Youth Baseball

Rookie Ball

4-5 Yr Olds

This coed program serves as the perfect intro to baseball and softball! It consists of one day a week of skill development for four weeks (Tue or Thur - select your date during the registration process). Each week will consist of skill development stations that parents and children rotate through together, with parents teaching the skills at each station along with guidance from Zeeland Rec staff on site. There will also be modified games played to build an understanding of the sport.

• Register Here
• Cost: $39r/$54nr
• Session 1: Tue | July 8-29 | 6:00pm-7:00pm
• Session 2: Thur | July 10-31 | 6:00pm-7:00pm
• Location: Jim Kaat Baseball Park

GAME SCHEDULES

Tee Ball

• Practices: Mar 31-June 6 | 2 practices (Mon-Fri) per week or 1 practice (Mon-Fri) and 1 game (Saturday) per week
• Team Placements: Released by Mar 24
• Games: Saturdays | Apr 26-June 7

Coach Pitch & Advanced Coach Pitch

• Practices: Mar 31-June 6 | 2 practices (Mon-Fri) per week or 1 practice (Mon-Fri) and 1 game (Saturday) per week or 2 games (Mon-Sat) per week. 
• Team Placements: Released by Mar 24
• Games: Saturdays | Apr 26-June 7

All Other Leagues

• Practices: Mar 24-June 21 |  2-3 total events per week including practices and games. Most practices and games are Monday-Friday, however some Saturday games are scheduled for all teams.
• Team Placements: Released by Mar 17
• Games: Saturdays | Apr 19-June 21

Kaat Kids Day and the Gentex Games: ZLL wants to recognize players that have had outstanding seasons. Every ZLL team will select players to take part in an exhibition All-Star Game in June consisting of only ZLL players within their same division. Baseball players play on Kaat Kids Day (May 31) and Softball players play in the Gentex Games (Weeknight, early June - TBD). More details will be shared in the Spring after teams are formed.

Postseason Opportunities: After the regular season ends in mid-late June, some leagues play in postseason tournaments that vary based on division. These tournaments involve playing additional games, in some cases against other local leagues, and can last up until the end of June. More details on postseason tournaments are determined after team selections. The divisions that play in Postseason Tournaments are AA, AAA, and Majors Baseball, and Minors and Majors Softball.

All-Star Tournament Teams: After the completion of the regular season and postseason tournaments, an All-Star tournament takes place from the end of June-mid July. If a player is interested in playing on an All-Star team, families must complete an All-Star Commitment Form for the player to be eligible for selection. Anyone who submits the commitment form can try-out for an All-Star team. All-Star teams are then selected by appointed committees in early June. Team selections are based on multiple factors (try-out performance, regular season performance, team needs, etc.) as decided by the committee. More information on All-Stars will be released in the Spring. 

• LITTLE LEAGUE RULES

Little League Baseball & Softball Umpires

12 Yr Olds-Adults

A vital part of the playing experience in Little League is the officiating. We are always looking for umpires to help work games in the Spring, and our umps are paid appropriately. Umpires are able to sign up for games and manage their own schedules.

• Sign Up to Ump: If you did not ump for ZLL in the 2024 season and wish to ump in the 2025 season, COMPLETE THIS FORM
• Dates: April-July
• Game Days: Monday-Saturday
• Times: Mon-Fri games range from 5pm-8pm | Sat games range from 9am-1pm (games last around 2 hrs each)
• Qualifications: Knowledge of the game of baseball/softball (training will be provided upon hiring) | Love for kids | Dependable
• Training: In-person training is required in April | Details TBD
• Questions? Email our Little League President, Brandon LaRosa @ zllpresident@gmail.com

Detailed descriptions of all ZLL leagues are below. Leagues overlap in age to allow players to play at appropriate skill levels to maximize skill development and to ensure all have a positive experience. If unsure of what league to select, contact Brandon LaRosa, ZLL President, at ZLLPresident@gmail.com. ZLL may contact parents after the “Team Formation Practice” if the evaluation shows the player would be a better fit in a different division than they originally registered their child in.

Rookie Ball (Born between 9/1/19-8/31/21): This coed program serves as the perfect intro to baseball and softball! It consists of one day a week of skill development for four weeks (Tue or Thur - select your date in the registration process). Each week will consist of skill development stations that parents and children rotate through together, with parents teaching the skills at each station along with guidance from Zeeland Rec staff on site. There will also be modified games played to build an understanding of the sport.

Tee-Ball League (Born between 9/1/18-8/31/21): This is our Tee-Ball league! All balls are hit off tees. Live pitching from coaches is allowed to be introduced midseason for those who are comfortable. This program includes one practice and one game per week.

Coach Pitch (Born between 9/1/17-8/31/20): This is our Coach-Pitch league! Coaches pitch to players, with no live pitching from participants. This program includes one practice and one game per week, with 2 weeks that have 2 games and no practices.

Advanced Coach Pitch (Born between 9/1/16-8/31/19): Similar to the Coach Pitch League, coaches pitch to players and there is no live pitching from players. The rules and gameplay at this level, however, are similar to A Baseball (ex: inning changes after 3 outs, strikeouts are counted as outs, players hit in the same batting order throughout the game). This level prepares kids with the more traditional rules of baseball while they are not developmentally ready for player pitch.

A Baseball (Born between 9/1/15-8/31/18): This is our Kid/Coach Pitch league! It’s designed to teach participants how to pitch and how to hit against live pitching from other participants. Batters will begin by facing an opposing pitcher, but coaches will step in to pitch if the batter is walked to ensure all hitters get the chance to improve their hitting skills. Stealing is not allowed.

AA Baseball (Born between 9/1/14-8/31/17): This is a more advanced Kid-Pitch league that also introduces players to stealing while on base. The regular season ends with a postseason “Karl Elzinga Tournament” between all AA teams. This is also the first level where players are eligible to try out for Zeeland Little League All-Star Tournament Teams after the regular season ends.

AAA Baseball (Born between 9/1/13-8/31/16): This league helps to prepare players for playing in the Majors division. The regular season ends with a postseason “Karl Elzinga Tournament” between all of the AAA teams. All players are eligible to try out for Zeeland Little League All-Star Teams after the regular season ends.

Majors Baseball (Born between 9/1/12-8/31/15): This league is the division that the Little League World Series is associated with. This is the last division playing with 60 ft bases and 48 ft mounds (the later divisions for 13 year olds+ have larger field dimensions). Teams in the Majors division also play in a postseason tournament at the end of the regular season.