Level of play is determined by the players age that they were on September 1st of 2023.   There are 6 levels of play, starting at 8U and going up to 14U, which are broken out as follows:

8U-(3rd grade and lower) A player whose 9th birthday is prior to September 1, 2023, is INELIGIBLE.

10U-(4th & 5th grade) A player whose 11th birthday is prior to September 1, 2023, is INELIGIBLE.

12U-(6th & 7th grade) A player whose 13th birthday is prior to September 1, 2023, is INELIGIBLE. 

14U- (8th & 9th grade) A player whose 15th birthday is prior to September  1, 2023, is INELIGIBLE. 

Use this age calculator to determine what age level your athlete qualifies for:
https://mnsoftball.com/pages/cms/age-calculator

Game play at the 8U level is quite different than that of 10U.  10U and up are more similar with the big difference being the pitching distance.  Here’s a quick overview on each level of play:

8U

8U is an introduction to fastpitch.  This is the age level where the most common question from parents is “My daughter has only played ball through community ed or has never played before, is fastpitch a good fit for her?”  The answer to this question is Yes, they will do just fine in fastpitch regardless if they have played softball or not. 

• The girls DO NOT pitch at this level and a mechanical pitching machine is used during games.  With the machine, pitches are much more accurate and are all at the same speed. 
• Coaches remain on the field while the team is both on offense and defense to help the girls in what they should be doing. 
• There is no bunting, leading off base or stealing at 8U.  It’s all about learning the game of softball.
• 11” softball is used.

10U

At 10U, the girls are on their own in the field without coaches out there to help.  Girls that have never played softball are encouraged to join.  Some of the main differences from 8U are:

• Players pitch at a distance of 35’ from home plate. 
• Bunting is allowed.
• Leading off the base and stealing is allowed.
• 11” softball is used.      
   

12U

The main difference with 12U is the pitching distance and size of the softball. 

• Pitching distance is 40’ from home plate.
• 12” softball is used.
   

14U

The main difference with 14U and up is the pitching distance.

• Pitching distance is 43’ from home plate.
• 12” softball is used.