Grafton Little League has seven divisions, broken down by age as follows:
T-ball, Ages 4-6
Minor League Single A, Ages 7-8
Minor League AA Division, Age 9
Minor League Bazinet AAA, Age 10
Major League Dauphinais, Ages 10-12
Senior League, Ages 13-16
T-ball, Ages 4-6. (Two games per week on Monday and Wednesday with an occasional Saturday game)
This is your child’s first attempt at organized baseball. It is totally instructional and done in an encouraging and nurturing setting. We will begin to teach the rules of the game. All players bat off a batting tee, through the lineup, in each of the 2 innings. They all play the field every inning. Coaches will play the kids in both the infield and the outfield in all positions they can safely play. Nobody keeps score, no standings.
The Minor Leagues: The Minor League is divided into 3 separate divisions. The goal of these divisions is to teach the fundamentals of the game with an emphasis on skill development. The primary goal of the minor leagues is to prepare the players to eventually play in the Major League. The 3 divisions are listed below.
- Single A, Coach Pitch, Ages 7-8. (Two games per week on Monday, Thursday or Saturday. One practice each week)
This is an instructional “coaches pitch” baseball league, no leading or stealing; all children bat in the lineup the whole game. There are no walks but there are strikeouts. An inning is three outs or ten batters. Game is 6 innings long or until it’s too dark. Ten players play in the field (4 outfielders). Coaches will play the kids in all positions they can safely play. They will also sit the bench from time to time but always hit in the lineup. Nobody keeps score, no standings.
- AA Division, Kid Pitch, Age 9. (Two games per week on Tuesday, Thursday with an occasional Saturday game. One practice each week)
In this division there will be a focus on children pitching and learning to hit live pitching in order to prepare them for the major league. There are no walks, but there are strikeouts. An inning is three outs or ten batters. Game is 6 innings long or until it’s too dark. Ten players play in the field (4 outfielders). Coaches will play the kids in all positions they can safely play. They will also sit the bench from time to time but always hit in the lineup.
All players age 10 – 12 who have not yet been placed on a Major League team will attend an evaluation to determine their level of skill. Those who are ready will be drafted onto a Major League team. Any player not drafted will be placed on a team in the Bazinet AAA Division. This division has most of the Major league division rules, with some minor modifications, and encourages all levels of ability. Coaches have free substitutions (except for pitchers), and all players bat in the lineup for the entire game. Coaches may place the kids in all infield and outfield positions they can safely play. An inning is three outs or ten batters. A game is 6 innings long or until it is too dark. Players are allowed modified stealing rules but no leading. A tournament team will also be chosen to play in the district AAA tournament in Charlton during July.
Major League Dauphinais Division, Ages 10-12. (Two games per week on Tuesday and Friday. One practice per week)
The Dauphinais division is the most competitive division in the league. The most skilled players will be drafted into this division. There is a greater emphasis on team play which includes teams working together to try and win games. There will be a regular season and post season champion crowned in this division. This is the most regulated division, and a full set of rules is available at www.littleleague.org. Only nine players are allowed to bat in the lineup. Coaches must make substitutions to get all of the players in each game, with no free substitutions. The minimum playing requirement is 2 innings in the field and one at bat for each player per game. An All-star team from the Dauphinais division will be chosen to compete for a chance to eventually play in the Little League World Series. Eleven and ten year old tournament teams will also be chosen from this division to play in their respective District 5 tournaments in July.
Senior League, Ages 13-16. (Two games per week possibly Monday and Thursday. One practice per week)
The Senior League is divided into 2 divisions. The Junior league and the Senior league. The Junior League is for players age 13–14 and was developed to help players make the transition from the smaller Little League diamond to the full size diamond used at the senior league level. Junior league players will be drafted onto teams that will play against each other. In the event that we do not have enough players to produce a competitive division the teams would play against teams from other towns as well as against each other. The senior division is for players ages 15-16. Players will be divided into teams that will play a “travel” schedule against the other towns in our district. The senior leagues are also highly regulated by Little League International and follow rule similar to those of High School Baseball.
