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FAQs

CEDAR MILL LITTLE LEAGUE INFORMATION AND FAQS

 

WHAT IS CMLL?

Cedar Mill Little League (CMLL) is a non-profit provider of baseball programs in Cedar Mill, Oregon.  CMLL is chartered by Little League International, a world-wide organization perhaps best known for the Little League World Series every August.  CMLL is also part of Oregon District 4, an administrative unit of several Little Leagues west of the Willamette River. CMLL is one of the largest leagues in Oregon.

 
Who runs CMLL?

CMLL depends entirely on the time and effort of volunteers.  The league is managed by a Board of Directors that is elected annually at our annual meeting in September. Parents, grandparents and friends serve on the Board and in all the other roles that are needed to make the League work -- everything from coaching teams, managing fields, and seeking sponsorships.  The quality of product the League provides is entirely dependent on the input of its volunteers, and everybody has something to contribute.

 
How is CMLL funded?

CMLL relies primarily on registration fees to pay expenses. The league has a small amount of sponsor income. Like all things in life, costs keep going up, and the CMLL Board strives to keep registration fee increases to a minimum. CMLL has four primary areas of expense - fields, equipment, uniforms, and umpires. The Board is always watching for ways to control expenses without compromising the programs offered.

 
What programs are offered?

CMLL Offers Baseball for players ages 4-12 who reside in the CMLL Boundary School zone. To check if your home address or the address of your school is within Cedar Mill Little League boundaries, please use the Little League International League Finder application. 

 
What is the correct level of play for my child?
  • Tee Ball is designed to help 4-7 year-olds begin the long journey of learning baseball fundamentals as well as some rules and how the game is played. The ball is hit off a tee and all coaches are allowed on the field of play to assist the kids. Towards the end of the season, coaches may agree to pitch softly to the kids, using the tee as a backup. Fundamentals and safety are stressed. There is no such thing as too many parent "assistant" coaches at this age level. Generally, almost all kids are ready to move on after one year of playing Tee Ball.
  • A Ball is designed for 5-7 year-olds with some knowledge of rules or with a year of Tee ball experience. The coach pitches to his/her own team the entire game, from a designated spot (usually in front of the regular pitching mound). Fundamentals are the focal point. An agreed upon number of coaches are allowed on the field and the pitching coach acts as the umpire. The goal is to get kids to swing aggressively at the ball. Players use a safety ball, not a hardball.
  • AA Ball is for ages 7-9. In AA Ball there is a mixture of coach pitch and player pitch. As always, the emphasis is on fundamental skills, including pitching, and the players begin to develop the ability to hit competitive pitching from an opposing player. Typically, the season begins with coach pitch with a transition to player pitch as the season progresses.
  • AAA Ball is for 9-11 year-olds and follows the general rules of baseball. Players pitch the entire game with official umpires (Standard count 4 balls and 3 strikes, with walks), sliding, stealing, and the ability to advance bases on wild pitches. There is the usual emphasis on sportsmanship and fun, however, this level is competitive, and scores are kept along with the win-loss records of each team. AAA Ball is primarily composed of players aged 9-11 years-old, although advanced 8 year-olds can try out for AAA Ball.
  • Minors is for 9-11 year-olds with experience at the AAA level. Select 12 year-olds may be allowed to play with board approval but cannot pitch. This is the last division before Majors and played with similar rules with the exception of local league options such as limiting the number of runs per inning.
  • Majors is for 10-12 year-olds, although advanced 9 year-olds can try out. The rules of play are the similar as for Triple A except for uncaught third strike (dropped third strike) and local league options such as limiting the number of runs per inning.
  • Intermediate (50/70) is for 11-13 year olds. Those 11-12 years old should be dual rostered with a Majors division team. 

    The Intermediate (50/70) Baseball Division utilizes a 50-foot pitching distance and 70-foot base paths and offers a transition for players between the standard Little League field size (46-foot pitching distance and 60-foot base paths) and the Junior/Senior field size (60-foot, 6-inch pitching distance and 90-foot base paths). Many of the Junior League rules are used such as runners being permitted to lead off bases, runners may attempt to steal at any time, and allowing an on-deck batter.

Additional division information are located here

Additional rules per division are located here

 
How much does Little League Cost?

Spring registration fees for 2024 are as follows:

  • Tee Ball:  $100
  • A Ball: $150
  • AA Ball: $175
  • AAA Ball:  $295
  • Minors: $295
  • Majors: $295
  • Intermediate (50/70): TBD

Uniforms are an additional cost of $25 to $40 per player depending on level.  No player is turned away due to financial hardship.  Those needing financial assistance should contact the CMLL President, Player Agent, or Treasurer for assistant.  

 
What are the Little League age requirements?

Starting in 2016, the Little League Age Determination changed to August 31 for children born on or after May 1, 2006. The Age Determination Date for a Little League Baseball player is the actual age of a child on August 31 of the current year. Use this calculator to determine your child's baseball age.

 
How are Teams Created?
  • Assignment – For Tee Ball, A Ball, and AA Ball teams are formed by grouping players that have common backgrounds. This is often done by school, grade, and age. We are a diverse group that covers many schools and we intentionally try to mix at least 2 schools together. Friendships and childcare arrangements are also used to make roster decisions. During registration, you will have a chance to make requests for placement. 
  • Draft – AAA Ball and Major Teams are formed through a well-defined selection process where managers take turns choosing players from a pool of players determined by the Player Agent. This makes keeping large groups of players together (i.e. friends or "last year's team", etc) difficult if not impossible. The league still encourages families to make their needs and requirements known so that every consideration can be given. But families should expect less control over placement with a draft. Ultimate goal is to make the teams as even as possible though the draft process. 
 
