Levels of Play

Tee Ball:
The Tee Ball Division is required for all league age five year old players. Teams are organized by league age and school attendance when possible. Due to the size and complexity of CCLL, requests for specific team placement are not available.

This is an instructional division where players hit off a tee rather than hit a pitched ball. Soft, Reduced Injury Factor (RIF) balls are used for safety. No scores are kept, every offensive player bats each inning regardless of outs and no player sits on defense. Players are taught the basic fundamentals of baseball such that they are exposed to playing positions and are taught throwing, catching, batting, defensive ready position and base running.

All players in this division receive participation trophies.
 

Rookie:
The Rookie division is intended to be a logical transition from tee ball to coach pitch play. It consists primarily of league age seven year old players. League age six players can participate provided they played one full year of tee ball in an approved Little League program. Teams are organized by league age and school attendance when possible. Due to the size and complexity of CCLL, requests for specific team placement are not available.
 
This is an instructional division where players hit "live" Reduced Injury Factor (RIF) balls pitched by their own coach from a short distance. No scores are kept, every offensive player bats each inning regardless of outs and no player sits on defense. Players are taught next step fundamentals of baseball such that they are exposed to playing positions and are taught throwing, catching, batting, defensive ready position and base running.

All players in this division receive participation trophies.
 

Minors - A:
The Minors-A Division consists primarily of league age eight year old players. Teams are organized by league age and school attendance when possible. Due to the size and complexity of CCLL, requests for specific team placement are not available. 

This is an instructional division where players hit regulation little league balls pitched by coaches during the first half of the season and players during the second half. Protective cups are required by all players during games and practices.

At this level, outs are recorded with three ending each half inning. The standard nine defensive positions are used (meaning players rotate sitting) but no scores are kept. Players are taught the fundamentals of baseball such that they are exposed to playing positions and are taught throwing, catching, batting, defensive ready position and base running.

All players in this division receive participation trophies.
 

Minors - AA:
The Minors-AA Division is the first “draft” level division consisting primarily of league age nine and ten year old players. League age eight players are allowed to try-out, however teams are limited to a maximum of two per team. This is also the first level where inter-league play (San Ramon Little League) is possible. All players are required to try-out and teams are formed through a manager draft process supervised by the Division Director and Player Agent.

Players pitch (inning restrictions apply) and all players in the line-up bat. The standard nine defensive positions are used and scores and standings are kept. Trained volunteer umpires enforce Little League Baseball and Local Board Adopted Rules. Players are taught advanced fundamentals of baseball such that they are exposed to pitching techniques, playing positions, defensive pre-pitch preparedness, live batting and aggressive base running.

A post-season tournament will determine the champion for the division. The top 2 teams will receive trophies.
 

Minors - AAA:
The Minors-AAA Division is a "draft" level division consisting primarily of league age ten and eleven year old players. Traditionally, a limited number of league age nine year old players are drafted as well. Inter-league play (San Ramon Little League) is probable. All players are required to try-out and teams are formed through a formal manager draft process supervised by the Division Director and Player Agent.

Players pitch (inning restrictions apply) and all players in the line-up bat. The standard nine baseball defensive positions are used and scores and standings are kept. Players are taught advanced fundamentals of baseball such that they are exposed to pitching techniques, playing positions, defensive pre-pitch preparedness, live batting and aggressive base running. Trained volunteer umpires enforce Little League Baseball and Local Board Adopted Rules.

A post-season tournament will determine the champion for the division. The top 2 teams will receive trophies. The winning team represents CCLL in the District 57 Tournament of Champions (TOC).
 

Majors:
The Majors Division is "draft" level and represents the first level of competitive play. It is generally oriented for experienced player’s league age eleven and twelve years old. League age ten players are allowed to try-out, however teams are limited to a maximum of two per team. Inter-league play (San Ramon Little League) is likely. All players are required to try-out and teams are formed through a formal manager draft process supervised by the Division Director and Player Agent.

Players pitch (inning restrictions apply) and all players in the line-up bat. The standard nine baseball defensive positions are used and scores and standings are kept. This level focuses on more advanced skill development. Pitching speeds are considerably faster (45-60mph) and balls are hit harder. Overall pace of the game is much faster as well with less walks. Trained volunteer umpires enforce Little League Baseball and Local Board Adopted Rules.

A post-season tournament will determine the champion for the division. The top 2 teams will receive trophies. The winning team represents CCLL in the District 57 Tournament of Champions (TOC).
 

After Majors, 13-year olds graduate from the 60-foot diamond and move up to Juniors, where they get to play "real baseball" with 14-year olds on either an 80 or 90 foot diamond. Teams are formed in combination with San Ramon Little League and games are played throughout District 57, with competition not only from other San Ramon teams, but also expanding to include all leagues in the Tri-Valley area.

 

Juniors Little League is for players of all skill levels. Many have the mis-conception that Juniors is more difficult and only for the more-skilled players. To the contrary, the Juniors program offers multiple levels of play – recreational, competitive, and travel ball – and most players ultimately discover that it is the most fun level of Little League! There are 3 levels of play in Juniors: Junior 80, Junior 90, and Junior GOLD.

 

The Junior 80 and Junior 90 programs offer a 20 to 25 game season, plus post-season playoffs, competing against teams throughout all of Little League District 57 – San Ramon, Danville, Dublin, Pleasanton, and Livermore. The Junior GOLD program offers a 40 to 50 game season with some traveling required, both throughout District 57 and beyond.