Intro to Baseball – Spring

Intro to Baseball is a progressive development system for young athletes who are interested in the sport of Baseball. There are two levels within the Intro to Baseball Program: Intro I (4-6 yrs old) and Intro II (7-9 yrs old). The primary objective is to allow each athlete to build important fundamental skills throughout each level in order to propel them into the sport of Baseball.

Erik Lovadahl, a former professional pitcher who is now director of the MYAS Gopher State Pitching Camp and director of the Minnesota Twins Youth Training Camps, has coaching staff who leads young players through the fundamentals of the game. These basic skills include throwing, hitting, and fielding. This is great for skill development, hand-eye coordination, and just plain having fun.

The Lovdahl Pitching Academy and staff on the Minnesota Twins Youth Training Academy will be instructing.

Lead instructor: Matt Held

Matt, an Iowa native, had the opportunity to play in a great high school baseball system where him and his team made it to two 4A State tournament appearances. Matt then took his knowledge and acquired skills to the collegiate level. An injury stopped his career short, but not his passion for the game. Now, Matt has been the lead youth instructor with the Minnesota Twins Training Academy since 2014.

” The opportunity to help the younger generations by teaching them skills I learned throughout my career, that are applicable to youth baseball has been an amazing one, and I plan to do so for years to come.” – Matt Held
– Each participant will receive a t-shirt
– Low participant to instructor ratio
– Players should bring their own glove
– Bats, baseballs, and helmets will be provided

Intro to Baseball I
– Participants ages 4 to 6 years old.
– Introduces players to the game of baseball
– Focus’ on the introduction to baseball with the following fundamental skills like throwing, hitting and fielding

Intro to Baseball II
– Participants ages of 7-9 years old.
– Focus’s on continuing skills in the following areas like throwing, hitting and fielding
– Working with participants with individual skill development in order to propel to the next level.

We are excited to present you with a new registration experience – NSC Event HQ. This system will streamline your enrollment process and give you more access to your customer account. Use this system to register for Intro to Baseball I.

If this is your first time using the system, you will need to create a NSC Event HQ Household Account. The account owner must be 18 years of age or older.

After you have created your account, verify your email and set up your password. You can then add your spouse and/or children as “participants”. Click here to get started.

If you already have an account then login here.

Contact the program registrar with any questions or for further assistance.

Program Fee includes: t-shirt, 8 practice lessons on indoor turf space, equipment provided for use, a fun and inviting atmosphere to learn the sport of baseball. (8 Practice Sessions starting in 2022)

*Financial scholarships available: please contact the program director for more information and to request the financial scholarship application form.

Refund Policy
30-10 days prior to start of class – 75% refund
9 days prior – 50% refund
After session begins: In house Credit (dependent on # of sessions attended)
Injuries = full refund with medical note (dependent on # of sessions attended)

Program Cancellation Policy
The following policy will be enacted IF a program hosted by the National Sports Center MUST be canceled by the directives of the State of Minnesota or the Minnesota Department of Health. Please know that our top priority on making decisions moving forward will be the safety and health of our participants, coaches, employees and spectators.

Participants will receive a refund for your program entry. Participant registration refunds will be processed at 100% of the registration total.

*Please note that if a participant elects to drop prior to the program, the above voucher policy will be in effect. This includes participants making their own decision to withdraw prior to the potential cancellation.

If a customer (club, *team, individual) is required to quarantine due to illness or exposure to the COVID-19 virus, and are unable to participate for this reason, a refund will be not be issued unless done within the parameters of the existing policy. The event director will reschedule, if possible. Reschedules are not guaranteed to be on the same day or time as originally scheduled.

*Roster adjustments maybe allowed per event directors discretion.

Surcharge Fee
The National Sports Center has instituted a 2% surcharge on all submitted card payments to help cover a portion of the processing fees assessed to the NSC by the card processing companies. Customers can avoid the fee by paying with an e-check with an online registration.

How do I register?
Registration for all Intro Programs is through our NSC Event HQ website.

When are the dates?
There are 5 sessions throughout the year.

When will I receive session updates?
Participants will receive an email one week prior to the first day of the program with all the information needed. If you have any questions prior to then, please feel free to reach out to the program director.

Do I need to bring equipment?
A baseball glove is recommended. Other equipment gear is NOT required.

Are there pre-requisites for each level?
The levels are designed based on age more than experience.
For any questions regarding which level to register for, please feel free to reach out the to program director.

Can parents participate in class / be on the field or court?
Our intro to sport programs are led by our experienced and knowledgeable coaching staff. We ask that parents do not participate on the field/court with the participants during class (warming up before class if fine if space is available). IF your child requires extra assistance during class, please contact the program director prior to the class starting to work out a plan with the coaching staff.

Will I be notified for weather cancellations?
Indoor Sports/Practices: Indoor Practices will not be cancelled due to inclement weather.
Outdoor Practices: Participants will be notified 2-3 prior to the start of practice if inclement weather cancels practice for that day.