Youth Baseball

Rookie Ball (Born between 9/1/17-8/31/19): 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 (Born between 9/1/16-8/31/19): This is our Tee-Ball league! All balls are hit off tees with no live pitching from coaches or players. This program includes one practice and one game per week.

Coach Pitch (Born between 9/1/15-8/31/18): This is our Coach-Pitch league! Coaches pitch to players, with no live pitching from participants. This program includes one practice and one game per week, with 2 weeks that have 2 games and no practices.

A Baseball (Born between 9/1/13-8/31/16): 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.

AA Baseball (Born between 9/1/12-8/31/15): 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.

AAA Baseball (Born between 9/1/11-8/31/14): 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.

Majors Baseball (Born between 9/1/10-8/31/13): 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 (the later divisions for 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.

TEE BALL & COACH PITCH

• Evenly skilled teams are put together by the ZLL Board based on coaches ratings from the prior year and/or the ratings parents give their child during the registration process
• We allow players 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 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 Formation Practices:

• Date: Sat, Mar 4 (times communicated in mid-Feb)
• Team Placements: Communicated by Sat, Mar 25
• Purpose is to evaluate current skill levels of participants in order to help form evenly skilled teams
• Players will participate in a series of drills while being evaluated by coaches and ZLL board members

Team Formation Process:

• A "Team Formation Practice" on Sat, Mar 4 will be used to evaluate current skill levels of participants in order to form evenly skilled teams. Players will participate in a series of drills while being evaluated by coaches and ZLL board members
• After the "Team Formation Practice", coaches complete a “draft” to form evenly skilled teams
• Because coaches pick the player that are on 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
• Parents will be notified of the team their child is on by Sat, Mar 25

Tee Ball & Coach Pitch:

• Team Placements: Communicated by Apr 1
• 2 events p/week max (including practices and games)
• Practices: Apr 10-Mid June
• Games: Sat | Late Apr-Mid June
• Schedules: Will be released closer to the season
• ZLL Practice and Game Guidelines for Each Division

A, AA, AAA & Majors:

• Team Placements: Communicated by Mar 25
• 3 events p/week max (including practices and games)
• Practices: Mar 27-Mid June
• Games: Late Apr-Mid June
• Schedules: Will be released closer to the season
• ZLL Practice and Game Guidelines for Each Division

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-Stars: 

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. 

Players interested in All-Stars can find more information on the Zeeland Little League website HERE

Zeeland Little League relies on volunteers to coach each team. Our goal is to have at least two coaches per team. We provide training and resources to help, and experience is not required.

Sign Up to Coach Here

A vital part of the playing experience in Little League is the officiating. We are always looking for umpires to help work games in the Spring, and our umps are paid appropriately.

Sign Up to Ump Here

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.

Click here for more information on ZLL RULES

Click here for more information on the Little League International Rules (includes link to download the Little League Rule Book)