SUMMER BASEBALL SEASON OVERVIEW

 

Ridgefield Little League offers four levels of summer baseball to accommodate the needs of every player that wants to play baseball in the summer:  All-Stars, Summer Travel, Friendship and Sandlot.  

The summer ball season will run from approximately June 20th to the end of July.

We encourage all players that are interested in playing more baseball to sign up for Summer Baseball!

Summer Baseball registration will begin in mid-May. During registration, parents of players interested in participating in the Summer Ball Program should register and pay online, similar to the way in which they registered for the regular season. In addition, parents will be asked to choose which team(s) they would like their child to be considered for and to indicate any scheduling conflicts that a player might have during the June 20th to end of July time period.

The Summer Baseball Program will consist of the following teams, depending on the number of players who sign up and availability of volunteer managers and coaches:

Ridgefield will have four All-Star teams at the 12U, 11U, 10U and 9U age levels. The 12U, 11U and 10U teams will compete in the Little League Connecticut District 1 Tournament for the right to continue to play in State (12U, 11U and 10U) and National Little League Tournaments (12U). The teams will play in other tournaments if they are eliminated from the LL tournament. The 9U All Star team(s) will compete in one or two tournaments and play games against other 9U All Star teams, which will begin in mid-to-late June, after our town season is complete.

The All-Star teams provide the most competitive level of play and require the biggest commitment from their players, families, managers, and coaches. Players must have participated in at least 8 RLL’s regular spring season games in order to be considered for an All-Star Team.

Commitment: Please keep in mind the following level of commitment as your player considers this opportunity:

•              In fairness to the players selected and not-selected, RLL expects full participation as detailed in the commitment period below. If your family has any vacations or sleep away camps scheduled during this time (that cannot be changed), we respectfully ask that you NOT register for the Summer All-Star Program. We understand that the Independence Day holiday falls during this time frame, but we will have practices and at least three games during this week. If your child is selected, we expect your player to be available for the duration of that week.

•               Unexcused Absences from District Play: Any unexcused absences from practices or games will be subject to any or all of the following penalties: loss of playing time, the lack of consideration for district play in the future, and/or removal from the team. This policy will be strictly enforced. Excused absences are medical or family emergencies. Vacations are considered unexcused absences. If your player cannot commit to this expectation, we request that you give that spot to the next viable candidate.

•               Commitment Period: Practices will start as soon as the teams are announced. If a team advances through the District 1 Tournament starting mid June, they will play in the Sectionals/States, which will end by early August. In the event that any of our teams are eliminated after the District 1 Tournament, there will be additional tournaments/travel play through the end of July. The dates for the District, Divisional, and State Tournaments are as follows:

CT District 1

CT Sectional/State

Mid-June – early August

July/August

 

We encourage all players that are not selected for an All-Star team to register for a Summer Travel or a Friendship team.

Documentation: If your player is selected to play on an All-Star team, you will be expected to fill out all the necessary affidavits and provide original birth certificates as required by Little League Baseball.

Rosters: The All-Star teams will consist of 12.

Playing Time: Parents must understand that playing time is not distributed equally. With new Little League Rules, all participating players will be in the batting order but are not guaranteed time in the field.  Parents who want to ensure more playing time for their player should consider a

Summer Travel team.

All-Star Player Selection Process: The following is an overview of the All-Star selection process:

•               12U All-Star Team: Players, managers and coaches in the RLL Majors Division will vote for the players that be selected to play on the 12U All-Star from a ballot of all 12-year-olds that are playing in the RLL Majors division. The first 6 positions on the 12U rosters will be filled from the voting process. The Post Season Committee with fill in the remaining roster positions. Emphasis will be placed on the players that received the most votes from the Player voting.

•               11U, 10U & 9U All Star Teams: Players must be nominated by their Majors/Minors manager in order to be considered for the 11U, 10U, and 9U All-Star teams. The Post Season committee and the All-Star Managers will select the rosters for the 11U, 10U and 9U All-Star teams.

