Click links below for important information. Questions? Please email [email protected]
When are games and practices?
All teams play games on Saturdays. AAA, AA, A and T-ball are typically in the mornings or early afternoon. Majors and AAA teams also play games during the week. There is typically only one weeknight game and the night varies depending on field availability. If games have been cancelled due to weather, we will try to schedule makeup games during the week as well. Weeknight games typically start at 6:15 pm.
Majors, AAA, and AA may have two practices a week depending on the game schedule. Single A and T-ball typically have only one weeknight practice. Please see our League Structure and Levels of Play for more information,
Often, Majors and AAA Teams also participate in Interleague play with Little Leagues from Falls Church, Herndon/Reston, or Annandale/North Springfield. These games can involve extra weeknights and travel to another league's fields.
By Little League Rules, players in Majors and AAA must play a minimum number of games during the season in order to be eligible for selection for All Stars at the end of the season. Consequently, on very rare occasions, double-header may be scheduled on a Saturday in order to meet minimum play requirements.
Where are games and practices?
All practices are in and around the MDLL boundaries.
Games for T-ball, A and AA Divisions are in and around the MDLL boundaries. Typically, practices and games are played at the same field by division.
Majors and AAA games are typically at Pudge Rodriquez Field at Mason District Park or Parklawn Park.
PLEASE NOTE: Majors and AAA play some games against other area Little Leagues so occasional local travel is required.
How much time should I anticipate my player devoting to baseball each week?
The number of practices can vary depending on coaches and division; typically each team will play 2 games each week and practice 1-2 times per week at the AAA and Majors level. Lower levels will typically have 2 to 3 baseball games/practices per week.
Are tryouts mandatory?
In the Fall, there is no Player Assessment session. See Skills Assessment and Draft Eligibility for more information.
What equipment does my player need?
All players should have a glove. Players at the A level and above will need a protective cup. Baseball cleats are optional but encouraged. The league provides all other equipment. Players are welcome to provide their own bat, catcher's equipment, etc., however all such equipment must be inspected by the Manager and must conform to Little League standards. Uniform jerseys are also provided for each player in all divisions. Baseball pants are provided to T-ball and Single A players. All other divisions need to provide their own baseball pants; typically, gray.
My child wants to have his own bat, is there a list of approved Little League bats?
Little League International has assembled an online resource page dedicated to baseball bat information. Click HERE to find the latest bat information, including the current Little League Baseball rules and regulations governing bats, definition of terms, the moratorium on the use of composite bats, and a series of frequently asked questions, with answers and licensed bat lists. Generally, all bats must conform to the USA Bat standard, complete with a USABat label.
Is there a Little League post season?
No
How do I volunteer?
Thank you for considering volunteering. Mason District Little League is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization. We are always looking for individuals who are willing to lend a hand. Please contact our League Volunteer Coordinator, Sujeeta Bhatt if you are interested in helping. She can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]. Volunteers who will have contact with children must complete the LLB volunteer application form found under the Documents menu and must undergo a basic background security check.
Equipment
The League provides a shirt and hat thanks to the Washington Nationals Team Up program.
Players need:
- Pants (the Manager will let you know what color, but gray or white is usually a safe bet)
- Socks (the Manager will let you know what color)
- Cleats (Tee Ball and Single A rubber cleats are nice to have, but not required. AA through Majors must wear rubber cleats only. Only Intermediate are allowed to have metal cleats.)
- Bat (click for current Little League bat rules)
- Helmet (the team should have some available, but having your own is preferred)
Note: Due to COVID-19, the league may not have helmets available for distribution.
Drafts
Mason District Little League goes to great lengths to assure each child is placed on a team with his/her peers. The Spring season begins with an evaluation in which League Committees and Managers view each child and rate them on their abilities in running, batting, fielding, and throwing. Detailed notes are taken and combined with the players statistics from previous seasons. This data is used in a draft for Majors, AAA, and AA in which all managers are given the opportunity to select players for their team. Majors select first, then AAA, and finally AA. This provides a fair distribution of players for each playing level.
During the first few practices there may be adjustments by the Player Agent, although very rare. If a manager questions whether a child is really ready for that level, he/she will contact the Player Agent and the League Committee may attend and view first hand the child's playing ability. A determination is made and appropriate action taken.
Please allow the process to take its course and, after a few practices, if you and the Manager still feel strongly about it please contact your Player Agent. Player agent contact information can be found on the Board of Director's page in the left hand column.
Evaluations
Evaluations are held for players wishing to play in AA through Intermediate. Players should bring a glove and wear sneakers. If they have their own bat and helmet, you can bring those also. No cleats.
For AA-Majors hold evaluations for the draft in the spring season only. Intermediate are combined across the divisions. Managers need to see all the kids to rate them on their abilities in running, batting, fielding, and throwing, so the groups remain together through all the stations. Every child is eligible for the draft and will be selected and placed on a team.
Over the next few weeks following evaluations, Managers use their evaluation notes combined with the players' statistics from previous seasons to conduct the drafts. Majors Managers select players first, then AAA, then AA. Intermediate conduct a separate draft.
• Intermediate Division – Consists primarily of 13 and 14 year olds that move to a 90 foot field, the same as high school, college, and professional baseball. Once selected to a Intermediate team, players remain with the team through age 14.
• Majors Division -- Consists primarily of skilled and experienced 10 to 12 year olds.
• AAA Minors -- Consists primarily of 8 to 11 year olds who have not yet attained the experience or skill to participate in the Majors Division. 12 year olds may play in AAA minors with a waiver (contact your division's player agent for information).
• AA Minors -- Consists primarily of 7 to 9 year olds who hit a ball pitched by another player. This level emphasizes batting and fielding.
