Wilton Little League. 60+ Years of Little League baseball in Wilton. 35+ Years of Little League softball in Wilton

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2 Wilton Little League Our objective: to implant in our players the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, courage and respect for authority, so that they may be well adjusted, stronger and happier children and will grow to be good, decent, healthy and trustworthy citizens.

3 Wilton Little League 60+ Years of Little League baseball in Wilton 35+ Years of Little League softball in Wilton Little League International (Williamsport, PA) East Region (Bristol, CT) Connecticut District 1 (Lower Fairfield County) An all-volunteer organization Board of Directors League Directors, Managers and Coaches Boosters Parents

4 Wilton Little League 2017 was another successful year for Wilton Little League Nearly 1,000 player seasons across spring, summer and fall baseball and softball We continued to build upon a competitive Spring Travel baseball program New field maintenance crew at the YMCA fields produced fantastic playing conditions What s on the plate for 2018 Continuation of No Cost winter clinics for players in the kid-pitch leagues (grades 3 & up) Run by All American Baseball Must be registered for Spring season to participate New location this year Batters Box in Norwalk Continue to have Try-outs / Evaluations in early March (at Field House on 3/4 & 3/11) Players will be evaluated by independent evaluator Evaluation scores will be used for league assignment and Spring travel teams Proposals are being received and reviewed for In-season clinics for the developmental leagues Concept is to offer an extra practice a week to these players with professional instructors other than the volunteer coaches. New Little League Bat Standards Coming soon - Live video feed from Y fields during games

5 Annual Calendar - Softball Fall: Recreation Winter: Evaluations, Clinics & Planning Wilton Little League runs yearround, with three on-field seasons and an off-season devoted to League planning and player development. In each season our focus is: Winter: Player Evaluations Clinics Board planning Summer: Extended district play Spring: Developmental/ Competitive season Spring our developmental season, focus on softball fundamentals; competitive inter-town play for older leagues Summer extended competitive play for districts and beyond Fall our recreational season

6 League Structure Softball age 5 through 14 *Softball age uses calendar year calculation! T-ball Ages 5 and 6 Introduction to Wilton Little League Focus on Fun and begin softball fundamentals Hitting, Throwing and Catching advance away from Tee use as season progresses Uses 10 inch soft ball AA ( Double A ) Ages 7 and 8 Introduction to pitching Uses 11 inch ball (RIF1 or RIF 10) Focus on core skill development Hitting, Throwing, Base Running and Catching Introduction of inter-town play AAA ( Triple-A ) Ages 9-10 Kid pitch with boundaries Intermediate base-running Playoffs and Championship Uses 11 inch ball Pitching from 35 feet Increased percentage of play is inter-town during season Submits a district team Majors Ages 11 and 12 For our more advanced and older players Play full Little League book rules Playoffs and Championship Majority of play is inter-town Pitching from 40 feet Uses 12 inch ball Submits a district team Juniors Ages 13 and 14 WLL s highest level of spring softball For our most advanced and oldest players Play full Little League book rules Freshman that play high school team are eligible once school season ends Pitching from 43 feet Uses 12 inch ball All play is inter-town Submits a district team

7 Winter Workouts / Softball WLL is offering winter workouts for all players at no additional cost to families Players must be registered by February 28 th to participate and should try to attend as many sessions as possible. Clinics will be run by Wilton Little League coaches and Wilton High School Players Clinics will be held at the Cider Mill gym on 3/3, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24 and 3/31 Players will be broken up into groups by age Age groups will roughly correspond to league structure on prior slide Time slots will be finalized and announced by late February

8 Annual Calendar - Baseball Fall: Recreation Winter: Evaluations, Clinics & Planning Wilton Little League runs yearround, with three on-field seasons and an off-season devoted to League planning and player development. In each season our focus is: Winter: Player evaluations Clinics Board planning Summer: Competition Spring: Player Development Spring our developmental season, Spring travel teams and focus on baseball fundamentals Summer our competitive season, focus on Little League tournaments Fall our recreational season with a continued focus on fundamentals

