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PINOLE HERCULES LITTLE LEAGUE

PINOLE HERCULES LITTLE LEAGUE

FAQs

GENERAL FAQ’S

Please email [email protected] for additional questions that were not answered here.

How and when do I register?

Registration for spring season is online at www.pinoleherculesll.org from October to December. Both new and returning players must register. Our online registration vendor is Sports Connect and registration can be accessed from our website.

Sports Connect Registration FAQ'S

Contact: [email protected]

Why do we register so early?

Our league registration numbers determine the number of teams, managers and coaches, uniforms to order, equipment to purchase, playing fields to reserve, scheduling games, etc. This all takes time and is done by volunteers. We must register children by December to schedule skills assessments, players draft for teams, pre-season practice starts in January and games in March.

What are the residence requirements?

For a child to be a Little Leaguer®, eligibility must first be established by way of residency inside the boundaries of a local Little League®, or the location of the school where the child attends is located inside a local league’s boundaries that is approved by Little League, Incorporated. Pinole Hercules Little League boundaries include Crockett, El Sobrante, Hercules, Pinole, Rodeo, Tara Hills, parts of Richmond and San Pablo.

·         https://www.littleleague.org/university/articles/residency-requirements/

·         https://www.littleleague.org/university/articles/residency-eligibility-checklist/

Which schools are in Pinole Hercules Little League boundaries?

·         WCCUSD: Betty Reid Soskin Middle, Collins, Ellerhorst, Hanna Ranch, Harbour Way, Hercules Middle, Lupine Hills, Montalvin, Murphy, Ohlone, Olinda, Pinole Middle, Shannon, Sheldon, Stewart, Tara Hills, Valley View, West County Mandarin

·         John Swett Unified School District: Carquinez Middle, Rodeo Hills

·         Private Schools: El Sobrante Christian, St. Joseph, St. Patrick

https://www.littleleague.org/downloads/residency-school-attendance-eligibility-requirements/

My child does not live or attend school within the Pinole Hercules Little League boundaries, can I still register him/her?

As much as we would like to have everyone play for Pinole Hercules Little League, only those players that live or attend school in our boundaries are allowed to register with us. We are happy to help you determine if you are in our boundaries or connect you to the Little League that is.

Can my child be placed on a team with a friend, sibling, or coach?

Teeball and Minor A coach pitch teams, are formed by the program Vice President and Player Agent based on age and skill. Requests should be noted on “Special Requests/Comments” on your registration and will be reviewed but cannot guarantee your request. Divisions Minor AA and above subject to player draft format will not have any special requests honored.

What is Volunteer fee?

Pinole Hercules Little League is an all-volunteer league. This enables us to keep registration costs low, which allows more children to participate. You are asked to fill one of the many important positions to make the season possible.

Can I get a refund?

The league recognizes that it may be necessary to refund player registration fees in some cases following registration. Refunds of fees may be made upon the request of the player’s parent or guardian in writing to [email protected]. If you choose to cancel or your child is unable to play for any reason, there is a $25 administrative fee which will automatically be deducted from your refund.

How can I volunteer to help Pinole Hercules Little League?

As a non-profit organization, Pinole Hercules Little League is operated entirely by volunteers. Our volunteers contribute thousands of hours of service to Pinole Hercules Little League and are the major reason Little Leagues is such a great value and so important to our community. The league is always looking for volunteer umpires, managers, coaches, team coordinators, scorekeepers, and field prep. You can indicate what volunteer positions you would like to fill when you register your child.

Contact: [email protected]

Adult umpires and Junior (teenage) umpires are always needed. The league provides umpire and rules training.

Contact: [email protected]

How can I donate or sponsor Pinole Hercules Little League?

Sponsors are key to making Pinole Hercules Little League work. Registration fees alone do not cover the expense of equipment, uniforms, insurance, field maintenance, and other costs. Registration fees only cover a portion of the yearly cost of operating our programs. We need help from yourselves and local businesses to keep our registration fees affordable and our programs exemplary for all the families of our community. Sponsorship of Pinole Hercules Little League is a wonderful way to show your support for your community and the development of our young players.

Contact: [email protected]

What can you do to prevent spectators from embarrassing their children and themselves?

Our goal is to teach our children the game while instilling in them the more important characteristics of honor, courage, loyalty, and sportsmanship. That task is made difficult when individuals, whether they are managers, coaches, or spectators, behave in such a way as to prevent us from teaching these to our children. Winning at all costs is not a thing to teach, and when we see this sort of behavior, we will address it. Competition is a good thing, but only when it is secondary to teaching our children how to become good people, and to do it in such a way that they have fun. Please refer to our “Parent Code of Conduct”.

