News and Announcements
2016 Bellevue & Mercer Island City Tournaments
Big Diamond Baseball (13 and Older)
Seniors
Seniors is a level of Little League for 13-16 year olds. Seniors baseball plays on a full size baseball diamond (60’6’’ pitching rubber, 90’ bases). As with other levels of Little League, players are eligible to compete in end-of-the-season tournaments and All-Stars. 13-14 year-olds are eligible for Seniors baseball, but players are encouraged to participate in either Intermediate or Juniors.
Juniors
Juniors is a level of Little League for 13-14 year olds. Like Seniors, basepaths are 90’ and the pitching distance is 60’6’’. As with other levels of Little League, players are eligible to compete in end-of-the-season tournaments and All-Stars. The only real difference with Seniors is the age of the players. 13 year olds are eligible for Juniors, but are encouraged to participate in Intermediate if possible.
Intermediate
Intermediate is Little League’s newest level. It is to be used as a stepping stone between the traditional Little League Diamond and a full size diamond used in Juniors and Seniors. Basepaths are 70’ and pitchers throw from 50 feet. It is for League Age 13 year olds (11 and 12 year-olds are eligible but MILL encourages 11s and 12s to play in Majors or Coast).
**Notes about Seniors, Juniors and Intermediate: Mercer Island teams interlock their schedule with other teams in our District. Half of the games will be played on Mercer Island and the other half off Island. Game days also vary. There is not a set schedule like there is in our Player Pitch baseball leagues.
Additionally, it is not guaranteed that we will have enough players to field teams at all levels. If we are unable to field our own team, there is the option to combine with other leagues. Those decisions won’t be made until late February or early March.
Majors Baseball 10-12 Yrs. Old (Player Pitch)
This is the most advanced
and competitive division of Little League, which will include all League Age 12
year-olds, strong 11 year-olds and outstanding 10 year-olds. Majors focuses on advanced skill development
and preparation for all-stars and higher level play beyond age 12. Players will be drafted onto Majors teams
based on ability. Majors teams will
practice twice a week, and play one Wednesday and one Saturday game.
Coast Baseball 9-11
Yrs. Old (Player Pitch)
Coast is intermediate
player pitch baseball, primarily for 10 and 11 year-old players, as well as a
few highly skilled 9 year-olds. Coast
teams will practice twice a week, and play one Thursday game and one Saturday
game.
“AAA” Baseball 8-10 Yrs. Old (Player Pitch)
“AAA” Baseball is
entry-level player pitch baseball, for 9 and 10 year-old players, as well as a
few highly skilled 8 year-olds. In the first part of the season, there will be
no stealing allowed and coaches will assist with pitching as needed (i.e.
finish pitching to a batter after ball four) in order to keep the games moving
by reducing walks. AAA teams will practice twice a week, and play one Tuesday
game and one Saturday game.
Show Your Stuff (SYS) – Sunday, January 29th.
SYS is a mandatory event in which each player registered for Player Pitch baseball (Majors, Coast and AAA) will be evaluated on their hitting and pitching skills. There is a makeup session on Saturday, February 4th (Time TBD) for those who cannot make January 29th.
The evaluation (in conjunction with the previous season coach’s evaluation) will be used to place each player in the appropriate division and to evenly distribute talent among all teams within a division. That means not all players will advance a division each year. It also means that some League Age 9 year-olds will not be selected to AAA if we believe AA is the more appropriate division for them.
“AA” Baseball 8-9
Yrs. Old
“AA” Baseball is advanced
machine/coach pitch baseball intended for most 8 year olds, some highly skilled 7
year olds and some 9 year olds who need a little more development before moving
on to Player Pitch. Limited pitching by players will be introduced in the second
half of the season. AA teams will have one weeknight practice per week, one game
on Monday, one game on Saturday, and an end-of-season league tournament.
“A” Baseball 7 Yrs. Old
“A” Baseball is intermediate machine/coach pitch baseball intended for 7 year olds who have already played a year of Sluggers, 6 year olds in 1st grade and 8 year olds seeking more development before AA. “A” teams will have one weeknight practice per week, and one Monday game and one Saturday game.
FAQ:
My 8 year-old is a super stud. Can he play up at the AAA level?
-All interested 8 year-olds must contact the MIBGC at least two weeks prior to SYS. The MIBGC and MILL VP’s will review each player and decide if the player can participate in SYS. However, an invitation to SYS is not a guaranteed spot on AAA. If the player receives high enough scores AND there is room in AAA, the player may be placed in AAA. If an 8 year-old is invited to SYS, he/she must attend Show Your Stuff to be placed on a AAA team.
My 9 year-old is a super stud. Can he play in Majors?
-No. MILL prohibits any player from playing up more than three years. E.g, 9’s can’t play in Majors. 8’s can’t play in Coast, 7’s can’t play in AAA.
My son was in Coast last season as a 10 year-old. How come he didn’t move up to Majors this year as an 11 year-old?
-For Majors, the coaches do a live draft of their team. They select 12 players from all eligible players. There are some players that are guaranteed places in Majors. They are (1) League Age 12 year-olds. (2) League Age 11 year-olds in Sixth Grade (who played Coast last season) and (3) Players who played Majors the previous year. The rest of the remaining players are drafted by the coaches from the pool of eligible players.
How do I figure out my son’s League Age?
-Baseball League Age is determined by your child’s date of birth. For those players born before September 1, 2005, the age determination date is April 30, 2016. For those born after September 1, 2005, the age determination date is August 31st, 2016. For example, if your son turns 9 on August 31, he is League Age 10. If your son turns 10 on September 1, he is League Age 9. There are no exceptions to this rule. Please review the Little League Age Chart on the MILL website to confirm your child’s League Age. Softball has a different League Age cutoff.