In Minors, all players enter the draft each year, so team members change from year to year. At the completion of the process, Team Managers notify parents and players.
Player Agents for each League serve as a resource for parents with questions and/or concerns about the process and/or the placement level for their child. Please see the Board of Directors page for the current player agents.
Time Commitment
The regular season lasts approximately six weeks starting the end of March or early April for the Spring and early September for Fall. Weather permitting, practices start a couple of weeks prior to the first games. End of season Division level League-based tournaments usually run for one week. With the exception of Tee Ball, teams play two games per week, one on a week night (games start at 6:00 or 6:30) and one on Saturday. Tee Ball generally only plays one game on Saturdays. Teams generally practice once or twice a week depending on the Division also.
At the Minor Division level, all games are subject to time limits. For Tee Ball, no new inning shall start later than 1 hour and 15 minutes after the scheduled start time and the game terminates after 4 complete innings or completion of the last legally started inning. For A, no inning will begin later than 1 hour and 30 minutes after the scheduled start time. For AA & AAA, no inning will begin later than 1 hour and 50 minutes after the scheduled start time for the game. For A & AA, Managers generally want players to arrive 30-45 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the game. For AAA, Managers generally want players to arrive 45-60 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the game.
In the Spring, Majors teams play six innings unless one team is ahead by 10 or more runs after the fourth inning of play. Majors Managers generally want players to arrive one hour prior to the scheduled start of the game.
District 4 All Stars Tournament games run from mid-June to mid-July, depending on the team’s success. Two weeks prior to the first scheduled game, the Divisions announce All Star players and practices begin. All Star Players likely have a practice or game almost every day of the week during tournament play.
For All Little League Players, Single A and above -
Weather and Schedule permitting, end of season tournaments are held for each Division. These Single or Double Elimination tournaments end in a Championship game whereby the winners and runners-up receive a trophy. The tournament usually runs for one week, and seedings can either be assigned by random drawing or based on regular season standing.
In the Spring, games tend to be around the last week of May and the first two weeks of June. In the Fall, this tends to be the last two weeks in October. All players participate in these Spring and Fall season ending tournaments with their Division team.
District Tournaments
Spring season players qualify for selection to District 4 Tournament teams. The Players represent MDLL and compete against neighboring Little Leagues. These games run from mid-June to mid-July depending on the team's success. District 4 Tournament team members are announced on or around June 1st with practices beginning immediately and involves practices or games almost every day of the week while the team is in tournament play. Teams that win District 4 can advance to State Tournaments, Regional Tournaments and even the Little League World Series!
MDLL will also select Minors Division players (AA and AAA players league age 8-11) for 2 Minors (8-9, 9-11) Tournament teams. The Minors District 4 Tournament is held in mid-June and ends with the District 4 Championship. The Commitment level is less intense and can be a lot of fun for those players not yet playing at the Majors Level or above.
Minor League players can be selected to play on Major Tournament teams, as sometimes there are not enough players at the Majors level to fill a team.
Fall Ball
How does Fall ball differ from the Spring Season?
During Fall Ball, player evaluations or try-outs are NOT held in the Fall. Managers draft players for AA and above based on the age, prior level, and player stats from the Spring season. Fall is considered developmental so the emphasis is on practice and skill development. Scores and standings are not kept.
Practices start in mid to late August and games run from September to the end of October. Similar to Spring, AA and above teams play two games per week, one on a week night and one on Saturday. Single A and Tee Ball only play one game per week on Saturdays. Teams generally practice once a week also.
All levels but Seniors use a continuous batting order and all games are subject to time limits (Minors - same time limits as spring; Majors and above -- no inning will begin later than 2 hours after the scheduled start time for the game).
Players who were League Age 12 in the Spring play at the Intermediate level in the Fall to gain exposure to playing on the 90 foot field.
Adding an additional user to an account
You can add an additional user to be linked to a single account! An invite can be sent through email to be added to an account, where the additional user will have their own username and password to access the account. This will allow multiple users to get updates, view payments, and volunteer while linked to one account but still have a separate login.
To add an additional user, you can add them as an additional contact while initially creating an account, as a volunteer during registration, or add them later from your My Account Screen > Edit Account Info>>Add Additional Account Holder
While creating a new user, you will have the option to enter in an additional contact.
The additional user will receive an email where they can accept the invite to the account. They will then be prompted to make their own Username and Password and create a new account to be linked as an additional user.
You can also add the additional user in as a volunteer.
To re-send an invite to the additional user, cancel the invitation to the additional user, or invite an additional user at a later time, go to account settings>>edit account info in the top right corner of the My Account screen.
You will then be able to resend an invite, cancel the invite, or invite another user.
Please note, you can invite more than one additional user to your account. If the additional user does not accept the invite and create a new username/password, the additional user will still receive Team and Schedule communication from your organization.
Tip: If the additional user invite is being sent because of an added volunteer role, but your family only wants one login, consider changing the primary contact first name and last name to that of the volunteer/additional user.
How do I sign up to become a volunteer?
- Registration for umpires is now open. You may register to become an adult umpire during the player registration process when prompted to select a volunteer position. Just click "Registration" above to begin the process. If you do not have a player in the league and would like to register to become an adult/youth umpire, read on for instructions on how to do so.
- If you have already not done so, Register for a Sports Connect account by clicking the “Register” button above.
- Log in to your Sports Connect account and click on “My Account”, then click on the Volunteer tab >> and then click on Find Volunteer Roles.
• Select the program, division, and role that you wish to sign up for, hit Next, and enter all required information.
• Once you are a volunteer, the role will display in your account like the image below:
