The Little League Baseball and Softball World Series are international tournaments held by Little League. Since 1947, the baseball tournament has been held annually in August in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania and broadcast nationally on ESPN. The Little League Softball World Series is held annually right here in Portland at Alpenrose Dairy.

To qualify for the Little League World Series, teams from local Little Leagues across the world begin competition at the District level. Winning teams advance to the state and regional levels, before qualifying for the World Series. SEPLL begins the tournament in Oregon District 2.

Subject to manager, coach, and player availability, SEPLL may sponsor the following All Star teams:

•   Age 8-10 Year Old Baseball and Softball
•   Age 9-11 Year Old Baseball and Softball
•   Little League Baseball and Softball (League Age 10-12)
•   Intermediate (50/70) Baseball (League Age 11-13)
•   Junior Baseball and Softball (League Age 12-14)
  

To be considered for an All Star team, please register online no later than May 20.

If you have any questions regarding baseball, please contact us at [email protected].

To be considered for All Stars, players must meet the following criteria established by Little League:

League Age: Players must be the appropriate League Age. Players must provide an original birth certificate.

Residence: Players must reside or attend school within the SEPLL boundary, or have an appropriate waiver. Players must provide three proofs of residence or one proof of school attendance. For more information on providing proof of school attendance of residence, visit our Proof of School Attendance and Residence page.

Participation: A player's team must have played a minimum of 12 regular season games, exclusive of playoffs and tournament games. Players must have participated in a minimum of 8 of their team's regular season games. SEPLL's Board of Directors may permit a player to be eligible for selection who does not meet the minimum game requirement if the player provides a physician's note documenting an injury or illness before or during the current season prohibiting the player's participation. The physician's note must release the player for the balance of the regular season and/or tournament play.

Selection of Teams

There is a considerable overlap of ages for players in the Minor and Major Divisions. Players League Age 9, 10, and 11 are eligible for more than one All Star team. Players will be considered for all teams for which they are eligible. A player may play on only one All Star team per season. 

Teams will be selected as follows:

1) SEPLL will select players for the 10-12 team among all eligible players. The goal is to select the most competitive team possible among all eligible players.

2) Second, players will be selected for the 9-11 team. The goal is to select the most competitive team among all players not selected for the 10-12 teams.

3) Players will be selected for the 8-10 team. The goal is to select the most competitive team among all players not selected for the 10-12 and 9-11 teams.

Players League Age 11 and 12 who play only Intermediate (50/70) Baseball during the regular season are also eligible for the 10-12 team.

Selection of Players

SEPLL selects players for All Stars by a vote of the team managers based on their playing ability and availability. An All Star team may have a maximum of 14 players. 

Ability: A player’s ability is determined solely by the individuals making the team selections.

Availability: A player must be available for all practices and games. Families must plan vacations and other commitments accordingly.

Alternates: Players not selected for an All Star team may be placed in a pool to fill a vacancy if one arises and the Board of Directors decides to fill it.

Announcement: The Board of Directors must approve the final team rosters. Little League prohibits the release of names of the players selected before May 15.

The Board of Directors selects All Star managers. The key criteria for selection include:

• Willingness, time availability, and commitment to manage. 
  
• Past coaching experience that indicates a proper orientation to sportsmanship, fairness, and the league's values.
  
• Knowledge of the game and ability to teach. 
• Support of the manager among fellow regular season managers and coaches.
• Ability to work with other coaches on the team and communicate with the players' families. 

Managers may select two assistant coaches, subject to approval by the Board of Directors. Note that if a team has 11 or fewer players in uniform at the game site at the start of a game, then a maximum of two adults must be named at the start of the game as manager and coach.

Managers and coaches must be regular season team managers and coaches. For the 8-10 and 9-11 teams, managers and coaches must be from either the Minor or Major Divisions. For the 10-12 and 50/70 teams, managers and coaches must be from either the Major or 50/70 Divisions. In addition, SEPLL's president and player agent may be eligible for selection by the Board of Directors to coach or manage with written approval from the district administrator. 

It is an honor to be selected as a member of an All Star team. There is also a substantial commitment of time and effort required to participate. Teams typically practice multiple times per week beginning the first or second week of June. The number of practices and scrimmages vary by team, but four to six afternoon, evening, or weekend practices or scrimmages a week is common.

All Stars ends whenever tournament competition ends. The district tournaments usually begin the last week of June or first half of July. The district tournaments may end as late as mid-July. Teams that win their district tournament advance to their respective Oregon state tournaments, which may occur in mid to late July. Most tournaments are double elimination. This means that teams will play until losing twice. The goal for teams is to progress as far into tournament play as possible.

Players must make best efforts to attend all practices and scrimmages during the All Star season. Players must be available for all games until their team is eliminated from tournament play.

If you want to ensure you can participate in All Stars, do not schedule your vacations until late July or August.  

Please understand that registering and accepting the commitment does not guarantee selection.

Little League rules govern mandatory play requirements. The rules in All Star tournaments are substantially different from those that govern SEPLL's regular season. The rules are as follows:

Mandatory Play

If a tournament team has 12 or fewer eligible players in uniform at a game, every player on the team roster must participate in the game for a minimum of 6 consecutive defensive outs and bat at least one time.

If a tournament team has 13 or more eligible players in uniform at a game, every player on a team roster must participate in the game for a minimum of one at bat. There is no requirement that players participate defensively.  

SEPLL's All Star teams will carry a minimum roster of 13 players unless there are not enough players available.

Batting Order

During the regular season, District 2 and SEPLL require that teams use a continuous batting order (CBO), which means that the entire roster of players present at a game must be in the batting order. Little League does not allow the use of a CBO during All Stars. Instead, the batting order consists of the current defensive players. This means that players not playing defensive positions do not bat.

Substitutions

Any player who has been removed from a game for a substitute player may re-enter the game in the same position in the batting order.

A substitute entering the game for the first time may not be removed before completion of his/her mandatory play requirements. This means that if a team has 13 players, a substitute may be removed after batting once. If a team has 12 players, a substitute may be removed after playing 6 consecutive defensive outs and batting once. 

A starting player and his or her substitute must not be in the lineup at the same time.

Focus on Competitiveness 

The focus of SEPLL's All Star teams is to produce teams that represent SEPLL's goals of good teamwork, good sportsmanship, and excellence on the field. This latter goal has greater emphasis during All Stars and fielding competitive teams takes a high priority. This focus on success, when coupled with the national mandatory play rules noted above, can result in players who find they spend significant game time on the bench or play unfamiliar positions. While these can be excellent learning and emotional growth opportunities for players and parents, some are surprised and disappointed when it happens to them.

Managers must communicate with each player and parent before the All Star tournament to prepare them for the difference in approach and the fact that not all players will get the playing time that they desire. While coaches should endeavor to give each player an opportunity to demonstrate their ability during the All Star tournament, players and parents should recognize that the coaches’ view as to the best approach for team success will control the decision-making process.