9 Winter Workouts / Baseball WLL is offering three (3) winter workouts for kid pitch aged players at no additional cost to families Players must be registered by February 2 nd to participate and we encourage players to attend as many of the sessions as possible No walk-ins / meaning the player must be registered to play Spring Little League prior to attending Clinics will be run by All American Baseball, a local group of professional baseball instructors Will be held on Sundays February 4 th, February 11 th, and February 25 th. The Clinics will be held at the Batters Box located at 327 Main Ave, Norwalk CT 3 rd & 4 th Grade players from 11:00 AM 12:30 PM 5 th, 6 th and 7 th Grade players from 12:30 PM 2:00 PM

10 League Structure Developmental Leagues (K, 1 & 2) Kindergarten: T-ball Introduction to Wilton Little League Focus on Fun and begin baseball fundamentals Hitting, Throwing and Catching First Grade: Coach Pitch Continued development of fundamentals Begin to hit a pitched ball Second Grade: Machine Pitch Continued development of fundamentals Begin to develop strike zone awareness Introduction to kid pitching At these grade levels, there is 1 game every Saturday and 1 practice each week

11 League Structure Kid Pitch (3 rd 7 th / 12 y.o.) Minors Division 3 rd and 4 th grade (ages 8-10) Kid-pitch baseball Focus on core skill development to provide a solid understanding of the game Hitting, Throwing, Pitching and Catching Intermediate base-running - stealing Playoffs and Championship Majors Division 5 th, 6 th and 7 th grade (ages 10-12) WLL s highest level of spring baseball For our most advanced and oldest players Full live base-running Playoffs and Championship In these divisions, there is 1 game during the week, 1 game every Saturday and 1 practice each week

12 Team Selection, Baseball & Softball Developmental Leagues Teams assembled by League Baseball: T-Ball, Coach Pitch and Machine Pitch Softball: T-Ball and AA Social considerations are primary focus Parents often request teammates based on friendship, carpool convenience, practice days, etc. WLL honors all reasonable requests to the extent possible Kid-pitch Leagues Teams drafted by the Managers Baseball: Minors & Majors Softball: AAA, Majors & Juniors Managers are provided a ranked, sorted list of players on draft night Draft sheets are returned to WLL at end of draft, maintained by WLL Managers are given freedom to assemble teams as they see fit Prioritization of skills on team (pitching vs. fielding vs. hitting) Drafting coaching assistants Social considerations Goal is a balanced, competitive league Fair draft process all managers provided same information Not always the same thing as balanced teams sound process, not a crystal ball

13 Baseball Majors / Minors league construction 2017 Actual GRADE 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd LL Age # Kids MAJORS (96 kids; 8 teams) AAA (57 kids; 5 teams) 49 8 AA (57 kids; 5 teams) 2018 Estimated (registrations open) MP (73 kids; 7 teams) GRADE 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd LL Age MAJORS MINORS MP- no changes 2018 dynamics 12yr old class last remaining group under old LL age rules; includes players turning 13 after May 1 st Falling registrations continue to pull more 5 th graders up to Majors Minors division will require rule adjustments from prior AAA rule book Evaluations still required for draft rankings and spring travel 13 of X 1/26/2018

14 Upcoming Calendar Registration Open Registration is open late fees apply after February 3 rd ($75) Winter Workouts Baseball February 4 th, 11 th and 25 th Optional, but recommended Softball March 3 rd, 10 th, 17 th, 24 th and 31 st Evaluations and Tryouts Baseball March 4 th and March 11 th Baseball Kid Pitch League drafts Monday, March 19 th - Wednesday, March 21 st Manager & Coaches Clinic and Safety Meeting Week of March 26 th Notification of rosters and uniform distribution Safety Meeting for Managers and Coaches

15 Upcoming Calendar Opening Day Saturday, March 31 st Picture Day Late April / Early May - (managers will be provided with date and schedule) Playoffs TBD expected to be last week of May into early part of June Summer Tournaments TBD

