Fall Baseball - 2024     Format: The goal of this league as a whole is to provide recreational baseball activities to the community. Players will focus on developing baseball skills relevant to their appropriate division.         WeeBall – This co-ed division is purely developmental and is designed for boys and girls that are  3-4 years old. Players will work on very basic skill such as learning base locations, game flow, basic ball handling skills and batting off a tee. Events will be 1hr in length and consist of around 30 mins of practice time and 30 mins of game time. Parents/Guardians will stay with players while on the field.         Tee Ball - The co-ed Tee Ball division, for 5-6yo’s, builds on the skills learned in WeeBall, but adds more competition to the mix.  Players will be expected to participate with less interaction from coaches. Teams will practice one weeknight (either Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday) and games will be held on Saturday mornings. Players will play in baseball/softball positions and will hit off a tee. Players will also be given the opportunity to begin hitting pitched balls as well.         Coach Pitch – The Coach Pitch division caters to children roughly aged 7 to 8, focusing on fundamental skill development in a supportive environment. Players receive controlled pitches from their coach, fostering a positive next step into the sport with an emphasis on teamwork and development. Players will also be given the opportunity to develop pitching skills to prepare them for the next division. Practices and games will be two nights a week on either Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday.         Kid Pitch A - This division consists of 9-10 year olds with advanced 8 year olds. Kid Pitch division marks a progression where young players transition to pitching themselves. In this league, kids develop their pitching, hitting, and fielding skills, fostering a more competitive environment while maintaining a focus on teamwork and sportsmanship. Practices and games will be two nights a week on either Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday.         Kid Pitch AA - This divisions is for 11–12 year olds with advanced 10 year olds. Kid Pitch AA division represents a developmental stage where young players continue to refine their pitching, hitting, and fielding abilities. This league introduces a more competitive aspect to the game, emphasizing skill advancement, strategic play, and sportsmanship as players further hone their understanding and love for baseball. Practices and games will be two nights a week on either Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday.         Kid Pitch AAA - Kid Pitch AAA is for 13-15 year olds with advanced 12 year olds. Kid Pitch AAA division signifies a continued progression in the players' skills, now focusing on more advanced techniques and strategic play. In this league, teenagers refine their pitching, hitting, and fielding abilities, experiencing a heightened level of competition while maintaining a strong emphasis on sportsmanship and teamwork. Practices and games will be two nights a week on either Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday.

Age Determination:
Please use the USSSA calculator to determine your childs division and ensure they are registered for the correct league:
USSSA | Age Calculator
The 2024 Fall Baseball program is considered part of the 2025 season, so keep in mind that the actual age of your child during the season does not necessarily correspond with their division.

Age Divisions:
The division age brackets are as follows:

Divisions	Oldest Birthday	Youngest Birthday
WeeBall	5/1/2020	8/31/2021
Tee Ball	5/1/2018	8/31/2020
Coach Pitch	5/1/2016	4/30/2019
Kid Pitch - A	5/1/2014	4/30/2017
Kid Pitch - AA	5/1/2012	4/30/2015
Kid Pitch - AAA	5/1/2009	4/30/2013

Age divisions are overlapping to allow players the flexibility to decide when they would like to step into the next division. Players in the youngest year of a division should only sign up for that division if they feel they have already exceeded the skill level of the lower division.

Team Formation:

Division	Methodology	Max Players	Property Players
WeeBall	Coaches Agreement	6-7	N/A
Tee Ball	Draft	9-10	4
Coach Pitch	Draft	11/12	4
Kid Pitch - A	Draft	11/12	4
Kid Pitch - AA	Draft	11/12	4
Kid Pitch - AAA	Draft	11/12	4

All draft level teams will be fully drafted in the fall with the exception of Property Player saves. Spring Head Coaches may either save all or none of the returning Property Players from the previous fall team. New players in the spring will be added to existing teams via the draft. *See exception below.

Property Players are those players who played for a registered Head Coach in the immediately proceeding season. Property Players are property of the Head Coach, not Assistant Coaches nor Dugout Captains. A person is only considered a Head or Assistant Coach if they are registered as such in the system for the applicable season. Players that skip a season, or request a new team, lose their Property Player status.

If a Head Coach moves up or doesn’t coach, then one of their Assistant Coaches can transition to a Head Coach and inherit the property players on their team. If a coach has dropped or lost an assistant, they must obtain their replacement through the draft. If a Head Coach leaves and both Assistant Coaches want to transition to Head Coaches and separately inherit Property Players, they may do so only if they agree on which players each coach keeps. Two coaches may combine teams only if they take all returning Property Players and the total number of returning players is not more than 10.

For Head Coaches saving Property Players, they must save all returning players unless a parent requests a new coach.

*Coach Pitch and above Head Coaches from Fall 2023 may save all players from their Fall 2023 team indefinitely. They must take all players that are available in their division. Players not on their Fall 2023 team, or who skip a season, are not considered Property Players and must be drafted.

Evaluations and Draft:
All players, other than WeeBall, should participate in Evaluations. Please see the Schedule section for Evaluation date & times. Any player who no-shows for evaluations will be assigned the highest possible score for draft purposes. If a player no-shows for evaluations, and is draft eligible, they will be randomly assigned to a team.

Regarding draft pick order, the team with the lowest number of players gets to pick before teams with higher numbers of players. This process continues until all teams have the same number of players. Once all teams have the same number of players, the coach with the lowest team score picks first. Coaches must pick players with the goal of keeping the average team score consistent across all teams. i.e. A coach with a high team score must pick a player with a low individual score. A coach with a low team score can pick any player they choose.

