Wilton Little League
Our objective: to implant in our players the ideals of good sportsmanship,
honesty, loyalty, courage and respect for authority,
so that they may be well adjusted, stronger and happier children and will grow to be good, decent, healthy and
trustworthy citizens.
Wilton Little League60 Years of Little League baseball in WiltonLittle League International (Williamsport, PA)
East Region (Bristol, CT)Connecticut District 1 (Lower Fairfield County)
An all-volunteer organizationBoard of DirectorsLeague Directors, Managers and CoachesBoostersParents
Wilton Little League2013 was an incredible year for Wilton Little League
Nearly 1,000 player seasons across spring, summer and fall baseball and softballDistrict 1 Finalists in all five District 1 Championships:
12s baseball District 1 Finalist11s baseball District 1 Champion10s baseball District 1 ChampionLL Softball District 1 Finalist10u Softball District 1 Finalist
What’s new for 2014Field renovation at YMCA50/70 programSpring Travel baseballEnhanced YMCA partnership60th anniversary celebration
Winter: Evaluations, Clinics & Planning
Spring:Player
Development
Summer: Competitio
n
Fall: Recreation
Wilton Little League runs year-round, with three on-field seasons and an off-season devoted to League planning and player development. In each season our focus is:
Winter:− Player evaluations− Clinics− Board planning
Spring – our developmental season, focus on baseball fundamentals
Summer – our competitive season, focus on Little League tournaments
Fall – our recreational season
Annual Calendar - Baseball
League Structure – Developmental Leagues (K, 1 & 2)Kindergarten: T-ball
Introduction to Wilton Little LeagueFocus on Fun…and begin baseball fundamentalsHitting, Throwing and Catching
First Grade: Coach PitchContinued development of fundamentalsBegin to hit a pitched ball
Second Grade: Machine PitchContinued development of fundamentalsBegin to develop strike zone awareness
* “Little League Age” means age as of April 30th
League Structure – Kid Pitch (3rd – 7th / 12 y.o.)AA (“Double A”)
3rd and 4th grade (ages 8-10)Introduction to pitchingFocus on core skill developmentHitting, Throwing, Pitching and CatchingLimited base-runningPlayoffs and Championship
AAA (“Triple-A”)4th, 5th and 6th grade (ages 9-11)Intermediate kid-pitch baseballFor players with a solid understanding of the gameIntermediate base-runningPlayoffs and Championship
Majors5th, 6th and 7th grade (ages 11 & 12)WLL’s highest level of spring baseballFor our most advanced and oldest playersFull “live” base-runningPlayoffs and Championship
* “Little League Age” means age as of April 30th
Winter: Evaluations, Clinics & Planning
Spring:Development
al/Competitive
season
Summer: Extended
district play
Fall: Recreation
Wilton Little League runs year-round, with three on-field seasons and an off-season devoted to League planning and player development. In each season our focus is:
Winter:− Player Evaluations− Clinics− Board planning
Spring – our developmental season, focus on softball fundamentals; competitive inter-town play for older leagues
Summer – extended competitive play for districts and beyond
Fall – our recreational season
Annual Calendar - Softball
League Structure – Softball age 5 through 14*Softball age uses calendar year calculation!
T-ballAges 5 and 6Introduction to Wilton Little LeagueFocus on Fun…and begin softball fundamentalsHitting, Throwing and Catchingadvance away from Tee use as season progresses
AA (“Double A”)Ages 7 and 8Introduction to pitchingUses 10 inch ballFocus on core skill developmentHitting, Throwing, Pitching and CatchingLimited base-runningAim for 20% inter-town play
AAA (“Triple-A”)Ages 9 - 10Kid pitch with boundariesIntermediate base-runningPlayoffs and ChampionshipUses 11 inch ballPitching from 35 feetMajority of play is inter-townSubmits a district team
MajorsAges 11 and 12For our more advanced and older playersPlay full Little League “book” rulesPlayoffs and ChampionshipMajority of play is inter-townPitching from 40 feetUses 12 inch ballSubmits a district team
JuniorsAges 13 and 14WLL’s highest level of spring softballFor our most advanced and oldest playersPlay full Little League “book” rulesFreshman that play high school team are eligible once school season endsPitching from 43 feetUses 12 inch ballMajority of play is inter-townSubmits a district team
Player Evaluation – Baseball & SoftballWhat we do, how we do it, and why…
Provide for the right pace of development of core baseball skills with proper league allocationEnable a fair team selection processEnd of spring-season evaluations prepared by each team manager
Beginning in 2nd grade (Machine Pitch) for BaseballBeginning with AA for SoftballCore baseball skills (hitting for contact and power, pitching, fielding and running)
January evaluations within each age/grade peer groupWilton High School FieldhouseAll players 3rd grade and older for BaseballCore baseball skills (hitting for contact and power, pitching, fielding and running)
Rigorous, data-driven and time-tested evaluation metrics and techniquesA sound process…NOT a crystal ball
OtherData is maintained by Wilton Little LeagueYear-over-year analysis utilized to provide better guidance each seasonContinuous process improvement
League & Team Allocation – BaseballGrade, Age, Experience and Social Considerations
League Grades
Little League Ages*
Grade? Age? Ability? Social?
