LINK FOR EVALUATION SIGNUPS >>>> available Feb 1
Assessments will be held at North Rockford Middle School on February 8. It is imperative that every player in the PLAYER PITCH DIVISIONS Minors AA through Majors come for an evaluation. Players that tried out for All-Stars do not need to attend. Assessments allow us to grade each player on their abilities and rank them appropriately for the drafting process. The drafting process allows us to create balanced teams.
Players will be evaluated at 5 different stations:
Infield
Outfield
Hitting
Pitching
Running
Players will be placed in groups by age and will advance through each station together. A player should arrive on time for their slot. We anticipate it taking no more than 40 minutes to sign in and run through all 5 stations. Players should bring a glove. Bats and helmets will be available for use, or a player can bring their own equipment. NO CLEATS, tennis shoes only, please!
When signing up for a slot…….
· Each child will need their own time slot. Please leave your child's name in the comment box upon signup.
· Try to signup within your child's age group. We understand everyone has a busy Saturday and this may not be possible! If you have more than one child attending Evaluations, they can sign up for the same time frame. No need to come back twice...unless you want to.
· Each player should bring their own glove. If they have their own bat and batting helmet, bring those, too! RLL will have some bats and helmets available for players to use.
Baseball Evals will run from 8am-12pm
There will be no make-up date for Evaluations. It takes a lot of money, time and effort, and volunteers to put this on. If your child is unable to attend, no need to let us know. Any player that we do not have numbers for will be a hat draw on draft night.
Any questions should be directed to [email protected]
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS>>>
When and where are Evaluations?
Evals will be held on February 8 at North Rockford Middle School.
Does my child really need to attend?
Kid pitch teams are 100% drafted. Evaluations let us know where your child falls within his/her age group. This allows our coaches to draft balanced, competitive teams! We encourage every player to attend this event! Players that tried out for All-Stars do not need to attend. We will need many volunteers to run this event. Are you coaching a kid pitch team? This is a great opportunity to volunteer and scout the talent you’ll be drafting!
What if we cannot make Evals? Is there a make-up date?
There will be no make-up date for Evaluations. It takes a lot of money, time and effort, and volunteers to put this on. If your child is unable to attend, no need to let us know. Any player that we do not have numbers for will be a hat draw on draft night
What happens at Evaluations?
Once a player is signed in, they will proceed to the warm-up area for 5-10 minutes. We’ll be running everyone through in groups of 10 players max. Each player will run through drills in the following categories: running, hitting, pitching, infield and outfield. Each player will be assessed on their skills so we can rank them within their age group for division drafts.
How long will it take for my child to finish his/her evaluation from start to finish?
Please plan on 1 hour per child.
When can we sign up for an evaluation slot?
We expect to have a signup available via signup genius the night of February 1. The link will be posted on Rockfordll.com and emailed to all players registered in kid pitch divisions.
How are coach’s kids drafted?
Coach’s kids will be ranked and drafted in the order they would have been selected based on collective evaluations from the previous season. If we don't have any numbers for the player, they will be assigned a first round pick.
What do we need to bring to Evals?
Bring a glove and water bottle. Your child can use their own helmet and bat, or RLL will have some available for use. Please wear tennis shoes, not cleats!
Do you need volunteers?
We will be looking for MANY volunteers to make this event a success. If you are a coach this season, this is a great opportunity to help us and scout players at the same time (wink, wink)!
When does ________ begin?
December
1-Registration Opens
10-Board Meeting
January (2025)
14-Board Meeting, Walk up Signups
28-Early Bird Registration ENDS ALL GROUPS
February
5 - Registration closes AA-MAJ
8 - Assessments
11-Board Meeting
Drafts/Coaches Clinics/Safety Meetings
25 – Registration closes CP
March
7-9 - Open fields for the season
11 - Board Meeting
15 - Coaches Clinic CP and equipment pick up CP-JR????
15- Registration closes Tball, JRs
17 - Practices begin (CP-Majors)
April
3-11 - SPRING BREAK (Practice optional)
12 - Field clean up – fields assigned by division/team (April 13 makeup day)
14 - T ball, Juniors Practices Begin
15 - Board Meeting
15 & 16 – CP through Majors picture days
21 - Games Begin (CP-Majors)
24 – T ball/Juniors Picture day
28 - T ball Games Begin
29 – Registration closes SR
May
13 - Board Meeting
18 - All-Star Tryouts
24-26 No Games Memorial Day Weekend
June
10 - Board Meeting
11 - Season ends (many teams will end by June 7)
***Majors, Jrs D9 Tourney usually 3rd week of June
All-Star Schedule is released by District 9. Once dates are published, we will post for our families. A good rule of thumb for planning to participate in All-Stars: keep your schedule clear of vacations, camps or commitments from June 5 - July 31 (and possibly beyond if your team continues winning). Keep the July 4 holiday open, too!
What nights are practices and games?
The practice schedule for most divisions will come out mid to late March (tee ball and juniors schedules typically come out a week later). Teams will have one weeknight (M-Th) and one Saturday practice. Practices run until games begin; once games begin, there are no further scheduled practices. Games for tee ball, coach pitch, and player pitch (minors) consist of one weeknight (M-Th) and one Saturday game. The weeknight game could vary from week to week. AAA baseball will play Tuesday/Friday. Majors baseball will play Monday/Thursday. Majors softball and Juniors divisions are interleagued with other nearby Little Leagues and do not have set schedules, however, weekend games are unusual.
Can I request specific days of the week for practices or games?
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee a specific day for practices or games. Practice days will be consistent each week for your child's team, but game days can vary week to week.
What equipment does my child need?
Your child will need to have his or her own ball glove, baseball/softball pants (traditionally white, black or grey, but a coach may specify one as the primary color for your team), rubber soled cleats (Intermediates and above can wear metal cleats), batting gloves (if desired), and an equipment bag/backpack (if desired). Rockford Little League will provide jerseys and hats for baseball players and jerseys and headbands for softball players. There will also be team helmets, bats, and catching equipment although players are welcome to bring their own if preferred.
Do I really need to submit a birth certificate?
Yes! We are required to verify the age of each player. This only needs to be done ONCE in a players RLL career! Birth certificates are removed after verification. You may also show a copy of a birth certificate at Walk Up Sign-ups or make other arrangements by emailing [email protected].
Can my child play a division other than what Sports Connect automatically pulls up for my player?
T-ball ages 4-6
Baseball:
Coach Pitch: ages 6-8
AA Minors: ages 8-10
AAA Minors: age 11, roster filled with drafted players
Majors: age 12, roster filled with drafted players
Juniors: ages 13-14
Seniors: ages 15-16
Softball:
Coach Pitch: ages 6-8
Minors: ages 8-10
Majors: ages 11-12
Juniors: ages 13-14
Seniors: ages 15-16
There are some age overlaps which allow you to decide whether your child should play up or down a division based on ability and family needs. If age allows, we require one season of T-ball before your child advances to the coach pitch division. We follow Little League International's age chart to determine age. Contact us with any questions.
How is Little League age determined?
Use this link for baseball/tball age chart 2025 Baseball Age Chart.docx (littleleague.org)
Use this link for softball age chart 2025 Softball Age Chart.docx (littleleague.org)
When does registration close?
See calendar above for dates
***Early bird registration saves you $25 per player! Don’t miss out!***