Rangers

Baseball Tournaments
Hopkinton will have the following baseball tournament teams:
Tondorf 12 : Coach Papadellis : All Tondorf 12 players have been contacted
Tondorf 11 : Head Coach Doyle : All Tondorf 11 players have been contacted
Tondorf 10 : Head Coach Lehman : All Tondorf 10 players have been contacted
Tondorf 9 : Head Coach LeBlanc: All Tondorf 9 players have been contacted
Sizzler 11/12 : Head Coach Preite : All players have been contacted
Sizzler 11/12 : Head Coach Cunningham : All players have been contacted
Sizzler 9/10 - Team 2 : Head Coach Simi : All players have been contacted
Sizzler 9/10 - Team 1 : All players have been contacted

Ashland Sparkler 8s : Head Coach Decina : All players have been contacted

Middlesex 11/12 : Head Coach Brian Cunningham
Middlesex 9/10 : Head Coach Jen Childs-Roshak

Baseball Tournament Commitment
- Tondorf and Sizzler players must be able to commit to be able to play all but 2 games.
- Tondorf (10-12) players will have the option to play in the Milford Tournament.  They may opt out of this tournament.
- Fees will vary based on the team due to the costs of the tournaments which they are playing
- Families of tournament players are required to provide a specified number of volunteer hours (either dog house or field maintenance)

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All Softball Tournament players have been notified

Softball Tournaments
Hopkinton will have the following softball tournament teams:
17U : Head Coach Dobinski : All players have been contacted
14U : Head Coach Missaggia : All players have been contacted
12U : Head Coach Sanborn : All players have been contacted
12U : Head Coach Brown : All players have been contacted
10U : Head Coach Carroll : All players have been contacted
10U : Head Coach Litavis : All players have been contacted

Softball Tournament Commitment
- Players must be able to commit to be able to play all but 2 games and one weekend tournament.
- Fees will vary based on the team due to the costs of the tournaments which they are playing
- Families of tournament players are required to provide a specified number of volunteer hours (either dog house or field maintenance)

Tournament Selection Process
Tournament Teams are selected based on player rankings made by coaches in the League.  Many pieces of information are gathered before the ranking meeting, including:
- player of the game info
- player evaluations from one head coach and 2 assistants from each team.  An average of the 3 coaches is used.  This includes whether or not a player is recommended for tournament play
- "top 10 in age group" (from one head coach & 2 assistants from each team)

During the evaluation meeting, names are put on a board in groupings, based on the information we receive.  Players are discussed.  If a player has a parent in the room (either as a coach or a board member), they are asked to leave the room so the coaches can discuss the players freely.

Coaches are then asked to independently rank the players on the board.  The rankings are determined by an average of all coaches - except for the players coach.  Again, players are voted on by all coaches - so rankings are made by representatives of all teams, not by the board or the directors of the league.

This is the process which is used for AA, AAA, Majors, 10U, 12U & 14U.

Hopkinton Little League Baseball (“HLL”) is affiliated with Little League Baseball of America.  HLL and its Board of Directors (the “HLL Board”) provide a wholesome, healthy, sports activity for children using the baseball or softball field as an outdoor classroom to instill teamwork, sportsmanship, discipline and fair play for both eligible boys and girls.

HLL maintains rules to ensure safe, sportsman-like and fair competition.  These rules govern the conduct of not only players, coaches, assistant coaches and other team assistants and/or volunteers, such as scorers, but also all parents, family members and guests of all players, coaches, assistant coaches, or other team assistants and volunteers (“team personnel”), or any other game spectator..  These rules govern teams and all team personnel or spectators from Hopkinton AND any visiting teams and team personnel or spectators using ball fields operated, governed, controlled or maintained by HLL, the School Department and/or the Parks and Recreation Dept. of the Town of Hopkinton and utilized by the HLL. These rules apply in pre-season, regularly season, playoff and any post-season tournament, all-star or similar game play.

SHORT FORM OF CODE OF CONDUCT

Violation of the following rules can result in immediate ejection without warning from the game or the field of play.

1. Only a head coach or players on the field of play may address the umpires to clarify game status (ball/strike count, outs) or sound an alert (injury, emergency, call time, etc.). No one may question or argue ball/strike calls in any circumstance.
2. No one may raise their voice in addressing an umpire or otherwise act disrespectfully, directly or indirectly, toward the umpires or their judgment calls. 
3. No one may dispute an out or other call by an umpire during or after a game.  No one but a head coach may request a conference at home plate with the umpires to obtain an explanation and/or to protest a call.  All conferences are at the plate umpire’s discretion.  If a conference is denied, any protest must be lodged with the umpire and opposing coach immediately after the game and with the League within 24 hrs.
4. No alcohol, tobacco, or narcotic drugs are allowed at or near any HLL game or activity. 

LONG FORM OF CODE

Violation of the following rules can result in immediate ejection without warning from the game or the field of play.

