2022-23 Club Tryouts | Catalyst Softball

MINNESOTA STARTERS

CLUB SOFTBALL

Minnesota's Premier Club Team

The Minnesota Starters Softball Organization was founded in 2017. Our mission upon creation has been to build a positive club/travel softball environment for athletes to develop as softball players and as confident young people. Our organization has grown to become one of the most competitive programs in the Midwest with player development and training that has been unrivaled in the state of Minnesota. As we continue to learn, grow, and reach our goals, we look forward to offering our player-development-first mentality and system for the 2022 - 2023 travel/club softball season. With great instruction, continued education, and relentless pursuit for greatness, we are pleased to present our ever-evolving club programming as one of the best in the Midwest.

We proudly offer year-round travel/club softball teams at the 12U, 13U/14U, 15U/16U, and 18U levels. The Minnesota Starters will be fielding a MAXIMUM of 8 teams for the 2022 - 2023 season as we move forward and continue into our goal of becoming an all-inclusive club/travel softball program with teams competing at the highest level locally, regionally, and nationally. Our teams will be led by a coaching staff of experienced individuals that have coached for decades, are former collegiate softball players, and current collegiate softball players. We are proud to have a diverse, former Division I collegiate softball player, female-led full-time staff here for the Minnesota Starters.

2022 - 2023 TRYOUT REGISTRATION

pay registration fee HERE!

Prior Lake High School Varsity & JV Softball Fields
7575 150th St. W.,
Savage, MN 55378

Tryout Fee: $25 and can be made payable through instructions on our Google Form Registration and via MindBody.
You are only required to attend one tryout. If the Minnesota Starters are your #1 choice, we highly recommend attending multiple. If there are time conflicts, please contact us beforehand at softball@starterssportstraining.com.
Roster sizing for 12U - 16U will be set at a maximum of 13 players. The 18U maximum roster is 14. Our ideal roster size is 12.
Our tryout sessions will be capped on a first come, first serve basis via registration. If there is a need for additional time slots for tryouts, we will be adding them.
You will be alerted within 72 hours of your tryout if you are offered a spot or if the rosters have been filled. Those who make a team will receive an email and a follow up phone call, those who do not will just receive an email alerting them tryout selection has concluded.
Please read through our program information and vision below. We are here to help girls achieve their dreams as future college softball players and get them better in every facet of life and softball. We have committed to the training piece of our club program more than any others are in the state of Minnesota. Years of data-driven research and application have put us in a spot where we can pursue a player development system that will help get your daughters to the next level and commitment to them to continuously improve their skills even while in college.

WHO ARE THE MN STARTERS?

All-Inclusive System

Our club softball player development system is unrivaled in the state of Minnesota. One of the biggest reasons athletes choose to play for the Minnesota Starters is for the full access to elite and certified instructors, coaches, and trainers. Our MN Starters program works directly with Starters Sports Training for high-level training and state-of-the-art facilities year-round for all facets of the game – hitting, pitching, arm strength, defense, baserunning, strength + development, and softball IQ. We are one of the only softball programs in the Midwest with their own training facility and various cutting edge hitting & pitching technologies and tools (Rapsodo, HitTrax, Blast Motion, GameSense, Axe Trainers, J Bands, etc.). All of this alongside qualified and certified trainers that execute the player education and application. We invest in our players, coaches, and our facility to be the best in the Midwest and continue our retention rates within our club and training organization. Whether it is in the weight room, in the cages, or on the dirt – we will always assess, train, sustain, and emphasize overall mental and physical health throughout the year. Our assessments hold us accountable to continue to raise the standard. We are built on research and supported by data.

Built on research, supported by data.

High-Level Competition

Our teams are complete with players and athletes that are passionate, respectful, and relentless in their pursuit for greatness alongside our coaches. With these players, we are able to compete at the highest level of competition locally in the MN Top Tier League as well as in the toughest competition regionally and nationally in various sanctioned leagues throughout the country. We train year-round and compete year-round as well with a Fall competition season, Winter training and competition season, optional Spring training, and full Summer competition season. We offer various training opportunities during the Winter season in order to accommodate multiple sport athletes.

We believe that in order to be the best, you must train and compete with the best. We have implemented a dedicated development program, college showcase platform, and competition schedule that will allow our prospective student-athletes the opportunity to be seen by collegiate coaches as well as prepare and educate each player on the college recruiting process. We have partnered with SportsRecruits and provide various Recruiting Seminars throughout the year as well for our athletes.

