Colonie Little League

Colonie Little League Levels of Play

Colonie Little League is divided into divisions based on your child's age. However, when necessary, your child's ability is also taken into account. Please contact the Colonie Little League Players Agent if you have questions about the appropriate division for your child.

Tee Ball	Age 4-5	Kids who turn 4 during May, June or July are eligible.	Players will learn the fundamentals of hitting, fielding and teamwork.
Junior Pee Wee	Age 6-7	Age 5 or 8 possible, based on ability	Players will learn to hit a coach pitched baseball and learn to make defensive outs on the bases.
Pee Wee	Age 8-9	Age 7 possible, based on ability	Players will learn the fundamentals of pitching, hitting a ball pitched by a peer, and begin learning more of the essential rules of baseball.
International	Age 9-11		Players will expand their knowledge of baseball and apply their skills to fielding situations while hitting exclusively off other players and begin to steal bases.
Majors	Age 10-12	Eligibility based on Majors Try Out	The field expands to 70 ft base path and 50 ft pitching mound. This provides players with a transition between previously used Little League field size and the Junior/Senior field size seen in High School baseball. Leading can now occur and the drop third strike rule now applies.
Challengers	Age 5-18	Requests can be made for individuals older than 18.	Children with disabilities that keep them from participating in other Little League Programs with have the opportunity to participate in baseball activities. Buddies help support kids on the field. More information about Colonie Little League Challenger's Program is available here.

Determine your child's Little League Age using the Little League Age Calculator here.

*** Looking for more baseball? A competition level of play is available through our Travel and All Stars Programs. ***

What to Expect Each Season

Spring Season (April - June)

Spring Season runs from approximately the second week of April to the second to last week of June.
Players should expect to have one game during the week in the evening and one game on Saturday.
Games are limited to about 1 hour and 45 minutes, or 6 innings, whichever comes first.
Families are expected to work the concession stand at least one time during their child's game.
T-Ball is the only exception: normal games are 3 innings (about 30-45 minutes per game) and families do not need to volunteer at the concession for a T-Ball player.

Fall Season (August - October)

In the Fall, Colonie Little League offers a Coach Pitch (ages 5, 6, 7) and a Hybrid Kid / Coach Pitch (ages 7, 8, 9).
Fall Season runs from the middle of August to October.
Players should expect to have a game Sunday mornings and Wednesday evening until Labor Day. After Labor Day, games are only scheduled for Sunday mornings.
Depending on the coach, there may also be one practice during the week.
Games are limited to about 1 hour and 45 minutes, or 6 innings, whichever comes first.

Rules by Level

Fields at Colonie Little League

Travel Baseball

Welcome to Colonie Travel Baseball

1. What is travel baseball? Colonie Baseball offers Cal Ripken travel teams for ages 7-12. Our teams compete in CD Elite, ENYTB (Eastern NY Travel Baseball) against other local teams and other Spring/ Summer Tournaments.

2. How far do you travel? Typically, our teams travel around the capital region, within an hour of our fields. Teams can choose to travel further for games or tournaments, but this usually occurs at the older levels.

3. When is the travel season? Colonie Travel starts with tryouts in August and runs from September through July and includes a shortened fall ball, winter workouts, spring ball and spring/summer tournaments.

4. Do travel players have to play rec? All Colonie travel players are required to play Colonie Rec baseball. This is to ensure the strength of our community program, as well as to give players the opportunity to play with different ages and abilities in a less stressful environment.
            - Players are encouraged to attend all rec games and if too many are missed it may affect the players eligibility to continue playing travel.

5. How many teams do we have? We at Colonie strives to field two teams at every age 7-12. Realistically, this is reliant on interest. If possible, we will field a third team at any age, or if necessary, we may only field one.
            - Player age is based on the Cal Ripken rules and age chart. *See Age Chart Below
            - Each age will have Gold (A), Garnet (B), and when applicable White (C) team built considering players skill. Each team will play appropriate competition for their skill level.
            - Our goal is to offer as many opportunities to play as possible. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that all players who are interested will make a team. This is limited by the number of players on a team as well as the volunteers available to manage and coach teams.
            - Generally, teams will consist of 12 players. It is at the manager’s discretion to carry 11 or more. In some cases, teams may only have 10 (which will be approved by the Travel Board).

6. How are teams picked? Players are evaluated by three basic methods, travel team play, rec team play, and evaluation day performance.
            - Depending on the age of the player, and their experience in the program, the various methods are weighted differently.
            - We allow team managers the opportunity to choose their teams based on the criteria given. The Travel Coordinator and board (other than their own when applicable) and are available as independent advisors to managers during the process.
            # Who needs to attend 7U evaluation day? All interested players must attend. Failure to attend could exclude a player from the opportunity to play. Reasonable opportunities to make missed evaluations could be considered.
            # Who needs to attend 8U, 9U and 10U evaluation day? All interested players, failure to attend could exclude a player from the opportunity to play. Reasonable opportunities to make up missed evaluations will be considered.
            # Who needs to attend 11U and 12U evaluation day? All interested players except returning 11 Gold (12U) which will be confirmed by their manager prior to evaluation.
            - These players are not required, unless requested, due to their length of time in the program and experience with their coaches.
            - Managers at each age are also in communication with each other regarding player development and skill. Colonie Gold managers are aware of potential players who may be in position to move up and communicate often with Colonie Garnet managers to review and discuss player performance.
            - Gold players could be moved down if their performance no longer meets the level of their team’s or if a player not currently on the team has surpassed them in ability. Team managers will discuss this possibility with any player in this position.
            - All interested players other than those excluded above must attend. Failure to attend could exclude a player from the opportunity to play. Reasonable opportunities to make up missed evaluations will be considered.

7. What happens on evaluation day? Evaluations test fundamental baseball skills including fielding (outfield and infield), hitting and pitching.
            - Players move through each skill and are evaluated by independent coaches not associated with their age group.
            - Players are rated on a scale of 0-10, and when necessary additional notes are added.
            - Evaluation sheets are collected by the Travel Coordinator, calculated, and given to the appropriate managers for review.
            - Evaluations are not available for review by parents or players and are only one part of the overall evaluation of a player.

8. Can my player "play up"? While it occasionally happens in the younger divisions of our rec league, playing up in the travel program is rare. For a player to be considered eligible to play up they must show considerable skill above all other players in the age group. This decision would be made by the Managers/ Travel Board and vetted through parent/guardians prior to official rosters being made.