·         Little League California District 4 Parent Code of Conduct

Additional questions

Contact: [email protected]

 

BASEBALL FAQ

What division should my child be in?

Registration is based on your child’s age. The league has the option to determine the league age of players in each division based on the league ages established by Little League. If after the first several practices, it becomes apparent that your child is not at the skill level as their teammates, the manager and/or Player Agent may discuss with you if another division higher/lower may be more appropriate.

Divisions of play can be found here; Little League Baseball® Divisions

What is Little League baseball age?

Your player’s league age is determined by the Little League Baseball® and Little League Softball® Age Charts. The dates for baseball and softball are different, but each determines the division in which your Little Leaguer will play this season. The Age Determination Date for a Little League Baseball player is the actual age of a child on August 31 of the current year. The Age Determination Date for a Little League Softball player is the actual age of a child on December 31 of the previous year.

When and where and how often are practices held?

Pre-season practice at fields in Pinole and a field in Hercules begins at the end of January/beginning February for teams that have approved volunteer Manager, Coaches, and Team Coordinator. Practice days, times, and frequency differ by division and team. But you can expect one weekday evening and one Saturday practice per week.

When do games start?

Regular season games are played March through May. Generally, you will have one weekday evening game and one Saturday game per week.

What about post season play?

Teams in Minor AA and Minor AAA are eligible to participate in an in-house tournament in the beginning of June. Teams in Major, Intermediate, and Junior are eligible to participate in California District 4 Little League Tournament of Champions (TOC) in mid-June, and Little League All-Star tournament through the beginning of July.

How will I be communicated if practice or game are cancelled due to weather?

In the early months of the season, practices and games can be cancelled due to weather or field conditions. The league will do our best to communicate with teams as soon as possible when this occurs. The following is the process the league will use to determine field conditions and communications.

1.     League officials or Division VPs will check field conditions, 3pm on weekdays, 7am on weekends.

2.     If the weather is extreme, a decision will be made to cancel for the day as soon as checked and reported back and message sent to teams.

3.     If the weather is not extreme, a decision will be made for the day as soon as fields are checked and reported back, and message sent to teams.

4.     At any point, the league can decide to cancel games for the day and message sent to teams.

What are skills assessments?

Skills assessments are for players in Minor AA and higher divisions held in December at fields in Pinole. Date and times will be communicated two weeks in advance of skills assessments. All registered players will be placed on a team regardless of how they perform during skills assessment. Skills assessment isn’t some sort of examination. Its purpose is to evaluate skill levels of players so that coaches can effectively draft players to form teams with overall skill levels. The skills covered include fielding fly balls, infield skills, throwing, hitting and base running.

Does my child have to attend the skills assessments?

Players will need to participate to be eligible for the draft and team placement. Failure to attend skills assessments may result in players being placed on a lower division team for their safety since coaches were unable to evaluate skill levels. Major division league age 12 players not attending skills assessments are placed on a waiting list and will be placed if there is a player drop or injury.

How are teams formed?

The Major division managers will meet first and draft players until each team has enough players for a team. The AAA division managers will meet next and draft players from the remaining players on skills assessment list. Those players not selected for an AAA team will play in AA division.

Who will attend the draft?

All drafts are closed meetings and attendance is strictly limited to control the confidentiality of the selection process. Attendance is limited to league President, league Vice President, program Vice President, Player Agent, and approved managers. Draft order will not be revealed. All players will be notified after all divisions have drafted as to which team selected them.

When and how are we notified of team placement?

Minor AA and above teams will be notified within one week of draft. Teams not formed by draft will be notified at the end of January.

What equipment will my child need?

Players will be provided with a shirt and hat. You will need to provide belt, pants, socks, and undershirt with colors to be determined by team. In addition, players will need cleats, a batting helmet, a bat, and fielder glove.

·         Batting helmets must be affixed with the NOCSAE seal to meet Little League standards.

·         Bats must meet Little League standards; Bat Rules - Little League. All bats must have the official USA Bat logo. The bat must be a baseball bat which meets the USA Baseball Bat standard (USABat) as adopted by Little League. It shall be a smooth, rounded stick, and made of wood or of material and color tested and proved acceptable to the USA Baseball Bat standard (USABat). Non-wood and laminated bats used in the Little League (Majors) and below, Intermediate (50-70) Division, and Junior League divisions, shall bear the USA Baseball logo signifying that the bat meets the USABat – USA Baseball’s Youth Bat Performance Standard. All BPF – 1.15 bats are prohibited. The bat diameter shall not exceed 2⅝ inches for these divisions of play. Bats meeting the Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution (BBCOR) standard may also be used in the Intermediate (50-70) Division and Junior League Division.

