How do I contact the league?

You can contact us by mail: 

Holden Baseball Program, Inc.
P.O. Box 117
Holden, MA 01520

By Email: [email protected]

Or follow us on Facebook: Holden Baseball 

How do I volunteer?

We appreciate your interest in volunteering for Holden Little League.  ALL volunteers (coaches, field crew, board of directors, concessions, and all other) must complete the following steps to be considered as a volunteer.

1. If you haven’t already done so, create an account for yourself on the Holden Little League website.  Click here to create your account.
2. When logged in to your account, register yourself as volunteer by clicking VOLUNTEER on the left side of the screen. Click here to register as a volunteer.
3. Shortly after you register, you will receive an email from HOLDEN LITTLE LEAGUE [email protected] entitled Little league background questionnaire with a link to complete this national background check administered by JD Palatine.
4. You will also need to pass the MA iCori state background check.  Click here to complete an eForm that will initiate you MA iCori state background check. 
5. You also need to complete a Safe Sport abuse awareness training.  Click here to complete USA Baseball’s BASE Abuse Awareness Training.  Once completed, please send your certificate of completion to the coachingcoordinator@holdenbaseballsoftball.com

You MUST repeat the process for each season you choose to volunteer.

How does Holden Baseball decide on player placement for the levels of play?

Holden Baseball takes into consideration several important factors in the player placement process, including:

• The ongoing modifications to player age rules made by Little League Baseball, Inc.
• Constructive feedback from Holden families who have players in the league
• Current player school grade considerations 
• Effective player development that allows for enjoyment of the game at each level
• Player tryout scores at Holden Baseball tryouts
• Coach evaluation scores of all players from the prior baseball season

It is important to understand the age cutoff guidelines set by Little League Baseball: all players from T-Ball through Sr Little League follow an August 31st age cutoff to determine their "Little League Age". For example, a player registered for Spring baseball who is currently 8 years old, but will turn 9 on August 3rd of 2024, would be considered "LL-9". A player who is currently 8 years old, but will turn 9 on September 20th of 2024, would be considered "LL-8".

This LL age is determined by Little League Baseball based on birthdate. There is no gray area. Holden Baseball does not have the ability to change a player's LL age based on any other factors.

What levels of play are offered for baseball, and when are games played?

For the 2024 season, Holden Baseball offers the following levels of play. Please note that some younger levels have been consolidated, after careful consideration, in an attempt to provide the best playing experience for all players:

• LL Sandlot
  • T-Ball level for players who will be 4 or 5 by no later than August 31, 2024
  • Parents can opt-in to this level for beginners who will be 6 by no later than August 31, 2024
    
• LL Rookie
  • Coach pitch / kid pitch level for players who will be 6, 7 or 8 years old by no later than August 31, 2024
  • Parents can opt-in to this level for beginners who will be 8 years old by no later than August 31, 2024 
  • This level may be assigned for developmental purposes to some players who will be 8 years old by no later than August 31, 2024
  • The Rookie season starts with coach pitch, and the coaches will move towards kid pitch as the players continue to develop their fundamentals.

The two levels shown above (LL Sandlot and Rookie) play a 10-12 game season starting in early May, with games on weekends and one weeknight practice per week. 

• LL-Farm 
  • Competitive baseball level with umpires and scorekeeping
  • Tryout is required
  • Consists of LL-8, LL-9, and LL-10 players
  • LL-7 players will be eligible with advanced tryout score and coach evaluation/recommendation, tryout for LL-7 is mandatory for LL-Farm consideration
  • All players who are LL-10 will automatically be assigned to the LL-Farm level (or higher)
  • All players who are in 4th grade in school will automatically be assigned to the LL-Farm level (or higher)   
• LL-Minors
  • Competitive baseball level with umpires and scorekeeping
  • Tryout is required
  • Consists of LL-9, LL-10, and LL-11 players
  • LL-8 players will be eligible with advanced tryout score and coach evaluation/recommendation, tryout for LL-8 is mandatory for LL-Minors consideration. Also, if a player makes LL-Minors at LL-8, they will repeat LL-Minors at LL-9.
  • All players who are LL-11 will automatically be assigned to the LL-Minors level (or higher)
  • All players who are in 5th grade in school will automatically be assigned to the LL-Minors level (or higher)    
• LL-Majors
  • Competitive baseball level with umpires and scorekeeping
  • Tryout is required for any player not already on a Spring LL-Majors roster
  • Consists of LL-10, LL-11, and LL-12 players
  • LL-10 parents can opt out of consideration for this level if they prefer that their child play LL-Minors 
  • All players who are LL-12 will automatically be assigned to the LL-Majors level
  • All players who are in 6th grade in school will automatically be assigned to the LL-Majors level

