The Little League Journey

Many parents wonder “When is the right time to get my child started with baseball or softball?” or “I want to sign my child up, but what division should they play in?”.   Here are some guidelines to help you navigate the Little League journey!

The Chenango Valley Little League follows the division structure set up by Little League International. There may be minor modifications based on the size of our local league. All ages shown below are "Little League age" based on the these age charts for the 2024 season.



The general structure in the CVLL is:

T-ball - 4 & 5 year olds

T-ball is the starting point for all of our young athletes.  The t-ball division is co-ed and is where the kids learn the “basics”.  Throwing, catching and batting are the focus.

Coach Pitch Baseball - 5 year olds w/1 year of t-ball, 6 & 7 year old boys, and 6 year old girls

The coach pitch division introduces the kids to hitting off a pitcher vs. just hitting from the tee.  The kids will continue to develop their throwing and catching skills while also starting to learn more about game play. Fielding and what to do once you field the ball will be developed through practice and games.  They will also learn more about baserunning and other aspects of the offensive side of the game.

8U Coach Pitch Softball - 7 & 8 year old girls

Coach pitch softball is the starting point for the girls to play softball.  We start softball at this age due to the size difference between baseballs and softballs.  We encourage the girls to start with the baseball programs so they can learn to throw with a ball they can actually grip.  The other skills that they will develop apply to both both sports so they will have a solid start as they transition to softball,  Similar to coach pitch baseball, they will start to learn more about the game. They will also start playing games against other LL affiliated teams.

8U Kid/Coach Pitch Baseball - 7 & 8 year olds

This division will continue what was learned in coach pitch. At this level, we will start having the kids pitch to live batters for a portion of each game. Since this will be a new experience, there will likely be some struggles as they learn the position. In order to keep games moving and have competitive game play, the coaches will pitch the latter half of the games.  As the season progresses and the kids develop their pitching skills, the amount the coaches pitch will be reduced.

Minor Baseball & Softball - 9 & 10 year olds

The minor level is the first level where the kids will be handling all of the pitching.  The game play will become more competitive and the kids will experience situations similar to what they will experience at the older levels.  Base stealing will be introduced at this level as well.  Games will be played against other LL affiliated Minor teams from the area.

Majors Baseball & Softball - 11 & 12 year olds

Similar to the Minor level, the kids will continue to play higher level ball.  The rules will closely mirror what they will see when they move to the modified or high school levels.  Additional rules\situations may be introduced at this level.  Games will be played against other LL affiliated teams from the area.

As mentioned above, these are general guidelines that CVLL follows based on the guidance provided by Little League International.  We encourage all players of all skill levels to sign up as you will be assigned to a team and will get playing time.  We recognize that the division that matches a player’s age may not be the appropriate level for them to play at for a number of reasons.  Each season, evaluations are performed for the 8U and higher levels.  If it is determined that a player is not a fit for a division, we will have a discussion with the parents and make a decision as to where the player will be assigned. We are very conscious of player safety and we want to make sure a player is put in the proper situation to reduce the risk of them, or another player, getting hurt while still having a positive playing experience.  In addition to safety, we also have to make sure that the team a player is assigned to is a proper fit from a social and maturity standpoint. There may be a case where a younger player has the skill to play in a higher division but putting them in the higher division might not be the best option due to maturity and/or social aspect. The CVLL board reviews any of these situations that may arise and decisions are made based on discussions with the parents as well as the guidance provided by LL International. If you have a concern about where your child is placed, please reach out to the CVLL board and make us aware.

When does Tee Ball start?
The Tee Ball and Coach Pitch season will begin on May 1st. Practices will start then and the  Tee Ball & Coach Pitch Saturday game days schedule will be distributed shortly after by the Tee Ball and the Coach Pitch Coordinators.

Why am I paying a registration fee plus a  local civic fee?
At the beginning of each season the Chenango Valley Little League Board creates its organizational budget based on past seasons and any forecasted expenses. Donations from the local community associations will help offset some of those costs but those donations do not come until seasons end and vary from year to year. Equipment, uniforms, umpires, facility fees and insurance are all costly items which is why the CVLL board tries to acquire as much sponsorship as possible to keep costs low for families. CVLL will not turn away any child that wants to learn and play the games of baseball and softball, if financial assistance is required, contact a CVLL representative or email [email protected]. While other areas charge fees up to $150 per sport, CVLL and the local civics total that for 3 sports, plus the additional community events that are offered.

How do I determine my child's "league age"?
To determine your child's league age, check the appropriate chart for your child's sport at one of the following links. League age for baseball is whatever your child's age is on August 31st.  For softball, it is whatever your child's age was on January 1st. 
Baseball - https://www.littleleague.org/downloads/2024-baseball-age-chart/
Softball - https://www.littleleague.org/downloads/2024-softball-age-chart/ 

Further explanation on league age can be found here...https://www.littleleague.org/university/articles/the-league-age-determination-date-age-charts-decides-a-players-division/

What do we do if we live outside the league boundary but my child attends school inside the league boundary?
The player is eligible to play in the CVLL if he/ she attends school in the Chenango Valley School District. A Little League issued school enrollment form must be completed by a representative of the school.

https://www.littleleague.org/downloads/school-enrollment-form/

How do I sign up and become a volunteer or volunteer coach? 
Anyone looking to volunteer in any capacity for the CVLL (board member, team manager, coach, concession worker, practice parent) must register. Use the 'Volunteer Opportunities' link under the 'Registration Info' tab to complete your registration.

Anyone with regular access to players once registered must have a background check completed, which is a requirement from Little League International. Once completed, the League president will appoint Team Mangers and/or Coaches and present them to the CVLL board board who will then approve coach applications. For more information on the volunteer application process go to:

https://www.littleleague.org/university/articles/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-little-league-volunteer-application-process/

What are player evaluations and why are they done?
Player evaluations are held for the Majors, Minors, and 8U divisions of baseball and softball each season.  The player evaluations provide an opportunity for the players to show their skill and for the coaches to get to know the players.  During evaluations, there will be five stations set up for the players: throwing, fielding ground balls, fielding pop flies, hitting, and running.  Players will be scored at each station on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best possible score. The total score after completing all five stations will be used to rank the players.  The overall player rankings are used for two purposes.  The first use of the rankings is to ensure that we form fair and equal teams for the regular season.  In our league, everyone who signs up and wants to play, will be put on a team and given that opportunity.  So that everyone has a positive experience, we try to form our teams so that the skill level is as equal as possible across all the teams in a division.  The second purpose of the evaluation process is to ensure that we are placing players in the proper division. Safety is very important and if a player's skill does not appear to match the level of play typically seen the division they are registered for, we need to take that into consideration when placing them on a team.  In the event that there is a safety concern, the CVLL will reach out to the parent(s)/guardian of the player to discuss the situation and mutually decide where the player will be placed.