12
Jan, 2023
Q: When will games and practices be held?
A: It varies by division, and it will ultimately be up to each division director to set the schedule. Once ready, they will communicate this information to the coaches, who will then contact parents (most likely in April). T-ball typically plays one game a week, on Saturdays, and has one practice during the week.
Q: When are assessments?
A: Assessment will take place on Saturday, March 11 at Deering High School, with softball from 9 am-noon and baseball from 1-5 pm (we will have smaller windows based on age when we get closer to that weekend). Your child must be registered by March 10 to participate in assessments. You do not need to complete a separate online registration for assessments, though we will have players sign in.
Q: Does my child need to attend assessments?
A: All Majors players (league age 11 and 12) should attend, as should any league age 10 players who would like to try out for Majors (we will not be accepting league age 9 players in Majors). AA and t-ball players don't attend assessments. While we understand that life happens, we strongly suggest you make every effort to have your child attend, especially if they have not played in the Majors division before. Assessment scores are used by Majors managers when drafting their teams. For softball only, we're inviting all league age 9 and 10 players to assessments, though they will remain in AAA unless you specifically tell us they are trying out for Majors. League age 9 baseball players should not come to assessments.
Q: Can my child be on the same team as their friend/classmates?
A: We make every effort to accommodate such requests, though we cannot guarantee that we can do it. In Majors, players are drafted by the managers, so the division director does not control the make-up of the teams. At the lower levels, the division directors make the teams and we generally try to group kids together by school. We also try to accommodate special requests, but sometimes it's not possible. The sooner you register, the more likely it is that we can accommodate a request; if you wait until the last minute, we may need to add your child to another team to balance the rosters.
Q: Where would I make a request to have my child play with their friend/classmates?
A: During the registration process, there is a section for Special Requests/Comments; this is where you can make your request. Again, we do our best to accommodate these requests, but we cannot guarantee that we can do it.
Q: My child is league age 6, can they play AA? My child is league age 8, can they play AAA? My child is league age 10, can they play Majors?
A: Portland Little League has adopted a policy that will have most children play two years in each division, based on their league age. T-ball is for kids who are league age 5-6, AA is league age 7-8, AAA is league age 9-10, Majors is league age 11-12. For 2023, the only group that could potentially "play up" are league age 10 players, who have the option to assess for Majors.
Q: On the registration page, what's the difference between T-Ball (Baseball track) and T-Ball (Softball track)?
A: Boys born between 9/1/16 and 8/31/18 are eligible for t-ball and should register in the baseball track. Girls born in 2016 and 2017 are eligible for t-ball and should register in the softball track. Girls born between 1/1/18 and 8/31/18 are also eligible for t-ball, but they should register in the baseball track. Girls in this situation are considered league age 5 for baseball (which includes t-ball) but league age 4 for softball. Therefore, girls who sign up at that age will have to play three years of t-ball (rather than the normal two years) before they become old enough to move into our AA Softball division. If your daughter falls into this category, you would choose the softball track for years 2 and 3 of t-ball.
Q: When is Opening Day?
A: Opening Day is Saturday, April 29. Most teams will play their first game that day, though Majors teams may play their first game in the week leading up to Opening Day.
Q: What equipment does my child need?
A: If you're not sure what equipment you need, here's a simple list:
Definitely need (things you should buy for your child if you don't already have them):
- Glove
- Baseball/Softball pants
- Sneakers or cleats (sneakers are fine for t-ball, but as they move up to the older divisions, you'll want to get cleats. Cannot be metal cleats.)
- Water bottle with their name on it
The following items are needed, but the league does have ones that can be shared, if necessary:
- Helmet -- strongly recommend you get one for your child and don't let them share it, not only for COVID, but to prevent lice
- Bat -- there are requirements for Little League bats, Google "Little League bat rules." Each team will have several bats available if you don't want to buy one.
Optional items:
- Batting gloves
- Cup/athletic supporter -- boys will need one if they're going to play catcher in AA and above; we don't have catchers in t-ball
- Face mask (softball) -- not the COVID kind, but the metal kind that softball players wear when they are in the field. Most girls wear them when they get older (like AAA and Majors), but can it help with confidence at the younger levels because it helps girls be less afraid of being hit in the face with the ball. At the t-ball and AA level, it's usually not a batted ball that's the issue, but a thrown ball that the girl doesn't catch.
- Catcher's gear -- if your child is serious about catching, they may want their own gear. PLL does have several sets of gear per team.