Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is my child old enough to play?
A: Baseball Age is determined by a May 1st birth date cutoff. The best way to make sure you fully understand your child's "baseball age" is to use the Baseball Age calculator. The calculator can be found here.
Q: What is a concession work bond and why do I have to pay for it?
A: Work bond was re-instituted at the start of the 2018 season now that our new concession stand is fully operational. Each family will be assigned one concession shift per registered child. You may only complete and receive reimbursement for shifts equal to the number of children you registered at this time. If future vacancies arise, then we will issue a call for volunteers.
Each family work bond is capped at $100. You will pay $50 for the first child you register and $25 for each additional child you register, up to a total of $100 above the cost of registration. Early Bird and other discounts do not count toward work bond.
Once your shift has been completed, your work bond will be refunded by the 15th of the following month. Example, if your shift was scheduled for April 30th, you would be refunded by May 15th. Refunds will be processed back to the credit or debit card you use to pay for registration. No refunds will be processed after September 30, 2019 for the 2019 season.
Concession shift time can be waived by selecting the associated choice, below. If you choose to waive your volunteer obligation, then your work bond deposit remains property of the league and will not be refunded.
Q: What are the divisions and where does my child play?
A: Please check your child's "Baseball Age" using the Cal Ripken age chart before reviewing this section. To access that information, click here. Players begin the program in Kickball at age 4 and play in that division through age 4. Players move up to T-Ball at age 5 and play in that division through age 5. At age 6, players move up to Farm through age 7. Age 8 is Single A and then age 9 begins AAA. At age 10, players are eligible to move up to Majors, but they may remain in AAA up through age 11 based on performance. Players participate in evaluations beginning at age 9 and continue evaluations each year until they are placed on a Majors team.
Q: What are evaluations? When does that start/happen?
A: Players participate in evaluations at certain age brackets to ensure that teams are fairly balanced. When players move from Farm to Single A at age 8, they participate in Single A evaluations. When they turn 9, they participate in AAA/Majors evaluations. At age 10, players are eligible to move up to the next division based on performance rather than age. Evaluations consist of throwing, pitching, catching, fielding, and batting drills to baseline all player abilities and maintain fairness in establishing Single A teams and in selecting players to move up to higher divisions when vacancies are identified.
Q: When will I know what time my child needs to be at evaluations?
A: Majors/AAA evaluation times are assigned during in-person registration. See the event calendar for the date. Single A evaluations time slots will be assigned by email to each registered player.
Q: What equipment do I need to purchase?
A: All players are required to have a batting helmet with a face mask/cage*. Additionally, players should purchase their own bat (metal), cleats (baseball or soccer with plastic spikes), a protective cup (boys only), a labeled water bottle or other individually packaged and labeled beverage, and athletic pants. The league supplies uniform shirts and hats to all players. Pants are also provided by the league when resources are available. At the t-ball level, cleats and bats are optional.
Q: How often with my child have a game or practice?
A: Expect to have commitments for your child's baseball team at least twice each week at the lower levels (Tee Ball/Farm), one night for practice and a game on Saturday. As children advance through the program, that commitment may increase to about four times per week based on field availability, coaching plans, and weather. Field assignments rotate, so ensure you record the date, time, and location of all scheduled practices and games provided by your child's coach or manager. Please read on about each individual division for additional age-specific information in the sections below.
Q: Do I need to be Rutgers S.A.F.E.T.Y. certified to volunteer?
A: Probably. If you'd like to participate as a coach and be involved directly with the children, you need to be certified. Boosters, team parents, or other board members not involved in coaching activities are not required to have a certification. A list of scheduled S.A.F.E.T.Y. course offerings and locations can be found here.
Q: I registered my child(ren) already, but do I need to register too?
A: If you're interested in volunteering in ANY capacity, the answer is yes. Boosters, board members, coaches, team parents, etc. all have to register as volunteers. This registration includes a background check and is mandatory for all league participants. We do this to protect the safety of all children involved in our program and take this requirement very seriously. All personal information provided within the volunteer registration system is protected, secured, and accessible by only the league president and safety director. Volunteer registration is always open and can be found by clicking here.
Q: Why don't I ever get the RTBA emails?
A: Step 1: log into your account and make sure your email address is entered correctly. Also, make sure you haven't checked "no emails".
Step 2: Make us a "Safe Sender" in your email client so we don't end up in your junk mail folder! To find out how, click here.
Q: What about post season and all stars type teams?
A: Players ages 8 and above will be eligible to try out for the league’s post-season teams. There are both All Star teams that play within the district, competing against other teams, and Cal Ripken tournament teams that compete for an opportunity to play beyond the district level. Evaluations will be held toward the end of the regular season and teams formed based on player performance during the season and try outs. There are additional registration paperwork and fee requirements for players who participate in post-season All Star and tournament teams.
