Steele Creek Little League - All Star selection process

Each spring, Steele Creek Little League chooses a Tournament Team (All-Stars) to compete in Little League's International Tournament.  The Little League International Tournament is the most widely known youth sports tournament in the world.  There are six levels of tournament play in Little League Baseball®, with opportunities for players ages 8 to 16. The tournaments start at the District level, and teams must win their way to advance through the International Tournament. The 8- to 10-Year-Old and 9- to 11-Year-Old Tournaments culminate at the State Level, while the Little League, Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball, Junior League, and Senior League divisions all conclude at a World Series Tournament.

Steele Creek Little League (chartered by SCAA) falls under the jurisdiction of North Carolina District 3.  Each spring season, Steele Creek Little League selects players to form one team in each of the Machine Pitch (MP), Minors, Majors, Juniors, and Seniors Divisions to compete in "All-Star" District tournaments.  In MP and Minors Divisions, these teams can qualify to play up to the State level of Championship play.  For the Majors, Juniors, and Seniors Divisions teams can qualify to play all the way to the Little League World Series (Majors is televised and hosted in Williamsport, PA). 

Selection of the Steele Creek Little League All-Star teams start with a ballot selection of the Team Manager.  All Eligible Coaches will be placed on a ballot of the respective division in which they coached during the regular season and given to players and coaches of that division.  The coach who receives the most votes, and with board approval, is offered to manage the team of the division in which they are selected.  Once accepted, the manager is given the opportunity to select two (2) on-field assistants.  A maximum of three (3) on field coaches, 1 Manager and 2 Assistants, is allowed during tournament games (MP is permitted 1 Manager and 3 Assistants).

Selection of All-Star Minors, Majors (or Intermediate), Juniors, and Seniors players is started with a ballot vote.  Players will only be elibible for selection to the age division that corresponds to their correct LL age. Players and coaches (3/team) will get the chance to vote for seven (7) players out of those who are eligible.  From these ballots, nine (9) are selected.  For MP this vote is conducted by MP coaches voting only (players only vote for the Manager).  The selected Manager then gets to fill the roster with his/her player choices to form a team of at least 12 players.  Little League strongly encourages leagues to roster the maximum number of players (14) for the Minors and Machine Pitch divisions.  Seniors Division may roster up to 16 players.  Players who are "playing-up" in a higher division than their league-age during the regular season are automatically considered to have made the All-Star roster of their correct league-age division, and will consequently reduce the number of roster positions being selected by ballot.  Note: Little League All-Star tournament teams are in no way related to regular season Challenge Tournament teams, and participation in one does not imply or assure participation in the other.

Player Eligibility Requirements

• Meets League Age requirements (verified by Birth Certificate)
• Meets District residency or school attendance verification for the regular season within our League boundary area.
• Played in at least eight (8) games of a 12-game schedule. Seniors Division requires play in at least six (6) games.
• More information in eligibility requirements is available in the Little League Rule Book. LL rulebook is available as a softcover book or as a phone app to purchase (Apple & Android)

To eliminate any conflict of interest, the people conducting the voting for each Division will be someone who does not have children playing in the respective Division they are overseeing (ie: a Minors parent may be asked to oversee the Machine Pitch balloting, and vise-versa)

Player Commitment Requirements

Participating in All-Stars is a choice should your child be selected. While it is a privilege to participate, it is also a commitment with added practices and games. Practices begin immediately following regular season championships and often occur daily leading up to tournament play. Missing a few practices and even a game does not necessarily prevent selection to All-Stars; however missing an entire week takes an opportunity away from another player who could commit to preparing with the team. If you realize that your child has several conflicts during the All-Star tournament schedules, it may be a wise decision to pass on a tournament selection.

Minimum Play Requirements

Coaches are only required to follow the minimum play requirements for the division and the number of players on the team.  Failure to meet the minimum play requirements is settled with the tournamnet director.  Coaches will play players as the game requires and as they see fit during a game. 

All-Star team rosters will be announced via email no earlier than May 15.