The three levels shown above (LL-Farm through LL-Majors) play a 10 to 14 game season (depending on level and team count) starting in late April, plus playoffs in June. The teams can play games on weeknights and weekends, and have one practice slot per week. These levels have game scores, umpires, team standings, etc.

• LL-Intermediate Level: is for players who will be 13 by no later than August 31, 2024. This level is played according to LL 50/70 Intermediate rules, and the field size is larger than the LL field, but smaller than a regulation sized MLB field. This level will require some travel to local towns due field availability and towns in competition. This level will field Holden team(s) that play against similar teams from other towns in MA.
• LL-Junior Level: is for players who will be 13 or 14 by no later than August 31, 2024. LL-Junior is played on a regulation diamond with 60'-6" mound and 90 foot bases. This level will require some travel to local towns due field availability and towns in competition. This level will field Holden team(s) that play against similar teams from other towns in MA.
• LL-Senior Level: is for players who will be 14, 15, or 16 by no later than August 31, 2024. LL-Senior is played on a regulation diamond with 60'-6" mound and 90 foot bases. This level will require some travel to local towns due field availability and towns in competition. This level will field Holden team(s) that play against similar teams from other towns in MA.
• Sr. Babe Ruth Level: is for players who will be 16-19 (birthdates between 01/01/2005 and 12/31/2008). Senior Babe Ruth is played on a regulation diamond with 60'-6" mound and 90 foot bases. This level will require some travel to local towns due field availability and towns in competition. This level will field a Holden team that plays against similar teams from other towns in MA.

What levels of play are offered for softball, and when are games played?

Below are the levels for softball in Spring 2024, and anticipated days of gameplay. Please note that days of games are always tentative until we have field information. Also, LL softball ages are determined via year born and do not use an 08/31 cutoff. For the 2024 season, girls born in the years 2007 (LL-16) through 2019 (LL-4) are eligible.

• LL4-5 Sandlot
  • tee ball
  • 1-2 games per weekend
  • 10 total games
• LL6-8 Pony 
  • coach pitch with progression to implementing kid pitch thru course of the year
  • weekends only, 1-2 games per weekend
  • 12 games total
  • first year 6 year olds would have option to do sandlot tball first
  • first year 8 year olds must complete this level before moving onto minors unless tryouts prove otherwise
• LL8-10 Minors
  • kid pitch
  • Tuesday and Thursday games, 1-2 games per week 
  • 12 games total
  • first year 10 year olds must complete minors level before playing majors unless tryouts prove otherwise
• LL10-12 Majors
  • Monday, Wednesday and Friday games, 2 games per week 
  • 12-14 games total
  • first year 10 year olds must complete minors before playing majors unless tryout proves otherwise
• LL13-16 Seniors
  • Games TBD, will be combined with local league(s)

What equipment is required?

The league provides a jersey and hat. The only required equipment is a glove, and for boys looking to play the catcher position, a protective cup. As players move up through the league they will find that many players also have cleats*, baseball pants, and their own helmets and bats. 

*Per LL Baseball rules, for all levels 12YO (LL-Majors) and under, only rubber/plastic cleats are allowed. Metal cleats are permitted for LL-Intermediate, JrLL, and SrLL, which are 13-16YO levels.

Where can I find information on Legal Bats?

Please consult the Little League website to determine which bats are approved for Little League play. Holden Little League is obligated to obey the posted bat rules without exception. We cannot allow a player to use a bat from a previous season which is now deemed illegal.

http://www.littleleague.org/learn/equipment/baseballbatinfo/batrules.htm