16 Fields Comstock Community Center (180 School Road) T-ball and/or Coach Pitch baseball and/or Softball Miller Field (Miller-Driscoll School, 336 Belden Hill Road) T-ball baseball Driscoll Field(Miller-Driscoll School) Coach Pitch baseball Lion s Field (725 Danbury Road) Machine Pitch baseball Middlebrook 1 and 2 (Middlebrook School, 25 School Road) All softball Middlebrook 3 (Middlebrook School, 25 School Road) Minors Baseball Clem Young Field (aka AAA ; Wilton YMCA, 404 Danbury Road) Minors baseball Kid-pitch playoff semifinals and championship Bill Terry Field (aka Majors ; Wilton YMCA) Majors baseball Kid-pitch playoff semifinals and championship

17 Parent Resources Manager & Coaches Volunteers Set the direction for the team League Director Work with the managers and coaches on scheduling, umpires, etc. First point of contact for any manager or coach concerns Player Agent and Board of Directors Player Agent any parent question or concern Board available Wilton Little League Website Team Schedules Sponsor highlights Board contact information

18 Board of Directors Wilton Little League Board members and roles Robert Louzan - President Mario Ferrante- VP Baseball John Morello VP Softball TBD Player Agent Christine Belanger Treasurer Marty Avalone Secretary Bob Belanger Purchasing & Equipment Jeff Szymanowicz Information Officer Sal Carbonaro Safety Officer TBD Tournaments Coordinator Softball Committee Members and roles John Morello VP Softball Joe Gugliemo Player Agent Jeff Imrie Park & Rec Liason Amanda Samai Secretary Chris Kelly Purchasing & Equipment Matt McMahon Fall Ball Coordinator John Kelly Field/Game Scheduling, & Information Mike Wallace Softball umpire coordination Christa Nessel Concessions Pam Nessel WBSA Coordination on Travel Anthony Preisano Evaluations Coordinator Kevin Toohill Sponsorship Coordinator Jason Caporrino Field Maintenance Dave Silvia Player Development Andrea Ferrante Boosters Coordinator Vin Forgione WBSA Liaison

19 Wilton Baseball & Softball Association, Inc. Life After Little League A Parent s Guide A frequently asked question of parents with boys completing their last year of Little League is What s next for youth baseball? Little League is followed by Babe Ruth baseball, which is sponsored by the WBSA. Babe Ruth is played on the big field with the dimensions of a major league diamond and full baseball rules. The WBSA will families in June of their final year of Little League to introduce future baseball opportunities to each graduating Little League player. What does the WBSA do? The WBSA is supports organized baseball for boys ages 13 through High School with year round baseball programs including winter conditioning programs and playing opportunities in the Spring, Summer and Fall The WBSA places teams in Babe Ruth baseball for year olds and American Legion baseball for year olds. The WBSA also runs organized youth softball for female athletes and serves as the booster organization for the Wilton High School baseball and softball programs. What is Babe Ruth baseball? The player s league age is your child s age as of April 30 th of the Spring you are playing. Players must be 13 to play except for Fall Prep League where 12 year olds turning 13 by the next April 30 th are eligible. Players can play Babe Ruth up to age 16 (age as of April 30 th ). High School plyers that play on the Freshman, JV or Varsity teams remain Babe Ruth eligible but cannot participate during the high school session in accordance with high school regulations.

20 Wilton Baseball & Softball Association, Inc. What teams are available and what level of commitment? The WBSA hires professional coaches to provide the highest level of instruction possible and to take the important skills learned in Little League and bring them to a higher level. WBSA fields multiple teams based on the number of registered players in 13U and 15U categories. The WBSA offer both regular Babe Ruth programs and a Select Travel team. Fall teams for both age groups run from the start of school through October. Spring and Fall teams have 1 practice and 2-3 games per week. Summer schedules may consist of 1 or 2 practices and 3-4 games per week with weekend double headers and regional tournaments. How competitive is Babe Ruth baseball? Any player can play and new players are always encouraged to try the game. Games are competitive in the sense that players have been playing for a number of years and players who continue with baseball beyond Little League are usually those with an interest in continuing the sport. Where can I find more information about the WBSA? Please visit the WBSA website at thewbsa.com for a list of Board Contacts, 2018 Programs, online registration and an array of other helpful information. For general inquiries, contact us directly as thewbsa@gmail.com.