Baseball & Softball Leagues

Inwood Little League offers year-round sports programs for boys and girls. Boys ages 4–16 are welcome to play in our baseball and basketball leagues and clinics. Girls ages 4–7 are welcome to play baseball, and girls ages 8–18 can join our competitive softball teams. All girls, of course, can also play in our fall/winter basketball clinic.

Spring Baseball and Softball Leagues
The spring season begins in early April with our annual Opening Day Parade and games. The season ends in late June. Most games are played at Inwood Hill park.

DIVISIONS OF PLAY

Instructional Divisions: these groups require a lot of parent help and volunteers. These are non-competitive and are designed to teach players (boys and girls) the basics of baseball while having fun.

• Rookies (4 year olds, T-ball)
  • Games are on Sunday mornings at 11am. This is “t-ball,” where kids are introduced to baseball. They learn the basics of the game including how to run the bases, fielding “alligator” style, hitting the ball off a tee and just learning to have fun playing the game.
• Superstars (age 5–6, Coach Pitch)
  • Games on Saturday mornings at 11am. Kids continue baseball instruction while playing 2–3 innings games. The coaches pitch to their own teams and every player gets to bat and play the field.
• Farms (ages 7–8, Coach Pitch & Kid Pitch)
  • Games are on Saturday mornings at 9am. Kids continue coach pitch but transition to kid-pitch mid-season. Games are played and outs are counted. The goal is to prepare them to play real baseball in the Minors.

Competitive Divisions: Players in these divisions play real baseball games with umpires and scores. All players MUST show up to all games and practices. Practices happen at least once a week.

• Girls Softball (ages 8–18)
  • Practices once or twice during the week, and games on the weekend. The games consist of scrimmages, inter-league play, or tournaments.
  • Girls softball has four divisions: 10U, 12U, 14U, and 18U. However, divisions may combine depending on registration and coach availability.
• Minors (ages 9–10)*
  • 2 games every WEEKEND. Saturdays AND Sundays (9am–5pm) on the Inwood Peninsula, field 6.
  • This is the first level of competition. Players are drafted to teams based on skills they demonstrate in the Farms and at tryouts. In this division, players are expected to know the basics of fielding, baserunning, and hitting. They will practice all these skills and further develop pitching, base-stealing, and being part of a competitive team. Players stay with the same team until they move up to the Majors.
  • Minors players also have the chance to play with our 10U travel team.
• Majors (ages 11–12)*
  • 2–3 WEEKDAY games at 5:30pm on field 6.
  • This is the next level of competition. Here players continue to develop the baseball and team-building skills they’ve been learning since the rookies. Players stay with their teams until they move up to the Juniors/Seniors.
  • Majors players also have the chance to play with our 11U and 12U travel teams.
• Juniors (ages 13–14)*
  • 2–3 WEEKDAY games at 5:30pm on fields 1 & 5.
  • In this division, players move up to the larger fields, and they must use wooden bats.
  • Juniors and Seniors may combine depending on registration numbers.
• Seniors (ages 15–16)*
  • 2–3 WEEKDAY games at 5:30pm on fields 1 & 5.
  • This is our highest level of “Little League” baseball. In this division, coaches demand a lot of their players in terms of execution of skills, knowledge of the game, and responsibilities as a teammate. As size and strength increase in our players, the speed of the game increases. This level is not for first-time players.

*The age ranges are not set in stone. Some players may be placed in the appropriate divisions according to skill level.

Summer Baseball and Softball Leagues
The Summer League begins in early July and runs through the end of August. Registration begins in May and divisions typically include Superstars (5–7), Minors (8–10), Majors (10–12), Seniors (13–16) and Girls Softball (9–18). Players are placed in the appropriate divisions according age and skill level.

Often teams representing other leagues, such as, Michael Buscek, New Era, Harlem Youth, etc., play in the summer league.  This gives our kids a chance to play against different players from around our city.

Most of the rules are the same as the Spring League (Little league Rules) except for a few variations within divisions.

Fall Baseball and Softball (Pelotazo)
The Fall League begins in early September and runs through early November. Registration begins in August and divisions typically include Majors (9–12), Seniors (13–16), and Girls Softball (9–18). Players are placed in the appropriate divisions according age and skill level.

Kids often have the opportunity to “play up” and experience or preview the next-level league during Fall League. And like in the summer, teams from other leagues in the city join us to play.

Tournaments & Travel Teams
Baseball and Softball All-Star Teams are chosen through a tryout process each year, and they begin practices in May. These teams practice once or twice a week, and they typically play a warm-up tournament on Memorial Day weekend. Players selected to the all-star teams are expected to participate in both the all-star and their league-team practices. Games will not be schedules at the same time.

At the end of June, the travel teams enter the International Little League Tournament. This tournament begins with Districts, which takes place in the city, usually around the July 4th weekend (Softball teams typically play the week before). If a team wins, they go to Sectionals in mid-July. If they advance further, the next week is States, and beyond that is Regionals. If we win Regionals, we go to the World Series, which is in mid-August.

Last year our 11U and 14U teams won districts, but did not advance past sectionals.

The teams may continue to practice and play local teams throughout the summer.

Winter Baseball, Softball, and Basketball Clinics
From the end of September to the end of January, we run clinics for Baseball, Softball, and Basketball. These clinics take place indoors and are a chance for kids ages 6–16 (girls up to 18) to work on skills in the areas of fielding and hitting (for baseball and softball) and passing and shooting (for basketball). And in all clinics our coaches, through drills, work with kids on athletic footwork, defensive positioning, visualization, timing, attitude, readiness and teamwork.