T-ball K 5 & 6Coach Pitch 1st 6 & 7
Machine Pitch 2nd 7 & 8
AA 3rd – 4th 8 – 10
AAA 4th – 6th 9 – 11
Majors 5th - 7th 11 & 12
* “Little League Age” means age as of April 30th
Kid
Pitc
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De
velo
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tal
Team Selection, Baseball & SoftballDevelopmental Leagues – Teams assembled by League
Baseball: T-Ball, Coach Pitch and Machine PitchSoftball: T-Ball and AASocial considerations are primary focus
Parents often request teammates based on friendship, carpool convenience, practice days, etc.WLL honors all reasonable requests to the extent possible
Kid-pitch Leagues – Teams drafted by the ManagersBaseball: AA, AAA & MajorsSoftball: AAA, Majors & JuniorsManagers are provided a ranked, sorted list of players on draft night
Draft sheets are returned to WLL at end of draft, maintained by WLLManagers are given freedom to assemble teams as they see fit
Prioritization of skills on team (pitching vs. fielding vs. hitting) Drafting coaching assistants Social considerations
Goal is a balanced, competitive leagueFair draft process – all managers provided same informationNot always the same thing as balanced teams…sound process, not a crystal ball
Upcoming CalendarSoftball
Teams complete, Managers notifying playersBaseball Kid Pitch League drafts
Monday, March 17th - Wednesday, March 19th
Manager & Coaches Clinic and Safety MeetingSaturday, March 29th
10:00 am Clinic11:00 am Safety Meeting
Opening DayDevelopmental Leagues – Sunday April 6th
Miller-Driscoll Carnival Fri 4/4 – Sat 4/5Baseball
AA – Monday, March 31AAA & Majors – Tuesday, April 1
Softball – April 560th Anniversary of Wilton Little League
Wednesday, April 9th
Full slate of AAA & Majors Baseball games at the YMCA fields 5:30 – 9:00
Upcoming CalendarLittle League Day
Saturday, May 17th at the YMCAAn outdoor celebration of baseball in WiltonFood, music, prizes, raffles…and baseball
Picture DaySaturday, May 10th
PlayoffsPool Round: Saturday May 31st – Sunday June 8th
Semi-Finals: AA Monday June 9th; AAA & Majors Tuesday June 10th
Championship and Consolation games: AA Thursday June 11th; AAA & Majors Friday June 13th
Softball TBDSummer Tournaments
Player Voting Saturday June 7th
District Teams announced Sunday June 15th Summer Friendship Tournament team selection June 16th – 25th
FieldsComstock Community Center (180 School Road)
T-ball and/or Coach Pitch baseballMiller Field (Miller-Driscoll School, 336 Belden Hill Road)
T-ball baseballDriscoll Field(Miller-Driscoll School)
Coach Pitch baseballLion’s Field (725 Danbury Road)
Machine Pitch baseballMiddlebrook 1 and 2 (Middlebrook School, 25 School Road)
All softballMiddlebrook 3 (Middlebrook School, 25 School Road)
Double-A baseballClem Young Field (aka “AAA”; Wilton YMCA, 404 Danbury Road)
AAA baseballKid-pitch playoff semifinals and championship
Bill Terry Field (aka “Majors”; Wilton YMCA)Majors baseballKid-pitch playoff semifinals and championship
Parent ResourcesManager & Coaches
VolunteersSet the direction for the team
League DirectorWork with the managers and coaches on scheduling, umpires, etc.First point of contact for any manager or coach concerns
Player Agent and Board of DirectorsPlayer Agent – any parent question or concernBoard – available
Wilton Little League WebsiteTeam SchedulesSponsor highlightsBoard contact information
Board of Directors – Wilton Little LeagueBoard members and roles
Robert Louzan - President
CJ Belanger – VP softball, VP Baseball (interim)
David Johnson – Player Agent
Kerry McMahon – Treasurer
Kevin Tietjen – Secretary
David Liston – Information Officer
Eric English – Safety Officer
Mario Ferrante – Tournaments Coordinator
Tim Clark – Evaluations Coordinator
Jim Jarvie – Sponsorship Coordinator
Michael Cyr – Field Maintenance
Glenn Walsh – Purchasing & Equipment
Tim Roberts – Player Development
Jamie O’Neill – Boosters Coordinator
Softball Committee Members and rolesCJ Belanger – VP softball, District 1 rep
John D’Elisa– Player Agent
Jeff Imrie & Chris Stengrim – Player development
April Strazza– Secretary, Coach Development
Bob Belanger & Chris Kelly– Purchasing & Equipment
Patrick Cropper– Softball umpire coordination
Bob Wallace – WBSA liaison
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