Baseball

Youth Baseball

Spring & Summer

ZEELAND Little League Baseball

Zeeland Little League is designed to teach the skills and concepts of baseball at a high level, while also emphasizing having fun and building character. Join us to make lifelong memories this Spring & Summer!

 League 

 Age 

 Dates   Late Cost  
 Rookie Ball (Coed)   4-5   Jul 9-30 (Tue)   $54r/$69nr 
 Rookie Ball (Coed)   4-5   Jul 11-Aug 1 (Tue)   $54r/$69nr 
 Tee Ball   4-6   Apr 8-Jun 8   $64r/$79nr 
 Coach Pitch   5-7   Apr 8-Jun 8   $64r/$79nr 
 Advanced Coach-Pitch (NEW)   6-8   Apr 8-Jun 8   $64r/$79nr 
 A League   7-9   Mar 25-Jun 15   $94r/$109nr 
 AA League   8-10   Mar 25-Jun 22   $94r/$109nr
 AAA League   9-11   Mar 25-Jun 22   $94r/$109nr
 Majors   10-12   Mar 25-Jun 29   $94r/$109nr 

Rookie Ball (4-5 Yr Olds): This coed program serves as the perfect intro to baseball and softball! It consists of one day a week of skill development for four weeks (Tue or Thur - select your date in the registration process). Each week will consist of skill development stations that parents and children rotate through together, with parents teaching the skills at each station along with guidance from Zeeland Rec staff on site. There will also be modified games played to build an understanding of the sport.

Tee League (4-6 Yr Olds): This is our Tee-Ball league! All balls are hit off tees. Live pitching from coaches is allowed to be introduced mid-season for those who are comfortable. Two practices per week (Mon-Fri) or one practice (Mon-Fri) and 1 game (Saturday) per week.

Coach Pitch (5-7 Yr Olds): This is our Coach-Pitch league! Coaches pitch to players, with no live pitching from players. This program includes one practice and one game per week, with 2 weeks that have 2 games and no practices.

NEW - Advanced Coach Pitch (6-8 Yr Olds): Similar to the Coach Pitch League, coaches pitch to players and there is no live pitching from players. The rules and gameplay at this level, however, are similar to the A Division (ex: inning changes after 3 outs, strikeouts are counted as outs, players hit in the same batting order throughout the game). This level prepares kids with the more traditional rules of baseball while they are not developmentally ready for player pitch. Two practices per week (Mon-Fri) or one practice (Mon-Fri) and one game (Saturday) per week or 2 games (Mon-Sat) per week.

A Baseball (7-9 Yr Olds): This is our Kid/Coach Pitch league! It’s designed to teach participants how to pitch and how to hit against live pitching from other participants. Batters will begin by facing an opposing pitcher, but coaches will step in to pitch if the batter is walked to ensure all hitters get the chance to improve their hitting skills. Stealing is not allowed. 2-3 total events per week including practices and games. Most practices and games are Mon-Fri, however some Saturday games are scheduled for all teams

AA Baseball (8-10 Yr Olds): This is a more advanced Kid-Pitch league that also introduces players to stealing while on base. The regular season ends with a postseason “Karl Elzinga Tournament” between all AA teams. This is also the first level where players are eligible to try out for Zeeland Little League All-Star Tournament Teams after the regular season ends. 2-3 total events per week including practices and games. Most practices and games are Mon-Fri, however some Saturday games are scheduled for all teams

AAA Baseball (9-11 Yr Olds): This league helps to prepare players for playing in the Majors division. The regular season ends with a postseason “Karl Elzinga Tournament” between all of the AAA teams. All players are eligible to try out for Zeeland Little League All-Star Teams after the regular season ends. 2-3 total events per week including practices and games. Most practices and games are Mon-Fri, however some Saturday games are scheduled for all teams

Majors Baseball (10-12 Yr Olds): This league is the division that the Little League World Series is associated with. This is the last division playing with 60 ft bases and 48 ft mounds (13 year olds+ have larger field dimensions). Teams in the Majors division also play in a postseason tournament at the end of the regular season. 2-3 total events per week including practices and games. Most practices and games are Mon-Fri, however some Saturday games are scheduled for all teams

Tee-Ball and Coach Pitch

Team Placements by ZLL Board

Tee-Ball and Coach Pitch teams are put together by the ZLL Board. We try to make the teams as evenly skilled as possible based on coaches ratings from the prior year (for those that played last season) and the ratings parents give their child during the registration process. This season, we are allowing players in Tee Ball and Coach Pitch to “Sign-Up with a Friend”. At registration, if two players have each others’ names in the “Sign-Up with a Friend” area, we will place them on the same team. We also attempt to put players from the same school on the same teams to increase the likelihood they are on a team with someone they know! All players will know their teams by Apr 1.

