St. Marys National Little League

Welcome to the St. Marys National Little League

What is Little League?
How does a player get on a team?
What are the Little League eligibility rules?
What are the Pony League eligibility rules?
What are the Minor League and Lob-Tee Ball eligibility rules?
How much does it cost?
What are parents' responsibilities?

What is Little League?
Little League is the world's largest youth sports program, with over 2,700,000 young people annually participating worldwide. Locally, the St. Marys National Little League organizes four divisions of baseball; Lob/Tee Ball, Minor League, Little League and Pony League, serving approximately 400 St. Marys boys and girls from 7 through 14 years of age. The St. Marys National Little League is a youth service organization, dedicated to promoting teamwork and sportsmanship, staffed by over 100 adult volunteers representing an enormous yearly investment of time and ability. Twenty-eight local businesses and civic groups sponsor teams, and the City of St. Marys provides the ball fields and prepares them for the games. Little League Baseball is truly a community program here. (Top of page.)

How does a player get on a team?
Every Player must be registered with the League. All Players are required to register each year. At the end of the season each Player will receive a Registration Form to complete for the following year. A Registration Form link is available to the left for downloading, completion and signing the form for mailing to the SMNLL PO Box. Registration sessions are held in the McBroom school cafeteria on several seekend dates in January and February each year. Both parents (or legal guardians) must sign the Registration form. (Top of page.)

Little League.
Registered Players who will be age 11 or 12 before August 1 the same year of the season are eligible to try out for Little League. To be drafted onto a Little League team the Player must attend Tryouts, which will be held on the Youth Diamonds at K.C. Geiger Park from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on a Tuesday during the first half of April. All Players attending Tryouts will be drafted: NO CUTS. Once a Player makes a Little League team, that Player remains on the same team from year to year, until ineligible. (Top of page.)

Pony League.
Registered Players who are too old to qualify for Little League but do not turn 15 before June 1 the same year of the season are eligible to play Pony League baseball. To be drafted onto a Pony League team the Player must attend Tryouts, which will be held on Diamond #8 at K.C. Geiger Park at 1:00 p.m. on a Saturday during the first half of April. Once a Player is drafted onto a Pony League team, that Player remains on the same team from year to year, until ineligible. Each eligible Player attending Pony League Tryouts will be assigned to a team: NO CUTS. (Top of page.)

Lob/Tee Ball and Minor League.
All registered Players who are eligible to play Lob/Tee Ball (age 7 or 8 before August 1 the same year of the season) or Minor League Baseball (age 9 or 10 before August 1 the same year of the season) will be assigned to a team. There are no tryouts or cuts for those two Leagues. (Top of page.)

What does it cost?
St. Marys National Little League Players will each spend an average of fifty hours in supervised practices and games this summer. This participation is not free, but it's close. To help finance the League, Pony League Players are required to pay a Player's Fee of $40.00, all other Players are required to pay a Player's Fee of $30.00. (Player's Fees must be paid during Registration.) In addition, Little League and Pony League Players are required to provide, and wear in games, their own grey baseball pants as sold locally at Albert Sporting Goods and Sports 'N More. Players are expected to provide their own baseball gloves. All other equipment, game jerseys and hats are provided by the League. (Top of page.)

Parents take note:
Parents are responsible for their child's punctual transportation to and from practices and games. In addition to the Registration Form, an annual liability waiver must be signed by every Pony League Player's parents. St. Marys National Little League requires a copy of each Little League and Pony League Player's County Health Dept. Birth Certificate. Parents agree to maintain, and return to the League upon request, any uniforms or equipment issued to their child in as good condition as issued, excepting normal wear and tear. (Top of page.)

Questions?
The team Manager can answer any question you may have. You can also contact any member of the Board of Directors, which is the governing body of St. Marys National Little League. (Top of page.)