Baseball              

Registration Forms:  Note that both forms must be submitted for each child being registered!  These forms must be downloaded and read using Adobe Acrobat Reader.  

 Eligibility:  Children who live within the Woolridge Elementary School attendance boundary and are at least 5 years old on April 30 but not older than 18 years old.  In addition, Clover Hill Elementary residents who played for Woolridge previously and those who are 15 years old and older.

Fees:  The first child in each family is $90.00; each additional child is $65.00.

League Names & Age Divisions:

Team Selection:  Teams are selected shortly after the talent assessments which are conducted during the month of March for ages 7-14 and during the month of April for ages 15-16.  See detailed guidelines on the Team Selection page.

Coaches:  Head coaches are selected by the Baseball Administrator.  Assistant coaches are selected by the head coaches.

Season:  Pre-season practice begins around the beginning of April for ages 5-12 and around the middle of April for ages 13-16.  The regular season games are generally completed by July 1 depending upon the number of rainouts to be made up.

Games:  Games begin the last week of April for ages 5-12 and the first week of May for ages 13-16.  Games are played on both week nights and Saturdays; Sundays are typically used for making up rainouts.  Ages 5-12 generally play two (2) games per week while ages 13-16 are scheduled for three (3) games per week.  Please note: the Woolridge Athletic Association does not set up the game schedules.

Tee Ball, Pee Wee and Shetland games begin at 6:00 p.m. on week nights and between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays.  Most games are played at the local schools (e.g. Woolridge, Grange Hall, Swift Creek, etc.), although some may be scheduled at either Rockwood or Iron Bridge Parks.

Beginning with the Pinto League (age 8), games are played almost exclusively at one of the county parks (Rockwood, Iron Bridge or in some cases, Goyne Park in Chesterfield).  Since these fields are lighted, two (2) games are scheduled on week nights, the first of which begins at 6:00 p.m.  The starting time for the second game varies by age but is generally between 7:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.  Teams normally have a combination of 'early' and 'late' starting times on week nights in addition to some additional games scheduled on Saturdays.

Practice:  Each team is allocated weekly practice time subject to availability.  During the preseason (month of April), the younger teams (ages 5-8) practice at Woolridge while the older teams practice on the lighted fields at Rockwood or Iron Bridge Parks with two (2) practices per week being typical.  Practice during the season is at the discretion of the coaches.

Post Season Play:  Beginning with the Pinto League, the top sixteen (16) teams in each league compete in a tournament following the regular season to determine the league champion.  The division winners plus several wild card teams make up the sixteen teams.  The tournament is double elimination following the first round of games.  Post season play is typically completed by 4th of July.

All-Stars:  There are two levels of All-Star play offered by CBC for the competitive leagues in the Mustang, Bronco, Pony and Colt age divisions.  A "Traveling" team is selected from each league (National, American, etc.) via a tryout process to compete in the sanctioned PONY All-Star tournament.  In addition, a "CIB" team is also selected from each league and competes in the Chesterfield Invitational Baseball (CIB) Tournament.  An All-Star team is selected from each Pinto league division with the number of players picked from each team being determined by final divisional standings.  Pinto league All-Star teams compete in the CIB tournament.  All-Star competition is only offered in the experienced leagues and may extend through the middle of August.

Coach Pitch:  Both the Pee Wee and Shetland leagues are "Coach Pitch".  Pee Wee teams may consist of either 5 or 6 year old children while Shetland teams may consist of either 7 or 8 year old children.  The parents of 5 and 6 year old children decide whether their child is placed on a Tee Ball team or on a "Coach Pitch" team.  Beginning at age 7, the Association's coaches decide which players are assigned to the "Coach Pitch" teams based on the talent assessment.  Parents with children who played Tee Ball at age 5 are encouraged to consider "Coach Pitch" (Pee Wee league) for their child at age 6.

Pictures:  Team and individual pictures will be taken about mid-season and may be purchased for an additional charge.

Recognition:  Each team typically holds a picnic or party following the season to recognize the players and award trophies.  This event is normally planned by the team parent and/or coaches.  The cost of the event, including the trophies, is the team's responsibility.

Free Agent Policy:  Children who play for an association other than the one affiliated with the elementary school boundary in which they live are considered free agents and must be "released" by their home association in order to play elsewhere.  Children who live within the Woolridge Elementary School attendance boundaries will only be released to play for another association if we are unable to place them on a team.  Should this occur, players who request to play for another association will be released according to the request date.

Fall Ball:  The CBC "Fall Ball" program offers an excellent opportunity for players to hone their skills, try new playing positions and receive an introduction to the rules (e.g. pitching distance, base lengths, etc.) they will play under the following spring.  This is a six-week season which begins the weekend following Labor Day.  Each team plays a double header on Saturday and normally has one practice a week.

Insurance: Supplemental medical insurance is provided by the league and is funded by registration fees. This insurance covers out-of-pocket expenses not paid by the family’s primary medical policy and are subject to a $100 deductible. The Baseball Administrator has forms and instructions for making a claim against this policy.

Other Sports:  The WAA also sponsors softball, basketball, football and cheerleading.