A, AA, AAA, Majors

Team Drafts

After Team Formation Practice, coaches from those leagues complete a “draft” to select players for their team. Because coaches pick their team, we cannot guarantee that your child will know someone on the team they are selected to. The best way to ensure your child is on a team with a friend is to sign up to coach so that you are part of the team selection process. If the player has a sibling that will be in the same division, we do ensure that they are placed on the same team. The draft process also ensures that teams are formed as evenly skilled as possible. Parents are notified of which team their child is placed shortly after the draft is complete. Parents will be notified of the team their child is on by Mar 25.

Practice and game schedules will be released at a later date. However, below are the guidelines and parameters for each division. 

  • Tee Ball: Two practices per week (Mon-Fri) or one practice (Mon-Fri) and 1 game (Saturday) per week
  • Coach Pitch: Two practices per week (Mon-Fri) or one practice (Mon-Fri) and one game (Saturday) per week or 2 games (Mon-Sat) per week
  • All Other Leagues: 2-3 total events per week including practices and games. Most practices and games are Mon-Fri, however some Saturday games are scheduled for all teams

Kaat Kids Day and the Gentex Games: Returning for the 2024 season, ZLL wants to recognize players that have had outstanding seasons. Every ZLL team will select players to take part in an exhibition All-Star Game in June consisting of only ZLL players within their same division. Baseball players play on Kaat Kids Day (June 1). More details will be shared in the Spring after teams are formed.

Postseason Opportunities: After the regular season ends in mid-late June, some leagues play in postseason tournaments that vary based on division. These tournaments involve playing additional games, in some cases against other local leagues, and can last up until the end of June. More details on postseason tournaments are determined after team selections.

All-Star Tournament Teams: After the completion of the regular season and postseason tournaments, an All-Star tournament takes place from the end of June-mid July. If a player is interested in playing on an All-Star team, families must complete an All-Star Commitment Form for the player to be eligible for selection. Anyone who submits the commitment form can try-out for an All-Star team. All-Star teams are then selected by appointed committees in early June. Team selections are based on multiple factors (try-out performance, regular season performance, team needs, etc.) as decided by the committee. More information on All-Stars will be released in the Spring.

Zeeland Little League follows the Little League International rules, which apply to all other Little Leagues. There are, however, some unique rules that ZLL has applied to some divisions in order to develop appropriate skills and keep the game fun.

More details on Rules will be posted as we transition from our previous website provider.

Zeeland Little League relies on volunteers to coach each team. As a coach, your child will be placed on your team (or multiple children - if they are playing in the same division). Our goal is to have at least two coaches per team. We provide training and resources to help, and experience is not required.

  • To sign up to coach in the 2024 season, please COMPLETE THIS FORM
  • If you want to coach more than one team, please complete a separate form for each team you want to coach.

 

Little League Baseball & Softball Umpires

12 Yr Olds-Adults

Zeeland Rec is looking for umpires for our Zeeland Little League Baseball and Softball programs! Both home plate and field umpires are needed. Umpire resource guides, equipment and training is provided. 

  • Sign Up to Ump: If you did not ump for ZLL in the 2023 season and wish to ump in the 2024 season, COMPLETE THIS FORM
  • Dates: April-July
  • Game Days: Monday-Saturday
  • Times: Mon-Fri games range from 5pm-8pm | Sat games range from 9am-1pm (games last around 2 hrs each)
  • Pay Rate: $25-$45 p/game (depending on age, certification, etc)
  • Qualifications: Knowledge of the game of baseball/softball (training will be provided upon hiring) | Love for kids | Dependable
  • Training: In-person training is required in April | Details TBD
  • Questions? Email our Little League President, Brandon LaRosa @ zllpresident@gmail.com

 

middle school baseball league

7th-8th Gr

Our Middle School Baseball League is designed to teach the skills and concepts of baseball at a high level, while also emphasizing having fun and building character. We participate in the Lakeshore Middle School Baseball League, which consists of teams from communities such as Allendale, Holland, Grand Haven, Hamilton, West Ottawa, etc. Evenly skilled teams will be formed, but will NOT be based on what middle school your child attends (combination of Cityside, Creekside, Zeeland Christian, Borculo Christian, charter school, homeschool, etc. on each team). Join us to make lifelong memories this Spring & Summer!

  • Sign Up to Coach Here
  • Sign Up to Ump Here
  • Team Formation: Teams will be formed to keep them as evenly skilled as possible, and will NOT be based on where the player attends school
  • League Rules: Rules for the 2024 season are being finalized and will be shared once completed
  • Practices: Mar 25-May 31 | Practices will be scheduled by Zeeland Little League from March 25 to April 12 and teams will have 2 practices per week. Coaches may schedule additional practices from April 15 to May 31 on their own as field space allows
  • Games: Apr 15-May 31 | The week of June 3 and 10 will be used for make-up games and a postseason tournament. Games are played on Monday, Wednesday, and/or Friday. Teams will be scheduled two games per week over those six weeks
  • Location: Legends Field + Zeeland Christian. Teams will also be required to travel to other local leagues such as Allendale, Holland, Hamilton, and Grand Haven. A list of field locations will be shared with teams when the game schedule is released.