CRNAA Information        
  

Player Eligibility:
All the divisions listed below are open to players of either sex.  Players are eligible to play for CRNAA even if they are on a school team or play for anther non-Little League program, with pitching restrictions.

Players aged 5 through 15 must live within the geographic boundaries established by the Little League organization.  The only exception to this rule is for those players (or siblings of players) that were in our league before 2006.  Other players currently living outside our boundaries may qualify to play under certain conditions.  Please contact us if you have questions regarding eligibility.

Tee Ball – This division is for players age 5 and 6.  The batter hits off of a tee all season.  The batting order uses the entire team in the rotation with a limit of 9 batters per inning or three outs, which ever comes first.  The focus of this division is on learning and the score is not kept.  The game is played with an Incredaball, which is the same size and weight of a baseball, but it is softer to protect the child from injury.

Rookie  - This division is for 7-year-old players (and 6 year-olds that played one year of Tee ball and want to move up).  The batter’s coach does the pitching with the exception that if the child does not hit the ball after four swings, the tee is brought out.  The batting order uses the entire team in the rotation with a limit of 9 batters per inning or three outs, which ever comes first.  The score is not kept and they play with a RIF (Reduced Injury Factor) ball.

American - This division is for ages 8 and 9.  The players pitch for the entire year and the score is kept.  All players on the roster must play a minimum of three innings per game.  The league follows the official Little League rules with some local C.R.N.A.A. changes.  Players will be placed on teams through a Player Draft.  This division uses a normal hard ball and there is a playoff at the end of the season to determine the Division Champion.  All players age 8-12 must attend a MANDATORY SKILLS ASSESSMENT session prior to the start of the season.  Please check the website for dates and times.

National - This division is for ages 9, 10 and 11 year-olds.  All players on the roster must play a minimum of three innings per game.  The league follows the official Little League rules with some local C.R.N.A.A. changes.  Players will be placed on teams through a Player Draft.  This division uses a normal hard ball and there is a playoff at the end of the season to determine the Division Champion.  The option for a 12 year-old to play down is reserved for those players that truly cannot play in the Majors division.  The parent needs to get the governing board's approval for their 12 year-old child to play at this level.  They also are ineligible to pitch.  All players age 8-12 must attend a MANDATORY SKILLS ASSESSMENT prior to the start of the season.  Please check the website for dates and times.

Majors – This league is for 10, 11 and 12-year-old players.  The league follows the official Little League rules with some local C.R.N.A.A. changes.  Players will be placed on teams through a Player Draft.  This division uses a normal hard ball and there is a playoff at the end of the season to determine the Division Champion.  Those players aged 10 and 11 that are not placed in the Majors will play in the National Division.  The option for a 12-year-old to play in the National Division is reserved for those players that truly cannot play in the Majors division.  The parent needs to get the governing board's approval for their 12 year-old child to play at this level.  They also are ineligible to pitch.  All players age 8-12 must attend a MANDATORY SKILLS ASSESSMENT session prior to the start of the season.  Please check the website for dates and times. 

Babe Ruth – This division is for 13 to 15 year old players.  They play on a 90’ field instead of the 60’.  There is a playoff at the end of the year to determine the Division Champion.  A tryout for all new players in this division is usually scheduled for the beginning of March.  Please check the website for the date and time of the tryout.

Senior Babe Ruth – This division is for 16 to 19 year old players.  Generally, we have enough players for one team that travels throughout the district.  Occasionally, we do get enough players for two teams.  This division starts play in mid to late May and it continues through mid July.

Coaching:
The best time to get involved with coaching is at the Tee Ball level.  At this early stage, it is more important to understand children than to be an expert in baseball.  As the kids grow up, this does change somewhat.  Coaching is a very rewarding experience.

Age Requirements:
The Little League and Babe Ruth years run from May 1st to April 30th.  The division the child belongs in is determined by the child's age as of April 30th of each year.

Fields:
The league has use of four different sets of fields.  The five/six and seven-year-old leagues play at Goodnoe Elementary School or Newtown Elementary School, as well as Helen Randle Park.  The American Division plays on the middle at Chandler Field.  The National Division plays on the front and backfield at Chandler.  The Majors Division plays at the backfield at Chandler.  The Babe Ruth Division plays their games at Pickering Field, Newtown Middle School, and Helen Randle Park.  The Senior Babe Ruth home field will be at Helen Randle Park.

Regular Season:
Practice generally begins in mid March. Opening Day is currently scheduled to begin on April 5th.  Our regular season ends the first or second week of June, with playoffs to follow.

Tournament Teams:
There is a tournament team for every age from 7 through 15-year-olds.  The tournament teams consist of the league's best and most dedicated players.  Playing for a tournament team is a big commitment and vacations during the tournament season should be avoided.  The tournament season starts with practice right after the regular season and the games can continue into late July or early August.

The Little League sponsors district tournaments for the 10, 11, and 12-year old age groups.  Babe Ruth sponsors district tournaments for the 13, 14, and 15 year-old age groups.  There are invitational tournaments sponsored by many Baseball Associations for all age groups.  The champion team in a district tournament moves on to the next level tournament (i.e. Sectional or State) while an invitational tournament champion does not.

Parade:  
Every year there is a league parade.  It starts at Pickering Field in the Borough and proceeds through town to Chandler Field.  Our Parade Day for the 2008 Season is set for May 10th in conjunction with our annual Bat-a-thon®.

Board:
Function - The board consists of elected and appointed members that meet approximately 2 times per month to run the league.  They determine the age groups of the divisions, modify the playing rules, are responsible for the budget, approval of coaches, buy the equipment and uniforms, etc.

Organization - The board consists of a President, eight elected members, and appointed members.  Each elected board position is a three-year term and the President’s term is one year.  Only elected board members can vote on personnel issues and league restructuring.

Joining - Anyone interested in becoming a board member should contact C.R.N.A.A. President Tom Rogers or any other board member.

Volunteers:
The league is completely run by volunteers.  We request that every parent get involved in some kind of activity.

Umpires:
Children aged 12 years and older are eligible to be PAID umpires in the American and National divisions during the season.  There will be an Umpire Clinic before the season, which is required to help them get started.  The Babe Ruth and Majors divisions use paid professional umpires.

League Financing:
The money needed to run the league is raised by the following activities:

Bat-a-thon®
Player Registration Dues
Snack Shack revenues
Team Sponsors

Pictures:
A basic package that includes a team picture and an individual picture is included with the registration fee.  Picture day for the 2008 season is set for April 5th.

More Information:
The national Little League and Babe Ruth organization has more information available for the curious on the World Wide Web.  This information consists of league history, World Series dates and past winners, summer camps, district information, etc.  You can reach their Internet addresses by clicking on www.littleleague.org or www.baberuthleague.org.

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