Empowered Environment

We care about members of our organization as people and young women FIRST. Our program was built by former collegiate softball athletes that had incredible experiences on their club and collegiate teams. The common denominator of those experiences was the opportunity to be their authentic selves as confident young women in a group setting with others who had the same goals. Our potential was fulfilled due to the atmosphere that was produced by passionate players and coaches alike. We have dedicated coaches, many that are former collegiate softball players, who promote a positive environment where athletes will be provided mentorship and autonomy throughout their time as a Minnesota Starter. Our program will provide the training necessary for the development of a softball player, but we will more importantly provide the insight, encouragement, and inclusivity to all members in order to produce an overall positive environment. Our goal is to empower each player in our program with the confidence to continue to develop physically, socially and emotionally in order to be successful for life after softball.

2022 - 2023 mn Starters Program Info

Our Minnesota Starters 2022 - 2023 Program Information can be seen below. Our training staff and coaching staff will be training all year. Minnesota Starters athletes will be training all year long with countless opportunities throughout the fall, winter, spring, and summer season. We are looking to field year-round 12U, 14U, 16U, and 18U - all together a maximum of 8 teams. Our goal is to have a small player to coach ratio throughout our organization so ALL players have access to our instructors and coaches as we move forward into a player-development-first mentality.

2022-2023 MN STARTERS SOFTBALL PROGRAM PDF:

CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROGRAM INFO

STARTERS CLUB SOFTBALL SEASONAL BREAKDOWN

Fall Season & Training: August – Early November

Team Practices - All age groups of Minnesota Starters teams will be participating in 1-2 practices per week during their Fall season – these will typically take place on weekends where the team does not have games. Otherwise practice will take place in evenings on weekdays.
Fall Tournaments - Each team will participate in about 3 - 4 fall tournaments. Our National level teams will typically be entered in 1 – 2 tournaments that are out-of-state or college exposure tournaments. The other two tournaments will be local – typically a showcase and local state tournament.
League Doubleheaders - We will additionally schedule either in-house scrimmages or doubleheaders with local competition throughout the Fall as well per coaches/team availability.
Strength and Development Training - Age groups 13U – 18U will have S&D included in their club membership fees and will have access at various set times to work with our S&D team in the weight room and on our turf. This is 2 days per week but can add additional days if necessary.
Starters Softball Combine – Our Starters Softball Combine will take place on an early date in the Fall to begin our process of assessing our student-athletes. During this time, we will be testing all metrics necessary to create a player profile that athletes can send out to collegiate coaches of their choosing. We will also take this opportunity to take team pictures, grab athletes’ headshots, and take the time to bond and get to know each other early in our season! The numbers collected will represent our starting point and will hold us accountable in our goals to always improve on our quantifiable measurements. Some numbers we will be collecting will be:
- Hitting – exit velocity, distance, bat speed, rotational acceleration, power
- Pitching – velocity, spin rate
- Miscellaneous – over hand throw mph, 60 ft sprint (home to first), 30 ft sprint
Hit-A-Thon Fundraiser – Each year we offer the opportunity to participate in our top (and most fun) fundraiser in our Hit-A-Thon. This fundraiser will take place early in the Fall to make sure we can execute it outdoors with how iffy weather can be. Our Hit-A-Thon allows players and families to pledge money with a $ per foot of the ball hit. It is an incredible environment and a homerun derby style setting. We will have food to grill, raffles, trivia, and tons of fun during this time while girls are trying their best to hit a maximum distance off front toss at our home fields at Prior Lake High School! In our two years of running the Hit-A-Thon, we have raised nearly $20,000 in pledges that went towards individuals club member fees. We also provide various other opportunities for fundraising as well throughout the season.
College Recruiting Seminar – We will be holding our annual virtual college recruiting seminar in the Fall. This will be an informational seminar to go over the recruiting process, how COVID has affected the process, and how to utilize our resources (college contacts, NCSA Team Edition, best practices, etc.). We will continuously be checking in throughout the year with college recruiting process recommendations and furthering the education to put our athletes in the best spot moving forward.
First Access to HP Programming - We will provide discounts for club members ONLY for our highly anticipated Starters Sports Training High Performance Development Programs. This includes HP Hitting, HP Pitching, HP Defense, and our Arm Development Program.
Club Member ONLY Discounts - Additional discounts will be provided for Academy Classes and Camps/Clinics throughout the entire year.

