PIEDMONT PROGRAMS
Baseball & Softball for Ages 5-18    
CAL RIPKEN DIVISION (5-12)
T-Ball (5-6)
Our program is designed to be both instructional and fun. Its objectives are to teach fundamental baseball skills and promote good sportsmanship and fair play. Below is a list of skill goals for beginning players. These skills may take several years for young players to master, and some are best taught one-on-one with parents in the back yard. Through practice and encouragement, you can help your child play to the best of his or her ability.
Sportsmanship Strategy Throwing Basic Fielding
  • do your best
  • encourage others
  • no mean playing
  • don't argue
  • positive bench behavior
  • concentrate
  • know situation
  • advance thinking
  • throw to pitcher?
  • throw to first base?
  • throw to other bases?
  • hit cutoff man?
  • when not to throw
  • take time to get set
  • proper grip
  • look at target
  • step with glove foot
  • full arm motion
  • release & follow through
  • pay attention
  • know situation
  • ready position
  • glove open
  • move in front of ball
  • glove up or down
  • use two hands
  • pull ball into body
  • hop, step, throw
Ground Ball Fly Ball Base Running Batting
  • judge direction
  • move sideways
  • stay low in front of ball
  • bare hand behind glove
  • watch ball into glove
  • use two hands
  • control the ball
  • pull ball into body
  • hop, step, and throw
  • judge direction
  • move under ball
  • glove open and held high
  • watch ball into glove
  • use two hands
  • get set and throw
  • aggressive base running
  • run straight on baselines
  • run through first base
  • obey coaches' instructions
  • touch all bases
  • don't pass other runners
  • proper stance
  • feet aligned
  • weight on back foot
  • bat back & ready
  • full swing and shift weight
  • arms fully extended
  • head in
  • swing hard
 

What Team Will We Be On?

Teams are formed by geographic area and every effort is made to have children from nearby neighborhoods play together. Your team manager will call you with a team assignment in mid-March.

What’s the Season Calendar?

Practice will begin the last week of March. Games will begin in mid - April. Each team plays two games per week – one weeknight at 6:00 and one Saturday game. The season is scheduled to end in mid June. Your team’s manager will give you a detailed schedule at the first practice.

What Equipment Do T-Ball Players Need?

Kids don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to play T-Ball. The league provides bats, helmets, and other field equipment. Players should have a baseball glove of appropriate size (not too big) and a pair of sneakers. Long pants are recommended even on hot days because infields can be pretty gritty when kids slide or fall. The league furnishes team hats and shirts, which should be worn to every game.

What Can Parents Do?

Piedmont is an all-volunteer league. We require parents to staff our concession stand (which contributes a significant portion of the league’s income), and we urge parents to act as sponsors, managers, coaches, team parents, umpires, groundskeepers, etc.  Talk to your team’s manager about what you can do to help make our program work.

Farm League (7-8)
All 7 & 8 year-olds are encouraged to participate in Farm League, where coaches pitch to their own team and kids learn to play a more strategic game. The emphasis is on instruction and fun, but unlike T-Ball, we will keep score, track standings, and hold a post-season tournament. 
Click here for more detailed league rules

 American League (9-10) – East/West
In American League, kids will learn and play baseball with most of the regular rules. Players pitch to one another, batting is continuous and limited stolen bases are allowed in this more competitive environment. Teams are formed with the primary objective of creating parity across all teams while trying to maintain geographic neighborhoods. The team selection is done without a draft.
Click here for more detailed league rules

 National League (10-12) – East/Central/West
National League is a competitive league where play essentially follows Babe Ruth Tournament rules. National League will include all 11 & 12YO players. Highly skilled 10YO’s are also invited to try out. Starting in 2007, the National League is comprised of three divisions - East, Central and West. Teams in each division will be formed by draft. All 12 YO’s must attend a tryout to be eligible for an East division team. 11 YO’s must tryout to be eligible for an East or Central division team. 10YO’s must attend a tryout to be chosen on a West division team. Tryouts will be held on Saturday mornings, February 16 and 23. (10:00 – noon) National League managers are selected by the Piedmont Board prior to tryouts. Interested managers should get the form from the website and mail it in before Feb. 1.
Click here for more detailed league rules

BABE RUTH DIVISION (13-18)
Senior (13-15 YO)
The 13-15 Senior league is comprised of 2 divisions; Gold and Green. The Gold division is a drafted league and will be comprised of the highest skilled players. The Gold division will be considered a competitive league. The Green division will be a less competitive league and will be comprised of all players not selected for the Gold Division. Players interested in playing in the Gold division will be required to participate in a tryout.

 Big League (16-18 YO)
The Big League season starts in June and plays games against other Babe Ruth leagues in Delaware and Northern Maryland. The level of play is very competitive in this league and this is a great way for high school players to play more baseball locally. There are no boundary requirements for this league.

Click here for more detailed League Rules

 GIRLS SOFTBALL LEAGUE (8U-14U)

With two dedicated softball fields, Piedmont has expanded it's commitment to girls softball over the years.  We have grown the league in numbers and continue to provide excellent coaching for the girls to further their softball skills. Our 8U & 10U divisions play in-house, and various games with the Elsmere Softball League. The 12U & 14U divisions will play in-house and the competitive Bear Softball League. There are expanded boundaries for softball – players may come from locations beyond the Piedmont baseball boundaries. Our divisions: (8& under),
(10 & under), (12& under), and (14 & under) For further information, please contact the softball commissioner Matthew T. Degli Obizzi at 302-239-4407 or email matthewtdegli@gmail.com

Click on the links below for more detailed information

Softball Safety Minor Division Goals Senior Division Rules Minor Division Rules FAQ Organization
           

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