CCLL Baseball Programs - by Age
ROOKIE Division - Coach Pitch/Tee
Rookie Division is comprised of the following players: New 4-year-olds, New & Returning 5-year-olds, & New 6-year-olds.
NOTE: League age 4-year-olds with good coordination and the ability to follow instructions are welcome to play. The CCLL Board of Directors has the right to refuse/refund any player that presents a safety issue or does not meet these minimum qualifications.
The Rookie Division focus is primarily on developing skills through clinic based practices and scrimmages. A strong emphasis is on making sure that players are being properly instructed within shorter practice and scrimmage times.
Teams are selected at the division draft at the end of March. Participants will be grouped by age and placed onto teams named with colors (i.e.. Crown City Blue).
Practice dates begin in early April. All teams will practice together on one weekday evening for no more than hour. After Opening Day, Saturday mornings will be used for a 30 minute mandatory warmup, followed by scrimmages that last no more than one hour. Scrimmages are coach pitch and are played with a "Safe / Soft" baseball. If a player is unable to put the ball in play after three pitches a tee will be used. The catcher position can be utilized to help get players acquainted with wearing catcher's gear. A coach will stand behind the plate and return the ball quickly to the coach who is pitching.
The season will conclude midway through June.
NCAA Division - Machine Pitch
The NCAA Division includes all returning League Age 6-year-olds, as well as all 7 and 8-year-olds who are not moved up into the Minors Division. The goal of the NCAA Division is to provide a more competitive atmosphere that will aid in player development, which will better prepare players to enter into the Minors Division.
Players will be required to attend league's designated Assessment Day. Teams are selected at the division draft at the end of March. Players are grouped by their assessment data which ensures that teams are as even as possible. Teams will be named after NCAA clubs (i.e. Vanderbilt, Stanford, etc.)
Practice dates begin in early April. Although practices are at the discretion of the head coaches, players can expect a minimum of 6-8 practices before Opening Day. After games start, NCAA Division teams will practice approximately once a week.
While pitching skills may be developed during practices and clinics, all games are pitched using the "Louisville Slugger Blue Flame Pitching Machine". No base stealing is allowed. The division uses regular little league baseballs. Scores and standings will be kept.
Games begin on the opening day of the season – usually the last Saturday In April. NCAA Division games are generally held Tuesdays, Thursdays and/or Saturdays. Although there are no playoffs, the team that concludes the season with the best record will be given a trophy.
MINORS Division - Coach/Player Pitch
The Minors Division is comprised of players League Age 9 & 10 years old and is a mixture of coach pitch and player pitch.
Teams are selected at the division draft at the end of March. Players are grouped by their assessment data which ensures that teams are as even as possible.
Practice dates begin in early April. Although practices are at the discretion of the head coaches, players can expect approximately 5-10 practices during April. After games start, Minors Division teams will practice approximately once a week.
Games begin on the opening day of season – usually the last Saturday In April. Minor Division games are held Tuesdays, Thursdays and/or Saturdays. Fridays and Sundays are generally reserved for make-up games. Playoffs for the Minors Division usually begin midway through June with the championship game held at the end of the month.
MAJORS Division - Player Pitch
The Majors Division is comprised of players League Age 11 & 12 years old and is exclusively player pitch.
Teams are selected at the division draft at the end of March. Players are grouped by their assessment data which ensures that teams are as even as possible.
Practice dates begin in early April. Although practices are at the discretion of the head coaches, players can expect approximately 5-10 practices during April. After games start, Majors Division teams will practice approximately once or twice a week.
Games begin on the opening day of season – usually the last Saturday In April. Major Division games are held Mondays, Wednesdays and/or Saturdays. Fridays and Sundays are generally reserved for make-up games. Playoffs for the Majors Division usually begin midway through June with the championship game held at the end of the month.
Why are some players moved up?
Each year, Crown City Little League will move up a certain number of 8-year-olds into the Minors Division and 10-year-olds into the Majors Division. The number of players that are chosen to move up each year is dictated by the number of players needed to round out each division's numbers. For example: If the Majors Division has (68) 11 and 12-year-olds, this is not enough players to make six teams of 12 players. We would then move up (4) 10-year-olds. We have developed criteria for choosing those players who are moved up. For example, the criteria used (but not limited to) is assessment data, coach input, etc.
Skills Assessment - Each year CCLL conducts a Skills Assessment Day. The sole intent is to group players of similar abilities together for the draft. This ensures the teams are as fair as possible. At Skills Assessment Day, evaluators with coaching experience view each player at a series of skill stations. The players are given grades at each station and then given an overall score. The higher the score, the more likely that the player will be moved up (if needed to round out division numbers).
Parent/Player Request - If a parent and/or player feels strongly about which division they play in, this is taken into consideration. There are however, no guarantees that any such request will be honored. We have developed criteria for such situations.
Parents should remember that this is a recreational youth sport league run by 100% volunteers. It is not a big deal if a player is not "moved up". We would urge parents to be supportive of their players and all of the volunteers in the league. Most issues, with parent support, usually work out for the best.