Winter Season & Training: Early November - When High School Tryouts Begin

Weekly Player Development - We will be conducting weekly player development sessions throughout the winter training season for all players in our club organization. Sessions will take place in Starters Sports Training and the Savage Sports Center/Dome. These will be weekly with some weeks off due to holiday breaks or events. These player development sessions will be on a set date and time and will be offered with the following skill sets:
- Hitting PD: We will have weekly hitting player development with our club program where we will address hitting philosophy, biomechanics of the swing, and application through learning.
- Pitching/Catching PD: We will have weekly pitching and catching player development with our club program where will address pitching/catching philosophy, tools and biomechanics of pitching, and application through learning.
- Defense & Team Focused Training: Team practices and defensive focus training will take place in a dome for weekly sessions. These are used to work on our infield and outfield specific skillsets as well as our baserunning and softball IQ training.
- Strength & Development Training: This will continue throughout the winter offseason to continue to grow and maintain our physical and mental health. Club members receive 1 day a week throughout the winter.
Winter Tournaments - Each team will participate in a maximum of 2 winter tournaments. These tournaments can be local dome tournaments or out-of-state tournaments.
Opt-In Winter Dome Leagues - We offer each team the option, upon full commitments from families, to opt-in and participate in a winter dome ball league during the winter season if it aligns with our other training times.
High Performance Programming - We will provide first access to our highly anticipated High Performance Pitching, Hitting, and Fielding programs. These programs have consistently sold out each year we have offered them and we have seen our results within our program and our High School athletes. We prioritize our club members getting first access as we want these girls to perform at their best during their high school and club seasons with us.
Starters Softball Combine #2 – Our second Starters Softball Combine will take place on a later date in the Winter to continue our process of assessing our student-athletes. During this time, we will be testing all metrics necessary again and seeing where we are at in our improvements, decreases, etc. This will give us the opportunity to continue to move forward and grow with what is going well and adjust to what hasn’t been increasing. We are excited to use this as a tool for our player development and accountability within our staff and players.
Holiday Training Breaks - Our winter season will have no training during holiday breaks and will be communicated with families on those dates. Starters Sports Training will in most cases remain open with our programs, classes, and individual training options.

Spring Season & Training: Middle of March - When High School Season Ends

For high school aged athletes, we typically do not provide any mandatory team practices out of respect to local high school coaches. We will, however, provide training through Starters Sports Training throughout this time. Club practices will resume after high school season concludes. Optional practices may be put on per coach’s discretion.
Our 12U teams will resume training with a full Spring practice schedule of 1-2 practices per week as well as participate in 3-4 local Spring tournaments.

Summer Season & Training: When High School Season Ends - End of July

Team Practices - All age groups of Minnesota Starters teams will be participating in multiple practices per week during their Summer season – these will typically take place throughout the weekdays with opportunities to combine additional practices with alike age groups.
League Doubleheaders - All our teams will be participating in league doubleheaders for their club teams. Our teams participate in the Gold league or Top Tier league in Minnesota. These league games will be scheduled by coaching staff with a maximum of 6 games per season (3 doubleheaders).
Summer Tournaments - Each team will participate in 6 - 7 summer tournaments. Our 14U – 18U teams will typically be entered in 1 – 3 tournaments that are out-of-state or college exposure tournaments dependent on team skill and need. These teams will also be participating in 2 – 4 local tournaments with a Nationals tournament (can be in or out of state dependent on team skill and need).
- Our 12U team will compete in 4-5 local tournaments and have 1 out-of-state tournament.
- We make sure that we build our schedule around the team skillset as well as what is best for the girls on the team.
Strength & Development and Speed Programs - Both will be offered for athletes that are interested in participating during the summer.
Starters Sports Training will continue to provide individual softball training at a discounted rate to all club softball members.
All tournament and training info is subject to change based on Starters discretion and team necessity.

Anticipated Teams

The 2022-2023 season we are looking to fill a MAXIMUM of 8 teams from the 12U-18U levels.

Here are the teams we anticipate:

18U National
16U National
16U Gold
15U National
14U National
14U Gold
14U '09
12U

Miscellaneous Info

Additional information and coaching assignments to be released in July!
Our practice facilities are in the Savage/Burnsville area. Our home fields are at Prior Lake High School. Our winter training facilities are located at the Savage Sports Center Dome and our year-round, home base and facility is located at Starters Sports Training in Burnsville, MN (right on the border of Savage, MN).
We have a sponsorship with Under Armour through GameOne (formerly Universal Athletics). We only require purchasing our jersey tops, two practice shirts, socks, and helmets for our uniforms as we want to give the option to purchase your own pants, socks, belts, etc. With that being said, we will have a store open that will provide packages at a discounted price if you would like to go through and purchase all necessary items for uniforms. Our uniform combos will include:
Mandatory to purchase: 3 Starters Softball uniform tops, helmet, 3 pairs of striped socks, & 2 practice shirts
Optional to purchase through us, but mandatory to have in the colors red, black and white: softball pants, plain socks, belts.
Fees & club coaching assignments will be announced on our website annually in July with a breakdown of what our club softball season will offer with training, facility rentals, league dues, team insurance, tournament fees, travelling fees, coaching fees, all administrative work, etc.
We will provide various fundraising opportunities for individuals to raise money for their club member fees. These will happen throughout the season and per request.
Volunteer opportunities will be a priority to give back to our community and continue to help these athletes become better people as well as softball players.
We are excited to offer the opportunity to our club members only to provide us with their report cards and grades to get discounts with our training! We want to continue to raise the bar and hold our girls accountable with their school work as well as softball work.
We offer a STAR scholarship for those who are interested in applying to help cover club – contact us for more info!
All tournament information is subject to change as we base our tournament decisions on team needs, skill level, availability, weather, etc.
All weekly training are subject to change due to weather, COVID, trainer availability, etc.

