About the 2007 Season of HLL

Hinsdale Little League (HLL) is open to all residents of Hinsdale, Illinois aged 5-14 as of May 1, 2007.  5YOs wishing to play in HLL must be registered for kindergarten at the time of registration. All HLL players will be asked to provide proof of age prior to playing or practicing.  5YOs must provide proof of enrollment in kindergarten prior to being placed on a team (e.g., a letter from the kindergarten). 

In 2007 HLL will be composed of the following leagues with placement determined strictly by the age of the Player as of the Little League Baseball cutoff date of May 1st:

6YO League: Open to children aged 5 or 6 before May 1, 2007, the 6YO league stresses fun and sportsmanship and all practices and "games" take place at Robbins Park in Hinsdale.  To be eligible, 5YO players must also be in kindergarten at the time of registration (proof of enrollment will be required).  The 6YO league is a "coach pitch" league using soft balls.  Players, parents, and coaches attend pre-season skills sessions where professional baseball instructors teach everyone some good ways to learn the game of baseball.  While there are "games" there is no score kept and very few rules.  Parents in the 6YO are allowed to form their own teams of 10-15 players and submit them to HLL.  Feel free to pull together your roster and submit it to Doug Kramer at doug.kramer.icic@statefarm.com.  All coaches must be approved by HLL.

7YO League:  In this "machine pitch" league the emphasis is on fun and sportsmanship.  The rules promote throwing, running and fielding and discourage aggressive competition.  Although the pitcher is simply an extra infielder, there is a 42' mound and the bases are 60'.  Pitching machines provide consistent, reliable pitches with soft balls to help batters hone their stroke.  There is no stealing of bases.  Coaches and managers are appointed by HLL and teams are chosen in the March 10th draft.  Practices take place wherever scheduled by the coaches and all games are played at Peirce Park in Hinsdale.

8YO League:  In the 8YO league Players are introduced to batting against live pitching.  The mound is 42' and the bases are 60'.  Limits are placed on the number of batters / inning and there are other rules designed to encourage player development and fun.  For the safety of Players' arms, strict rules related to pitching are enforced.  Coaches and managers are appointed by HLL and teams are chosen in the March 10th draft.  Practices take place wherever scheduled by the coaches and all games are played at Peirce Park in Hinsdale.

9YO League: Players in this league now move up to the full size Little League baseball fields with 46' mounds and 60' bases.  Still the emphasis is on fun and sportsmanship.  Limited stealing is allowed.  For the safety of Players' arms, strict rules related to pitching are enforced.  Coaches and managers are appointed by HLL and teams are chosen in the March 10th draft.  Practices take place wherever scheduled by the coaches and all games are played at Peirce Park in Hinsdale.

Minors:  Consisting of all 10YOs and most 11YOs, the Minors is the largest league in HLL.  Unlimited stealing is allowed and the level of play is relatively high.  But the emphasis is always on fun and sportsmanship.  For the safety of Players' arms, strict rules related to pitching are enforced.  Coaches and managers are appointed by HLL and teams are chosen in the March 10th draft.  Practices take place wherever scheduled by the coaches and all games are played at Peirce Park in Hinsdale.

Majors:  Consisting of ten teams of eleven players, the Majors is highest level of baseball still played at Little League dimensions (46' mounds and 60' bases).  Majors is composed of all 12YOs and enough 11YO's to fill out the teams.  All 11YOs playing in the Majors are chosen by draft of the coaches from the entire pool of available 11YOs.  Unlimited stealing is allowed and the level of play is high.  However, guess what - the emphasis is on fun and sportsmanship!  Coaches and managers are appointed by HLL and teams are chosen in the March 1st Majors draft.  Practices take place wherever scheduled by the coaches and all games are played at Peirce Park in Hinsdale.

Junior League: The JRL is open to all Players aged 13 or 14 on May 1st.  JRL teams are chosen in a draft and then compete against JRL teams from Hinsdale and surrounding communities (e.g., Western Springs, Clarendon Hills, and Burr Ridge).  Players get a taste of the big fields (60'6" mounds and 90' bases) and play by Major League rules (e.g., leadoffs are allowed and balks are called).