BASEBALL LEAGUE AGE DETERMINATION

Before registering your player for baseball, you must know their official "league age." The Age Determination Date for a Little League Baseball player is the actual age of a child on August 31 of the current year.

To determine your player’s league age click the link below.

League Age Determination

BASEBALL LEAGUES

T-BALL

League Age: 5-year-old. Families looking for a parent/child program that focuses on skills without playing games should contact the S.B. Recreation Department.

Description: Provides fundamentals of the game and introduces players to the concept of team play. This is a non-competitive league where players hit off a batting tee. There is no pitching in T-Ball ad scores are not recorded. This is not a drop-off league; parents are required to stay throughout practices and games.

Practices & Games: Tuesday evenings, 5:30–7 p.m., and Saturday mornings, 10 a.m.

INSTRUCTIONAL

League Age: 6-year-old players new to baseball or in their 2nd season.  7-year-old players in their first season of baseball.

Description: Players use a batting tee and coach pitching is introduced for players who can hit a pitched ball. Basic skills are taught and re-enforced. Kids generally play multiple positions. Scores are not officially recorded. This is not a drop-off league; parents are required to stay throughout practices and game.

Practices & Games: Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 5:30–7 p.m.

AAA

League Age:  7- and 8-year-old players looking for a continued greater focus on individual skill development and beginning team development.

Description: This program provides a well-rounded foundation by ensuring every player gains experience at every position on the field. This rotation maximizes fielding opportunities and accelerates overall player development, preparing them for the transition to longer, more competitive games. Practices integrate the core fundamentals of baseball, including an understanding of balls, strikes, and outs.

The AAA season is strategically split: the first half prioritizes individual skill-building, while the second half shifts toward cohesion and competition. Starting in mid-season, players will compete as a team in interleague play and games against surrounding towns, concluding our season in mid-June. This is not a drop-off league; parents are required to stay throughout practices and game.

Practices & Games: Practice 3 times per week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday morning. Days may vary week to week. Practice begins outside in May. Games run through mid-June.

Travel: Teams may be expected to travel between Burlington, Richmond, and Essex.

MINORS

League Age: 9- and 10-year-old players.

Description: Minors is an exciting leap forward in players fully adopt official Little League rules, bringing the professional feel of the diamond to our local fields. Games consist of six innings, allowing players to build the physical and mental endurance required for longer play. They transition to full player pitching and catching, fostering growth in these specialized and high-impact positions. To ensure fairness and teach respect for the game, a certified or trained umpire is required for every game. Equal playing time guaranteed to ensure every player stays engaged and active. To create well-rounded players, they will continue to rotate positions on the field. This prevents early specialization and gives every player the chance to discover their strengths in both the infield and outfield.

Practices & Games: Meets three or four times per week. Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings/Saturday mornings. Days may vary week to week. Weekday evening times for April will be 5:30–7 p.m. Saturday game times may vary.

Travel: Teams are expected to travel to neighboring little leagues such as: Burlington, Richmond, Colchester, Shelburne, and Williston.

MAJORS

League Age: 11- and 12-year-old players.

Description: Players continue to progress into competitive play with full six inning games. Play becomes quicker with faster pitches and harder hits. Players may start to build comfort in certain positions and learn to advocate for those spots during practice. Certified or trained umpires are required for all games in league.

Practices & Games: Meets three or four times per week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings/Saturday later morning, early afternoons. Days may vary week to week. Weekday evening times for April will be 5:30–7 p.m.

END OF SEASON TOURNAMENT

At the end of the Spring Season, SBYBS will host the City Championship for Minor and Major Leagues, along with closing ceremonies for all leagues. Tournament play will depend on the number of teams in the league (round robin, double-elimination, etc.) This tournament will occur during the last week of the season in May and likely over Memorial Day Weekend.

BASEBALL PLAYER EVALUATIONS

The Purpose of Evaluations

Player evaluations are a vital part of creating a fair, balanced, and competitive environment for the upcoming season. These sessions allow for an opportunity to assess each player’s current skills, identifying both their unique strengths and their specific areas for growth. While coaches do not evaluate the players, they do have the opportunity to work closely with and support players in their individual development. Overall, evaluations assist with providing:

Constructive Feedback: Helping players understand how to improve their game.

Coaching Insight: Giving our volunteers the data they need to support each player’s progress and ensure a positive, growth-oriented team experience.

A Culture of Growth: Promoting teamwork, fair play, and personal development in a supportive setting.

Evaluations are confidential in that players are assessed by outside volunteers (not coaches) and by the number players were given that day. Players may not wear jerseys with last names or numbers on them to evaluations, to help keep this process fair.

The data from the evaluations is presented in a way that averages the scores for each player based on the skill and ranked to ensure we can create balanced and fair teams.

Evaluations for AAA

Players in AAA will attend evaluations and perform a series of skills. As players progress in the league, AAA is an opportunity to put emphasis on player development and game fundamentals so as to better prepare players for the Minors. To ensure a balance of skilled players on each team, AAA players must attend a “skills check” to assist the league in creating balanced teams.  Friend ‘play-with’ requests will continue to be considered in the team-making process but as the second priority rather than the first. 

MINORS AND MAJORS DRAFT

Minors and Majors teams are created by a draft system. During the draft, in a series of selection rounds, players with equivalent evaluation scores are selected by coaches, one per team until all players are selected.  The goal of the draft is to ensure each team has equal distribution of skill and ability and to balance the number of players per team.

The draft is supported by the President, Player Agent, VP of Baseball, Secretary, and the selected Head Coaches of the league. Minor and Major League Coordinators may also be present.