Emphasis on Mental Health:

The Minnesota Starters believe in supporting those in our program as people before the athlete and the student. The mental health epidemic is an incredibly difficult, terrifying, and emotional subject & reality. We will be spending the 2022-23 season spreading awareness and continuously educating our athletes on the local and national resources available. We have partnered with Duck Cup Memorial Fund for our season and events, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing resources and education for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. We will be donating a chunk of proceeds from events ran directly to their Memorial Fund this season. Learn more about the Duck Cup Memorial Fund at www.duckcupmemorial.org.

College Recruiting Education:

We at Starters care most about our athletes finding the RIGHT fit at the next level. Our staff has built a positive reputation and relationships nation-wide with collegiate coaches at all Division levels. We just came off our most successful class, more than doubling the amount of athletes we had signed in the previous season, with all of our 2022 athletes finding their right fit at the next level from JUCO all the way to Power 5 Division I. We have implemented a dedicated development program, college showcase platform, and competition schedule that will allow our prospective student-athletes the opportunity to be seen by collegiate coaches as well as prepare and educate each player on the college recruiting process. We will walk through the process with each individual that has dreams of playing at the next level and will assist throughout the year with best practices. We have partnered with NCSA Team Edition and will provide various Recruiting Seminars throughout the year as well for our athletes.

Strength & Development Training:

We are thrilled to offer the all-inclusive opportunity to focus on strength and conditioning as a member of our club softball program. Our training philosophy is that performance training goes beyond being bigger, faster, and stronger. It is about increasing your efficiency and abilities with respect to the sport specific movement. Speed, strength, agility, and power are by products of a well-designed strength and development program. We focus on improving your position, optimizing your strength qualities, transfer to the field of play, and an emphasis on year-round training to best maintain the athlete’s health and preparation to be ready for softball at the next level.

The Results Speak Loudly:

The 2021-2022 development season was incredibly successful for our Minnesota Starters. We had many award winners from their respective high school seasons - including 8 All-State award winners (5 being first team), 8 All-Star Team Selections, over 20+ All-Section/All-Conference award winners, 2 finalists for Ms. Softball, and the Ms. Softball award winner and the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year. The results speak for themselves, and we continue to set the standard + raise the bar with our player development.

2022-2023 Program Info

Team & Individual Player Fees

The 2022-2023 season will consist of 3 separate fees due to age group, talent level, travel, college exposure, etc. You can see below a breakdown of our National team fees as well as our Gold/'09 fees. We will be releasing our 12U fee later in July!

14U/16U/18U National MN Starters Club Fees:

Our fees for our National Level MN Starters Club Teams will consist of 1 deposit after tryout selection of $450.00 and 10 additional monthly payments of $354.50 following the deposit. Our National team fees incur a higher monthly payment primarily due to the additional costs of travel, college exposure/tournament fees, etc.

14U/16U Gold & ’09 MN Starters Club Fees:

Our fees for our Gold/Black/’09 Level MN Starters Club Teams will consist of 1 deposit after tryout selection of $450.00 and 10 additional monthly payments of $334.50 following the deposit.

12U MN Starters Club Fee:

Our fees for our 12U MN Starters Club Team will consist of 1 deposit after tryout selection of $450.00 and 10 additional monthly payments of $180.00 following the deposit.

Fees are able to be made in longer payments in order to spread the cost out. We additionally provide countless fundraising opportunities. Please reach out if you have questions on the fees for the 2022-23 season!

Minnesota Starters in College!

Our ultimate goal is to help develop, train, prepare, and provide guidance for young women with the passion and dream to play collegiate softball - at all levels. Take look at our current Minnesota Starters alums that are either committed or playing in college right now! If you have any questions on how we can help you with your recruiting process, shoot us a message below!

Our Alums