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Calvert American Little League

FAQ

What are the dates for the season?

Our dates are still a work in progress. We know families have to plan, here are our tentative plans for the season, but all are subject to change. We will let parents know as soon as dates/times are confirmed:
• Player evaluations: March 5 at Calverton. This is for everyone except Tee Ball (unless you are wanting to move up to the Coach Pitch/ Pony Tail division) and Challengers.
• Draft (this is for coaches only): March 7-9
• Start of Season: Games begin April 18
• Opening Day celebration: April 23 at Cove Point Park
• End of Season: Early June

Can I coach? I have no experience.

We are always looking for volunteer coaches, especially for the younger teams. Little League offers numerous resources for coaches and we are looking at providing coaches clinics to help coach the coaches this year.

Please register as a volunteer in our registration system or contact us at [email protected] if you’re considering coaching. All our coaches must complete a background check.

When are practices and games?

Practice location/date/time will be set by your coach and you should be notified as soon as your child is placed on a team after the draft process.

Game schedules are created after we are notified of field availability from parks and recreation. In general, our games typically follow this format:
• Tee Ball: Practice on a weekday/games Saturday mornings
• Coach pitch: Practice on a weekday/Games Thursdays and Saturday
• Minor baseball: Practice on a weekday/Games Tuesdays and Saturdays
• Majors baseball: Practice on a weekday/Games Wednesdays and Saturdays
• Intermediate: determined by interleague scheduling
• Juniors baseball: determined by interleague scheduling
• Seniors baseball: determined by interleague scheduling

How do I know if fields are closed or games/practices canceled?

Calvert County Parks and Recreation decides to close fields for weather-related issues. We try our best to also get that information out to our players, but the quickest/easiest way to confirm if a field is closed is to call their weather hotline at 410-535-1600 ext. 2640.

In addition, coaches may alert you to cancelations for weather and/or other issues. Most of our coaches use the Team Manager app to keep in contact with their team.

What do the league boundaries mean?

Little League requires that you play for a local league. You must live or go to school in that boundary. Our boundary areas can be found here.

Our Challengers boundary is different from our other program boundaries. All of Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s Counties, as well as all parts of Prince George’s County south of US 50 are included in our Challengers program.

When are teams set?

Players are evaluated and a draft process is used to ensure that all teams have a fair/equal allocation of players of various talent. After the draft, the rosters are set and you should hear from your coaches.

What are player evaluations?

Every March (this year on March 5), we ask all players (except Tee Ball, unless you are wanting to move up to the Coach Pitch/ Pony Tail division) to attend player evaluations where we score each player on multiple skills. These scores are kept strictly confidential and not released to anyone, including the players.

These scores are then used in the draft to ensure all teams are fairly allocated players of various skills. This is the most effective way to ensure that the teams have equal skill and keep the level of competition fair.

Because we are a rec league, the draft is NOT use as a “tryout” but rather so that a single team isn’t stacked with all the strongest players.

Do you do team photos?

We do team photos every Spring. More information will be forthcoming.

How will we get our uniforms?

Uniforms are ordered after the teams are set and we deliver them to the coaches to distribute.

Where can I find the rules for each division?

The official Little League rulebook app can be downloaded for a one-time fee of $1.99 and it comes with updates for future rule changes. Find out more at https://www.littleleague.org/playing-rules/little-league-rulebook-app/

Why don't Tee Ball or Challengers players attend Player Evaluations?

We do not assess those divisions at evaluations. Tee Ball is invited to evaluations if they are wanting to move up to the Coach Pitch division.

I want my player to play for Coach X.

The only circumstance where a player is guaranteed to play for a specific coach is when they are the son/daughter of the manager. Sometimes in the new season your player may not be in the same division that the coach will be in. You can communicate your wish to the coach during the off-season, but remember that we use a process to keep the teams evenly skilled, so there may be some trades between teams during the draft to keep them balanced.

I would like to see if my player can 'play up/down' a division.

Register your child for their division according to their league age and select the option to play up during registration.

