach pitch, instructional, two local games or practices each week. Usually Monday or Wednesday, and Friday. All at 6:00 PM. |
| Farm | 7 & 8 yr olds (birth year 2012-2013) | Combination or player and coach pitch, instructional, two local games or practices each week. Usually Tuesday or Thursday at 6:00 PM. Also Saturday game at 8:00 AM or 10:00 AM. |
| AAA | 9 & 10 yr olds (birth year 2010-2011) | Players pitch, modified rules, umpired games, multiple practices and games each week. Travel to surrounding towns for some games. Usually Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 PM. Also likely weekend practice. |
| Minors | 11 & 12 yr olds (birth year 2008-2009) | Rec play, full rules, multiple practices and games each week. Travel to surrounding towns for some games. Usually Monday and Wednesday at 6:00 PM. Also likely weekend practice. |
| Majors | 13 & 14 yr olds (birth year 2006-2007) | Rec play, full rules, multiple practices and games each week. Travel to surrounding towns for some games. Usually Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 PM. Also likely weekend practice. |
***Keeping Players in their Proper Division
NYS follows the American Softball Association’s (ASA) guidelines for placing girls into divisions based on birth year. Please see above for descriptions of the divisions and corresponding birth years. We believe it is important to keep the girls in these divisions for safety and player development reasons. The NYS President may allow girls in the T-Ball division to move up to the Farm division – these requests should be presented to the NYS President. All other requests to move players to divisions that do not correspond to their birth year will not be allowed.
Summer
NYS offers a summer season for girls in Mendon and Upton that are at least 8 years of age and in their 2nd year of Farm League. In 2019, a U8 summer team was added also. Girls will play two weekday games against teams from surrounding towns. There will be at least one practice each week. Additionally, girls on the U14A, U12A, and U10A teams will play in 3 or 4 weekend tournaments. Girls on these teams will play 4-6 games during each tournament, and these games will be scheduled from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon.
Please be aware that the summer teams require a high level of commitment from the girls and their families, especially at the "A" levels. Players are expected to attend all games and practices. The success of these teams depends on these commitments. The coaches will discuss this with the girls and parents during tryouts. The girls selected for the summer teams will be expected to honor their commitments.
| Level | Description |
| U14 A & B (Birth year 2006-2007) | Extremely competitive leagues. 2 games per week, 1 practice per week and multiple weekend tournaments with extensive travel to other locations in MA, RI and CT. Must be able to commit to at least 6-8 weeks of your summer. Player numbers determine if there are multiple teams. TRYOUTS are required to play and not all players may be selected. B teams may or may not participate in tournaments. |
| U12 A & B (Birth year 2008-2009) | Extremely competitive leagues. 2 games per week, 1 practice per week and multiple weekend tournaments with extensive travel to other locations in MA, RI and CT. Must be able to commit to at least 6-8 weeks of your summer. Player numbers determine if there are multiple teams. TRYOUTS are required to play and not all players may be selected. B teams may or may not participate in tournaments. Games are normally played on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 6:00 PM. |
| U10 A & B (Birth year 2010-2012) | Extremely competitive leagues. 2 games per week, 1 practice per week and multiple weekend tournaments with extensive travel to other locations in MA, RI and CT. Must be able to commit to at least 6-8 weeks of your summer. Player numbers determine if there are multiple teams. TRYOUTS are required to play and not all players may be selected. B teams will not participate in tournaments. Games are normally played on Monday and Wednesday nights at 6:00 PM. Please note that girls with a 2012 birth year can play U10 or U8. (A tryout is required for the U10 level.) |
| U8 (Birth year 2012-2014) | Less competitive games against nearby towns. 1 game per week and 1 practice per week for 6-8 weeks during June and July. Tryouts are not required at the U8 level. Please note that girls with a 2012 birth year can play U10 or U8. (A tryout is required for the U10 level.) |
Fall
NYS also offers a fall season for players at the AAA, Minors, and Majors levels. Players that participate on a Summer Team are given first priority to play in the fall due to their dedication in playing summer ball. Additional spaces for Fall may be limited from year to year.
| Division | Age | Description |
| U10 | 9 & 10 yr olds (birth year 2010-2011) | Player pitch, modified rules, umpired games, Saturdays for 6 weeks. Labor Day through mid-October. Travel to Bellingham or Franklin for all games. |
| U12 | 11 & 12 yr olds (birth year 2008-2009) | Player pitch, modified rules, umpired games, Saturdays for 6 weeks. Labor Day through mid-October. Travel to Bellingham or Franklin for all games. |
| U14 | 13 & 14 yr olds (birth year 2006-2007) | Player pitch, modified rules, umpired games, Saturdays for 6 weeks. Labor Day through mid-October. Travel to Bellingham or Franklin for all games. |