·         Guide to buying a bat; https://www.justbats.com/bat-coach/

·         Guide to buying a glove; https://www.justballgloves.com/glove-coach/

·         A protective cup is required for boys in Minor AA and above divisions.

 

SOFTBALL FAQ

What division should my child be in?

Registration is based on your child’s age. The league has the option to determine the league age of players in each division based on the league ages established by Little League. If after the first several practices, it becomes apparent that your child is not at the skill level as their teammates, the manager and/or Player Agent may discuss with you if another division higher/lower may be more appropriate.

Divisions of play can be found here; Little League Softball® Divisions - Little League

What is Little League softball age?

Your player’s league age is determined by the Little League Baseball® and Little League Softball® Age Charts. The dates for baseball and softball are different, but each determines the division in which your Little Leaguer will play this season. The Age Determination Date for a Little League Baseball player is the actual age of a child on August 31 of the current year. The Age Determination Date for a Little League Softball player is the actual age of a child on December 31 of the previous year.

When and where and how often are practices held?

Pre-season practice at fields in Pinole begins at the end of January/beginning February for teams that have approved volunteer Manager, Coaches, and Team Coordinator. Practice days, times, and frequency differ by division and team. But you can expect one weekday evening and one Saturday practice per week.

When do games start?

Regular season games are played March through May. Generally, you will have one weekday evening game and one Saturday game per week.

What about post season play?

Teams in Minor AAA, Major, and Junior/Senior divisions are eligible to participate in California District 4 Little League Tournament of Champions (TOC) through mid-June, and Little League All-Star tournament beginning mid-June.

How will I be communicated if practice or game are cancelled due to weather?

In the early months of the season, practices and games can be cancelled due to weather or field conditions. The league will do our best to communicate with teams as soon as possible when this occurs. The following is the process the league will use to determine field conditions and communications.

1.     League officials or Division VPs will check field conditions, 3pm on weekdays, 7am on weekends.

2.     If the weather is extreme, a decision will be made to cancel for the day as soon as checked and reported back and message sent to teams.

3.     If the weather is not extreme, a decision will be made for the day as soon as fields are checked and reported back, and message sent to teams.

4.     At any point, the league can decide to cancel games for the day and message sent to teams.

What are skills assessments?

Skills assessments are for players in Minor AA and higher divisions held in December at fields in Pinole. Date and times will be communicated two weeks in advance of skills assessments. All registered players will be placed on a team regardless of how they perform during skills assessment. Skills assessment isn’t some sort of examination. Its purpose is to evaluate skill levels of players so that coaches can effectively draft players to form teams with overall skill levels. The skills covered include fielding fly balls, infield skills, throwing, hitting and base running.

Does my child have to attend the skills assessments?

Players will need to participate to be eligible for the draft and team placement. Failure to attend skills assessments may result in players being placed on a lower division team for their safety since coaches were unable to evaluate skill levels.

How are teams formed?

The Major division managers will meet first and draft players until each team has enough players for a team. The AAA division managers will meet next and draft players from the remaining players on skills assessment list. Those players not selected for an AAA team will play in AA division.

Who will attend the draft?

All drafts are closed meetings and attendance is strictly limited to control the confidentiality of the selection process. Attendance is limited to league President, league Vice President, program Vice President, Player Agent, and approved managers. Draft order will not be revealed. All players will be notified after all divisions have drafted as to which team selected them.

When and how are we notified of team placement?

Minor AA and above teams will be notified within one week of draft. Teams not formed by draft will be notified at the end of January.

What equipment will my child need?

Players will be provided with a shirt and hat. You will need to provide belt, pants, socks, and undershirt with colors to be determined by team. In addition, players will need cleats, a batting helmet, a bat, and fielder glove.

·         Batting helmets must be affixed with the NOCSAE seal to meet Little League standards.

·         Bats must meet Little League standards; Bat Rules - Little League. The bat must be a softball bat which meets Little League specifications and standards as noted in this rule. The bat shall be no more than 33 inches (34 inches for Junior/Senior League) in length, not more than two and one-quarter (2¼) inches in diameter and shall be printed with a BPF (bat performance factor) of 1.20.

·         Guide to buying a bat; https://www.justbats.com/bat-coach/

·         Guide to buying a glove; https://www.justballgloves.com/glove-coach/


Updated: 10.16.23
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