What will happen during the player evaluations, and what should my child bring?

Player evaluations are critical for establishing draft pools allowing team managers to draft balanced teams.  AAA Ball and Majors players will be evaluated for fielding, throwing, batting, running, and catching the ball along with 3-4 other players at a time. They should wear athletic clothing, a protective cup, and court shoes (no cleats). Baseball uniforms are not required. 

The results of the spring evaluation are one data point used to determine what division is best for each child. Your child will be placed in division based on several criteria such as: league age, skill level, prior coaching evaluations and results of the spring evaluations. The total registration count and coaches assigned to the division also have an impact on division assignments. All players will make a team thus this is not a “tryout” as it’s commonly called.

 
My child attenDed evaluations last year, does he/she have to try out again this year?

Player evaluations for AAA Ball and Majors are once a year as a "fresh start" for all the players. All players at these levels are required to attend evaluations to participate in the draft.

 
How will my child be selected to a team, and when will the teams be announced?

For Tee Ball, A Ball, and AA Ball, teams are formed centrally and are built based on coach requests, friend requests, and school attended, in that order. In some cases, it is not possible to match a coach with all of the requests if the number of requests exceeds the team size. In those cases, the coach will be consulted. For AAA  and Majors there is a draft after player evaluations with the goal of making all the teams as even as possible. Once teams are finalized, Sports Engine will be enabled, and coaches will contact their teams. This will happen around the middle of March.

 
I have more than one child, can they play together on the same team?

Yes. Siblings can play on the same team if they are in the same division.

 
Will my player get to play with his/her classmates?

Every effort is made to honor team requests for Tee Ball, A Ball, and AA Ball. However, sometimes circumstances prevent this from happening, such as when there are more players requesting to be on a team than there are slots available. For AAA Ball and Majors since teams are build via a draft making it hard to keep groups of kids together from year to year. 

 
WHen will we be contacted by our coach?

AAA Ball and Majors rosters are drafted by the coaches within one week or so of the final player evaluation. All other rosters are created 7-10 days after the registration deadline. This can be extremely complicated and time consuming. The coach of your team should contact you shortly thereafter.  For drafted teams, this usually means the first week of March, and for all other teams it is in mid-March.

 
How many players are on a Little League team?

There are typically 12 players on a team. Occasionally there will be more or less players depending on the makeup of the division, but 12 is the goal.

 
What is the time commitment? How many practices and games per week?

This varies by division. Here is the typical expectation for each division. This may vary week to week. Weekday start times are 5:15-5:30 except where noted below and can be somewhat team dependent. Saturday start times are anywhere between 9 and 3 except where noted below. Schedules for Opening Day will differ from below.

  • Tee Ball - Two combined practices/games per week for 75 minutes with one on a weekday and one on a Saturday.
  • A Ball - Three practices or games per week for 90 minutes with two on weekdays and one on Saturday.
  • AA Ball - Three practices or games per week for 90 minutes with two on weekdays and one on Saturday.
  • AAA Ball – Three or four practices or games per week for 2 hours with three on weekdays and one on Saturday. Typical weekday start time is 5:15 for practices and games. Expect to arrive at 4:30 or 4:45 for pregame warmups. Some teams may start at 7:15 for practices and 7:00 for games.
  • Majors - Three to five practices or games per week for 2 hours. Typical weekday start time is 7:15 for practices and 7:00 for games. Expect to arrive at 6:00 or 6:15 for pregame warmups. Saturday games are usually 10am, 1pm, or 4pm. Travel for inter-league play to other local Little Leagues is possible.

The season is usually finished by mid-June. Post season play can last into the summer.

 
When is the schedule published?

The schedules for each division will be published by the end of March. Please anticipate changes to the schedule due to weather and other factors. 

 
Can I manage my child’s team?

Yes, if there are teams in need of managers. Parent coaches will always coach their own child's team.

What equipment do I need to provide for my player?

The players will need to provide the following:

The bat rules changed effective January 1, 2018 for Little League baseball. Players will need a USA Baseball regulation bat for all games.  All bats must meet the new bat standards and have the new USA Baseball logo/sticker.  (Additional info here ). If a bat is not on the approved list, it cannot be used in league play. Many parents have been disappointed to find out the expensive bat they purchased cannot be used. This is a safety issue - many expensive bats are engineered to put the ball in play with a level of force that can be dangerous to younger players.

 
If my child is selected for the AAA division, is there a chance he/she gets called up to Majors during the season?

Players can be called up occasionally when a Majors team is short on players for a particular game. Full time call-ups are possible, but do not happen very often.

 
Am I required as a parent to volunteer?

You are not required to volunteer. However, CMLL is a volunteer organization, and we strongly encourage people to get involved. We are always in need of coaches and assistant coaches. People including coaches and volunteers, who have repetitive access to or contact with players or teams are required to submit a volunteer application and to have a background check submitted. If coaching isn't for you, there are many other ways to help, like tracking pitch count or keeping score. Also, if you have an idea for something that we are not doing and would like to drive a project, you can do that as well. Feel free to enquire to any CMLL Board member if you have an idea or want to help and don't know how you can help.

HOW DO I UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THE ORGANIZATION IF I NO LONGER WANT TO RECEIVE COMMUNICATIONS?

Please click the "Need Help?" icon on the right side of this page, navigate to the Articles tab, and search for 'Unsubscribe'. You will be directed to an article providing instructions.

Thanks for joining the league. Have a great season!