Division Information
Tee Ball Division:
The Tee Ball Division is made up of players between age 4 1/2 and 5 (reference the Cal Ripken Baseball age chart for the current season, available on our homepage). Families can expect players to be scheduled for practice one evening each week and one game on Saturday. The initial portion of the season will be practice only with scrimmaging or shortened games while players learn the fundamentals of baseball gameplay. The regular season typically runs from early April through the end of June.
Tee Ball players are required to have their own baseball mitt, batting helmet with an attached face cage, and protective cup (male players). While the league does not provide bats, players may share them amongst team members or bring their own. Soccer or baseball cleats (plastic) are recommended, but not required at the Tee Ball level.
Each year, the Tee Ball players and their parents are invited to attend a Tee Ball Social before the season begins. Players participate in some basic baseball drills and other station games with older players and coaches while the parents have an opportunity to meet with the league’s board and booster members to learn about the program and ask any questions. Players have a chance to meet their coaches, teammates, and every attending player gets a prize too! Check our event calendar on the homepage for this year’s date and time.
Farm Division:
The Farm Division is made up of players between age 6 and 7 (reference the Cal Ripken Baseball age chart for the current season, available on our homepage). Families can expect players to be scheduled for practice one evening each week and one game on Saturday. The Farm Division is an extension of our Tee Ball program, reintroducing and reinforcing baseball fundamentals as well as introducing use of the pitching machine and coach pitch practices. Players will use the tee during gameplay and practice when needed and at the coach’s discretion.
Farm players are required to have their own baseball mitt, batting helmet with an attached face cage, baseball cleats (plastic), and protective cup (male players). While the league does not provide bats, players may share them amongst team members or bring their own.
Single A Division:
The Single A Division is made up of age 8 (reference the Cal Ripken Baseball age chart for the current season, available on our homepage). Families can expect players to be scheduled for practice one evening each week and one game on Saturday. The Single A Division is an extension of our Farm program, reinforcing baseball fundamentals and introducing player pitch. Players will use the tee during gameplay and practice when needed and at the coach’s discretion. Players who are interested in pitching will have the opportunity to attend pitching clinics, scheduled later in the season, and be evaluated to earn their pitching card. Once a player has earned a pitching card, s/he may pitch a specified number of pitches (limited based on age) during a game with a mandatory allotted number of rest days in between.
Single A players are required to have their own baseball mitt, batting helmet with an attached face cage, baseball cleats (plastic), and protective cup (male players). While the league does not provide bats, players may share them amongst team members or bring their own. Single A players will be evaluated before the start of the season at a scheduled time at an indoor facility. During evaluations, players will be asked to complete a few drills (fielding, throwing, batting, running) and be scored by our volunteers (coaches, managers) and facility evaluators. The evaluation scores will be used to establish balanced teams based on player ability and experience. Single A teams will be drafted by the team managers; teammate requests cannot be honored in this division.
AAA Division:
The AAA Division is made up of players between age 9 and 11 (reference the Cal Ripken Baseball age chart for the current season, available on our homepage). Families can expect players to be scheduled for practices and games 2-3 nights/days per week. The AAA Division is an extension of our Single A program, but is exclusively player pitched.
AAA players are required to have their own baseball mitt, batting helmet with an attached face cage, baseball cleats (plastic), bat, and protective cup (male players). AAA players will be evaluated before the start of the season at a scheduled time at an indoor facility. During evaluations, players will be asked to complete a few drills (fielding, throwing, batting, running) and be scored by our volunteers (coaches, managers) and facility evaluators. The evaluation scores will be used to establish balanced teams based on player ability and experience. AAA teams will be drafted by the team managers; teammate requests cannot be honored in this division.
Majors Division:
The Majors Division is made up of players between age 10 and 12 (reference the Cal Ripken Baseball age chart for the current season, available on our homepage). Families can expect players to be scheduled for practices and games 2-3 nights/days per week. The Majors Division is the senior most division in our program. Players are eligible to move up to Majors starting at age 11 based on their performance during evaluations. Players must move up to Majors at age 12.
Majors players are required to have their own baseball mitt, batting helmet with an attached face cage, baseball cleats (plastic), bat, and protective cup (male players). Majors players will be evaluated before the start of the season at a scheduled time at an indoor facility. During evaluations, players will be asked to complete a few drills (fielding, throwing, batting, running) and be scored by our volunteers (coaches, managers) and facility evaluators. The evaluation scores will be used to establish balanced teams based on player ability and experience. Majors teams will be drafted by the team managers; teammate requests cannot be honored in this division.
Players graduate the program at the end of their 12-year old year. Players and their parents are invited to attend a graduation dinner banquet and receive a graduation trophy and gift. The players attend free of charge for a night of celebration of the season and their milestone year.
Have a question that wasn't answered here? Email rtbaseballweb@gmail.com