1. No one except a player on the field of play or a team head coach, or acting head coach in his absence, may properly address the umpire(s) during a game to clarify the status of the game (i.e. ball/strike count, outs) or to sound an alert (batting order, injuries, timeouts, safety issues, emergencies, etc.)  No one may question or argue ball/strike calls in any circumstance.;
2. No one is allowed to raise his or her voice to an umpire at any time or in any circumstance. No yelling, screaming, loud, insolent, caustic, harassing, intimidating or other questioning comments or remarks may be directed to the umpires, or to the players on the field, in such a way which tends to disparage, question or undermine the umpire(s) or their judgment, directly or indirectly. Anyone one properly addressing an umpire, must do so in a respectful, conversational, low and even tone of voice;
3. No one may dispute a call by the umpire during or after a game. Conference/Protest Exception:  After an out call on the field or the bases (as opposed to a ball or strike call at the plate), a team head coach, or assistant coach in his or her absence, may call time, and request a conference at home plate with the umpire(s) on the field of play.  The home plate umpire has discretion whether to agree to a conference.  If the home plate umpire agrees, the head coach may address the umpire who made the subject call in a respectful, conversational, low and even tone of voice and obtain an explanation for the umpire’s call. If the head coach disagrees with the umpire’s call and explanation, he or she may only say so and the head coach may also lodge a protest of the call with the umpires if the call is believed to determine the outcome of the game. If the umpire refuses a conference, there shall be no conference. If the umpire refuses a conference, and the head coach wishes to lodge a protest of the umpire’s call, he or she must notify the umpire and the opposing head coach immediately following the game, and the HLL Board within 24 hours.
4. No one may possess alcohol, tobacco or narcotic drugs, in all forms, in the bleachers, spectator areas in foul territory, or on the playing field, benches or dugouts

Zero tolerance ejection policy

An ejection for violation of the rules can be immediate and without any prior warning. The HLL will simply not tolerate any uncontrolled or unsportsmanlike conduct of any kind from any team personnel or spectators directed to anyone, especially the umpire(s). All team personnel and all spectators shall support the umpire(s) at all times during and after a game. The umpires are charged with enforcing these rules, though any HLL Board official present at a game has concurrent jurisdiction for enforcement of these rules.  A playing team’s head coach may also assist the umpire in enforcing these rules relative to their own team personnel and team spectators. A playing team’s head coach who fails to assist in enforcing these rules upon request of the umpire(s), an HLL Board Official, or on his or her own, may be subject to discipline by the Board

In the event of an ejection:

1.       If the umpire or HLL Board Official ejects any team personnel or spectators from a game, then he or she shall leave the field and baseball facility immediately and take no further part in any aspect of the game. He/she may not be recalled in any circumstances. Any coach or player ejected from a game is suspended for his/her team's next physically played game. A second ejection in one season shall mean termination of participation in all HLL activities.
If a parent or spectator is ejected from a ball game for whatever reason, he/she shall leave the baseball facility immediately and take no further part in the game. Failure to leave will result in the umpire or HLL Board Official suspending play until such time as the ejected party complies. If necessary; in the umpire’s and/or HLL Board Official’s judgment, the game may be suspended for the day and resumed at a later date without the ejected party present. A game date/time will be scheduled in accordance with the League rescheduling policy and will resume at the precise point at which it was suspended with all records; including pitching and batting, counted. Any parent or spectator ejected twice in one season will not be allowed to attend any HLL activities for the remainder of the season.

2.      Anyone ejected and/or suspended from HLL games, activities, or for the season, may appeal within seven (7) days to the HLL Board.  Any and all ejection appeals or game protests shall be made to, and heard by, the HLL Board of Directors at its next regularly scheduled meeting or by a committee designated for this purpose, consisting of no less than five (5) members.  The Board or its designated committee shall hear evidence in the form of witness statements from the coaches present, the umpires, and the HLL Board Officials.  No one has a right to have legal counsel present at HLL Board or committee hearings. The Board's or the designated committee’s decision shall be final.

3.      The League President may protect the best interest of the players and/or League by taking immediate and summary disciplinary action up to suspension, until such time as a full hearing, against any coach, player or spectator determined not to be conducting themselves in a manner consistent with any HLL or Little League rules, the spirit of such rules or other obligations of their position within the League, may be scheduled.

Uniforms for Spring Baseball

What do you need to provide?
Each player should have their own baseball pants.  Most teams wear grey baseball pants.  Check with your Head Coach to confirm the color.

What's provided by the League?
Each player is given a team hat, team shirt and one pair of socks.

Equipment

What do you need to provide?
Each player should have their own glove.

What's provided by the League?
Each coach is given an equipment bag with a number of bats, catcher's gear, batting helmets and other miscellaneous equipment for the players to use for the season.  The equipment bag needs to be returned to the director at the end nof the season.