My league age 9 year-old did not get selected to AAA. How come?
-At Show Your Stuff, we evaluate over 200 players in order to place them in the division that is most appropriate for them. We want your child to succeed. If your child was not placed in AAA we believe that AA was the most appropriate division for them.
My child is playing Player Pitch, can I request a buddy or a practice time?
-No. We do not accept buddy requests or practice time requests for Player Pitch Baseball. We do not even consider school when making teams. Our main priority is to create balanced teams. More information about team formation is below.
|
League Age |
Age Appropriate Level |
|
|
16 |
Seniors |
|
|
15 |
Seniors |
|
|
14 |
Juniors |
|
|
13 |
Intermediate |
|
|
12 |
Majors |
|
|
11 |
Coast |
|
|
10 |
AAA or Coast |
|
|
9 |
AAA |
|
|
8 |
AA |
|
|
7 |
A |
|
|
6 |
Sluggers |
|
|
5 |
T-Ball |
|
|
4 |
T-Ball |
*League age 10 year olds get split fairly evenly between Coast and AAA.
This chart is a general guideline of progression through Little League baseball. Some players will experience a different path. Players are encouraged to stick with their appropriate age unless a different level is recommended to them (typically in player pitch baseball, ages 9-12).
Field Closures?
Updates to any field closures will be sent via Teamsnap email and our Twitter account
Updated as early as possible every day during the season.
Typically by 3pm on weekdays and 8:30am on weekends.
Frequently Asked Questions - TBall/Sluggers
Sluggers and T-Ball
Sluggers Baseball 6-7 Yrs. Old
Sluggers Division is an
entry-level machine/coach pitch division for 6 year olds who have completed one year
of T-ball and 7 year olds who need more development or seek a lower level of
commitment before advancing to the "A" Division. Sluggers will have
one weeknight practice each week (Tuesdays) in a "micro clinic"
format and one Saturday game. A seven
year old with a year in Sluggers should consider “A” level baseball.
T-ball (co-ed) 4-6 Yrs. Old
This is for 5 year old
players, first year 6 year old players , 2nd year 6 year old players still
needing skill development before heading up to "Sluggers.” Four year olds are eligible, but need to be
ready for the competition and structure of T-ball. Please no three year olds. Players hit a ball from a Tee. All players bat and play in the field each
inning (3 innings per game). One
weeknight practice (Wednesday or Thursday) in a "micro clinic" format
and one Saturday game per week.
|
League Age |
Age Appropriate Level |
|
|
16 |
Seniors |
|
|
15 |
Seniors |
|
|
14 |
Juniors |
|
|
13 |
Intermediate |
|
|
12 |
Majors |
|
|
11 |
Coast |
|
|
10 |
AAA or Coast |
|
|
9 |
AAA |
|
|
8 |
AA |
|
|
7 |
A |
|
|
6 |
Sluggers |
|
|
5 |
T-Ball |
|
|
4 |
T-Ball |
*League age 10 year olds get split fairly evenly between Coast and AAA.
This chart is a general guideline of progression through Little League baseball. Some players will experience a different path. Players are encouraged to stick with their appropriate age unless a different level is recommended to them (typically in player pitch baseball, ages 9-12).
FAQ:
Where are the games played?
-Games are played at multiple on-Island locations. For Sluggers, mainly South Mercer 4. For T-Ball, Homestead Park, Island Park Elementary and the old Boys and Girls Club on West Mercer Way (WMBGC).
What times are the games played?
-Due to the number of teams at each level (Up to 20 for T-Ball, up to 12 for Sluggers), game times vary. Start times range from 9am to 4:30pm.
When are practices? Can I request a specific time?
-Practices for Sluggers are Tuesdays at 5pm or 6:15pm. Practices for T-Ball are Wednesdays at 5pm, Wednesdays at 6:15pm or Thursdays at either 5 or 6:15pm. Requests for a specific practice time can be accommodated, but must be in before roster creation has begun. Requests can be sent to Matt Williams (mnwilliams@positiveplace.org) if they were not included in registration.
Is it Coed?
-Yes. Everyone is encouraged to sign up!
How are teams formed?
-Teams are formed using the following criteria. (1) Distributing Coaches. (2) Honoring Mutual Buddy Request. (3) School. Please note that it becomes harder to place your child on the team they desire as the season approaches. Sign up early!
Can I form my own team?
-Yes! However, for the purpose of ordering jerseys, the head coach needs to submit his/her roster to us by December 15. Additionally, each member of that team must be registered and paid by December 15th. Rosters must be between 8 and 10 players. This option is available for T-Ball only.
How many kids are on a team?
-For Sluggers, we will cap the team at 10 players. For Tball, we will generally cap the team at nine players. If you are forming your own T-Ball team, we can accommodate a roster up to 10 players (See “Can I form my own team?”).
My son/daughter goes to overnight camp on a weekend their team has a game. What do I do?
-We recognize that many players participate in overnight camps at some point in the Spring. However, we try not to adjust the game schedule because we recognize that many kids do not go on these trips. If we discover that an entire team will be gone (or multiple teams will be gone) we will make adjustments. We encourage our coaches to tell us (the earlier the better) if they feel they will struggle to field a team on a specific date.
What equipment does my child need?
-Your child only needs athletic shoes and a baseball glove. We will provide the jersey and cap. The rest of the equipment (balls, bats, helmets, etc) will be at the field. Many parents do elect to purchase a helmet for their child so that they don’t have to share.
First Practices: Late March. First Games: April 23rd. Last Game: June 11th.