We already have great flexibility to move players between divisions based on coaching evaluation. In fact, for the Little League division (league ages 9 - 12 in baseball), we have the opportunity to move players up or down as needed. In other divisions, there may be strict age limitations why we can't move a player, or even eligibility reasons to be selected to an an All-Stars team.

Don't worry, coaches and Player Agents will make sure your player is in the correct division for their skill.

I want to move my player to a different team so he/she can play with X. Can I?

In short, no. You've probably read above about how teams are kept equal, and we know there are a lot of different coaching styles. But once the draft has happened and managers start contacting teams we can't simply shuffle players around. Uniforms have been ordered, maybe a practice or two have already happened, etc. You should work with your coach and/or division Player Agent to work through the issues. Better yet, become a Coach or Volunteer to help with the League!

I signed my player up late. What happens?

If there were still player spots available, the Player Agent will work with team managers to place your player and you will be contacted by either the Player Agent or the team manager where your player has been assigned.

We haven't heard from a coach yet!

In the Spring, you will likely be notified by the manager/coach in the week following Player Evaluations and the Draft. Give it a week-and-a-half after evaluations, and then contact us and we can help. Typically the coaches will give a call to the phone numbers you used in registration, so always make sure they are correct! In the Fall, you'll hear from the coach approximately one week before the season begins (the week after school starts for the year).

After Teams are announced, my child no longer wants to play.

Once uniforms are ordered we can no longer issue refunds. Uniforms are ordered approximately a week after the last draft.

Equipment

The list of equipment that you can expect to provide for your child this season in Little League:

Batting Helmet
Fielding Glove
Cleats
Athletic Cup (Baseball Only, required for catchers, recommended for all)
Many players provide their own bats. You may coordinate with your manager/team concerning sharing bats. Additional information concerning bats is provided below.

The league also provides the following items, one per team, to help meet certain safety guidelines: (any player may provide his/her own equipment providing it meets playing and safety requirements)

Set of catcher’s gear (Mask with dangling throat guard, chest protector, shin guards, mitt)
Batting Helmet
Tees (for Tee Ball Division teams)

Optional equipment you may wish to consider for your child:

Infield Face Mask
Batting Helmet (helmets with face guards are required for Machine Pitch pitchers)
Mouth guard
Catchers gear
- Shin guards
- Chest protector – may be short or long models
- Catcher’s mask
- Must contain an attached dangling throat guard
- No skull caps
- Catcher’s mitt
- Required for Baseball catchers
- Softball catchers may use catcher’s mitt, first baseman’s mitt, or a regulation fielding glove

Bats

For comprehensive information concerning bats permitted for use by Little League, please refer to the following documentation provided by Little League International. Note: If you are looking to purchase a bat for the upcoming year, bat standards changed beginning in 2018.

Cancellation Policy

We understand that at times you may need to cancel a player's registration and request a refund. Because CALL's expenses to process a registration, order uniforms, etc. increase the closer we get to the start of the season, we have established this Policy to indicate the amount of refund you may receive at various points in time.

To receive a refund, cancellation of registration must be received via email no later than 5:00 pm ET by the dates specified on the website under Cancellation and Refund Policy. Please send us an email and include the child's full name, level of play he or she is registered for, and a reason for cancellation in the text of the email. Please refer to the following timeline for refund deadlines and amounts.

If Calvert American Little League receives your cancelation:

On or before July 20th - You will be refunded your registration fee less a $7 processing fee.
July 21st thru July 31st - You will be refunded your registration fee less a $27 processing fee.
Cancellations received after July 31st - no refunds.

Please allow 1-2 weeks to process your refund.

In lieu of a refund, Calvert American Little League would be happy to credit the refund amount indicated above to any CALL registration made within one year of the cancelation.

We thank you for your interest in Calvert American Little League!

*Note: If the season is completely cancelled, you will receive a full refund less any processing fees.

Site Links

Calvert County American Little League

PO Box 699
Prince Frederick, Maryland 20678
Email : [email protected]