So you think your kid might want to play tee-ball?

Our league, and tee-ball especially, is all about making friends and getting kids and families together as a community through baseball. So this may feel like an introduction to “organized sports” that seems like such a big kid thing, but really we’re out there “playing” and having fun. After coaching tee-ball for 3 years I can say that the kids who enjoy it the most are not necessarily the “athletes.” This can be a special time where “fun” really does rule the day and all skill levels are treated equally.

How does it work:

Gallinas Valley Little League is entirely run by parent and community member volunteers. That’s us! To make it work we need coaches, team parents and more.

• To play in Little League your child must be 4 years old by August 31, 2024 (league age) and live, OR go to school, in the 94903 zipcode.
• Kids who are "league age" 4 can choose to play in Intro to Tee Ball for 4 year olds only (see below) OR our standard Tee Ball division
• The ability to focus enough to be a part of an hour-long practice or game is probably the most important factor if you’re wondering if your child is ready. No 4-6 year old is going to be laser-focused, but they should be able to participate. 
• Girls and Boys play. Our league, and experience, is better when our whole community is involved. 
• It’s okay to be little! We like it when kids are always happy, but sometimes they’re not, and that’s okay. Kids cry, we console them, they play.

Time commitment

• Tee-Ball is a 2x a week activity. (See option below for 4yr olds)
• Practices typically begin in March and the season typically ends in June
• Games are on Saturdays and practices (1hr) are set during the week at a day and time set by the volunteer coaches on your team.

Making friends

• When you sign up you can request friends to be on the same team- we do our best to accommodate these requests. 
• We also try to group kids based on the kindergarten they’ll be going to (Lucas Valley, Vallecito, Mary Silveira, or others). My son had 6 kids from his little league team in his Kinder class - which was huge for him feeling comfortable making that big jump from pre-school to K.

Signing up

• Signups are open now.

Gear for Tee Ball (different than gear requirements for Intro to Tee Ball

• Kids are supplied a uniform and hat- they keep the hat and return the jersey
• League helmets are available, however more and more parents are choosing to purchase their own batting helmet for virus and lice transmission reasons
• Similarly team bats are available- many parents choose to own their own bat
• Kids need their own baseball mitt
• Baseball pants are strongly suggested ($10-$12) a sock/belts combo ($10) - they look amazingly cute. 
• Cleats are not needed but if you have some already, soccer cleats double as baseball cleats.

Intro to Tee-Ball (League Age 4 - child's age at 8/31/24)

Our pre-tee-ball division, Intro to Tee Ball makes baseball accessible to more kids and families and receive a tremendous response since we implemented it as an option 2 years ago. At 4 years old some kids are ready to be involved on a team and play games and some just need a little more time. In Intro to Tee Ball kids will start with wiffle ball off a tee, and may progress to playing with a real bat and ball. Kids will practice and play all in 1 hour on Saturday morning. There will be active parental participation (if safety guidelines allow) to help kids have fun. Have your child try this if you’re feeling that they’re just not ready for tee-ball but still want to play. Based on the number of kids participating and the skill level of the kids who are involved we may adjust the structure of play to best help the kids have fun and develop. This season starts in April, roughly 6 weeks after our standard tee ball division- and goes for roughly 8 weeks.

Volunteering

This league is entirely run by parent and community volunteers. That means that parents are our coaches, coach assistants, team parents and more. All of our kids rely on help from parents who are able to donate their time and effort. For coaching, baseball knowledge is great, but certainly not the most important thing at this age. Enthusiasm and the ability to facilitate a fun and supportive environment is even more important. If you’re even remotely thinking about getting involved, I encourage you to do so - it’s incredibly rewarding.

A note about our divisions: 

From ages 4-8years old there are 4 local little league divisions. There are additional divisions up to 16 years old.

1. Intro-to-Tee-Ball: 4 year olds only (age as of 8/31/24). A bite sized sampling for the littlest ones, we start with whiffle balls and go from there.
2. Tee- Ball 4,5,6-year-olds. Intro to baseball. Hit off a tee, everyone bats, nobody sits, no outs, no score. Just fun.
3. AA/Coach Pitch: Typically 6,7,8 yrs. Coaches pitch the ball to kids to hit. There are no strikeouts, everyone bats, no score, but we do introduce “outs”...and they do happen.
4. AAA - Machine/Kid Pitch: Typically 7,8,9 years. With the most 8-year-olds. Kids hit off a pitching machine that throws 35mph. At the end of the year, we may introduce kids pitching to kids. Kids can strikeout, outs are made, no score is kept.
   
    

Questions? Send them to league president John Baker! [email protected]