 

The Summer Travel program will provide players with a competitive baseball experience. The Summer Travel teams are comprised of players who were not selected for the All-Star teams, those who do not wish the degree of competitiveness and time commitment of All-Star team play, or those who just wish to have more flexibility with their schedule.

Commitment: Attendance at all practices and games is not mandatory, but RLL does desire that Summer Travel team players commit to 80% of the games and practices. Families that plan on talking more than one week of vacation in July should consider playing Friendship baseball.

Roster: The Summer Travel teams will roster 13 to 16 players on a team in order to guarantee 10 to 12 players for each game. 

Schedule: The Summer Travel program will run from mid-June early August.  The Summer Travel teams will typically play 2 to 4 games a week with one practice a week. Teams will play 15 to 20 games in the summer.

League: The Summer Travel teams with play in the District 1 and 2 leagues. Teams may have the opportunity to play in tournaments. Games will be played in Ridgefield and others towns in Southwestern Connecticut.

Ages: RLL will attempt to put together Summer Travel teams at the 9U, 10U, 11U and 12U age levels.

Summer Travel Player Selection Process:  Players must be nominated by their Majors/Minors manager in order to be considered for the Summer Travel teams. The Post Season committee and the Summer Travel Managers will select the rosters for the teams.

Players that did not play in the Spring RLL season are eligible to play on a Summer Travel team. 

Please note that priority for the Summer Travel league will be given to RLL players who participated in the RLL spring season. If teams are short players, however, and those players have previously demonstrated the skill levels required for Summer Travel, then players who did not play in the spring season are eligible for this program

RLL will continue to participate in the District 1 Friendship Program. The Friendship program offers competitive baseball, but with a more developmental and instructional approach to the season. It also provides a travel experience for the players.

Commitment: Attendance at all practices and games is not mandatory, but RLL does desire that Friendship team players commit to 70% of the games and practices. 

Roster: The Friendship teams will roster 13 to 16 players on a team in order to guarantee 10 to 12 players for each game. 

Schedule: The Friendship program will run during late June and the month of July. The Friendship teams will typically play 2 to 3 games a week with one practice a week. Teams will play 12 to 14 games in the summer.

Ages: RLL will attempt to put together Friendship teams at the 8U, 9U, 10U and 11U age levels.

Friendship Player Selection Process:  Players must be nominated by their Spring manager in order to be considered for the Friendship teams. The Post Season committee and the Friendship Managers will select the rosters for the teams.  

Players that did not play in the Spring RLL season are eligible to play on a Friendship team. 

RLL will also be offering Sandlot games on a weekly basis, usually a Saturday or Sunday. The Sandlot program offers our Tee Ball, Coach-Pitch, and 8U players the opportunity to continue play baseball throughout the summer through pickup baseball games. Parents are encouraged to assist as pitchers and umpires. Players must be registered on a Spring RLL team in order to play in the Sandlot Program.

The cost per division varies, as the different teams play in different leagues and tournaments with varying costs. The fees for the summer programs cover league fees, tournaments fees, uniforms, coaches’ shirts, equipment and umpires.

The cost for each team is as follows:

Team

Cost

All-Star

$275

Summer Travel

$225

Friendship

$150

Sandlot

Free

 

The ability to field teams at the various levels this summer will require volunteers as managers and coaches.  If we do not have enough managers and coaches, we will have to limit the number of teams we can put together.

Any person interested in managing or coaching a summer team should submit his/her name to the Ridgefield Little League Post Season Committee by May 30th. The submissions of potential managers will be reviewed and voted on by the Ridgefield Little League Post Season Committee.

Historically managers are individuals with extensive baseball knowledge, league experience and a strong commitment to the program. These individuals should support and advance the league’s focus on player development, sportsmanship, and fair play. Managers will be allowed to select their own coaching staff, which is subject to the approval of the Post Season Committee.