For WeeBall: Combination Games/Practice will be held on Saturday mornings starting 8/31/2024 through 11/2/2024. WeeBall does not participate in the league Tournaments. Players do not need to participate in evaluations.
• Coaches and Parent Meeting [Date/Time TBD]

        For Tee Ball: Practices will be held on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday and games will be held Saturday morning. Tee Ball will participate in the league tournaments, but only in a “Round Robin” format.
• Sign-ups open on 7/7/2024 and close on 8/16/2024
• Evaluations are held at 1pm on 8/17/2024 at Fountain City Ball Park
• Parent Meeting will be held on [Date TBD]
• Team Formation will take place the week of August 18 (Coaches Only)
- Coaches will be notified of specific dates/times.
• Coaches Meeting and First Aid Clinic will be held on 8/25/2024 @ 4pm
• 2x Practices per week for the weeks of 8/26 and 9/2
• 1x Practice and 1x Game for the weeks of 9/9, 9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/14, 10/21, 10/27/24
• Closing Tournament 11/1, 11/2, & 11/3/24
 
      For Coach Pitch – Kid Pitch AAA: Practices and games will be held during the week on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday evenings. Depending on the number of registrants and weather, Friday and Saturday practices/games may be added to the schedule as needed.
• Sign-ups open on 7/7/2024 and close on 8/16/2024
• Evaluations are held on 8/17/2024 at Fountain City Ball Park
                        - CP@2pm, KP-A@3pm, KP-AA&AAA@4pm
• Parent Meeting will be held on [Date TBD]
• Team Formation will take place the week of August 18 (Coaches Only)
- Coaches will be notified of specific dates/times.
• Coaches Meeting and First Aid Clinic will be held on 8/25/2024 @ 4pm
• 2x Practices per week for the week of 8/25/2024
• 1x Practice and 1x Scrimmage per week for the weeks of 9/1/2024 and 9/8/2024
• 1x Game & 1x Practice for weeks of 9/15, 9/22, 9/29, & 10/27/24
• 2x Games per week for weeks of 10/13 and 10/20/2024
• Closing Tournament 11/1, 11/2, & 11/3/24

The full season schedule with exact dates & times will be available online at FountainCitySports.org shortly after the season begins. Reminders will be sent out for all games and practices so please make sure to whitelist fountaincitysports.org in your e-mail provider.

Makeup Policy: The first cancellation of a week will be made up on Wednesday of the same week. The second cancellation will be made up on Friday of the same week. If a third cancellation occurs, it will either be made up on Saturday, rescheduled for another date or completely cancelled.

Rainout Notifications: East Tennessee weather is very unpredictable and field conditions at the park can change rapidly. We will make every effort to keep from cancelling games/practices due to weather, which means waiting until the last minute to cancel an event. Unless it becomes very clear that there is no chance the fields will be playable, we will not make the call to cancel until around 4pm.  For Saturday morning events, we will closely watch the weather on Friday and handle these on a case by case basis. We understand this may be inconvenient, but we want to make sure that we are not needlessly cancelling games or practices. This cancellation notification will be disseminated to the coaches who will then notify their teams using the GroupMe app.

Special Requests:
Special Requests may be submitted using the form found at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewXVtyEkDYsU-ipjgaMJiEMSfy2rrmq10H2sACDvpC9MSDew/viewform?usp=sf_link

• Division Change requests to play down will only be granted for disability-based reasons in the Kid Pitch & Tee Ball divisions.
• A player may request to play down to Tee Ball from Coach Pitch if they have never played before.
• Coach Non-Requests will be granted if possible.
•  Team/Coach Requests will only be granted based on team formation rules or for players living in the same household.
•  Request to “Play-Up” will only be granted if a player evaluates in the top 10% of their appropriate division.

            WeeBall – The park will provide practice equipment, tees, hoola-hoops, Velcro Catch games, tennis balls, wiffle balls, soft core baseballs, bats and a T-Shirt and Hat for each player. Parents should provide a glove and batting helmet. Cleats, bats and baseball pants are not required.

            Tee Ball through Kid Pitch AAA – The park will provide a Jersey and Hat for each player as well as game balls for the team. Tee Ball teams will receive a batting tee. Parents/Guardians should provide a glove, batting helmet, cleats, baseball pants, belt and any other personal equipment the player would like to use.

* FCRC will organize the uniform ordering process and teams will pick from standardized designs available through our supplier. Teams may not fundraise or take donations to be able to order upgraded uniforms. Player names will not be printed on uniforms.
* Bats must meet USA or USSSA standards and be stamped with the USA or USSSA Baseball logo.
* Helmets must be approved and stamped by NOCSAE
* Boys should wear an athletic supporter or compression shorts under their baseball pants. For catchers, it is mandatory boys wear a protection cup.

Division	Awards
WeeBall	All players receive participation medal at last event
Tee Ball	All players receive medal at End of Season Tournament
Coach Pitch – Kid Pitch AAA	1stPlace - Ring, 2ndPlace - Medal at End of Season Tournament

Each team may elect to hold an end of season party. Teams may schedule this through the park and use the facilities, but are responsible for organization and any costs associated with the party.

The Registration Fees for each division are as follows:

Division	Registration Fee
WeeBall	$95
Tee Ball	$115
Coach Pitch	$150
Kid Pitch - A	$150
Kid Pitch - AA	$150
Kid Pitch - AAA	$150

This registration fee covers: City League Fees, Jersey, Hat, Baseballs, Scorebooks, Umpires, Liability Insurance, Utilities, Field & Grounds Maintenance/Upgrades and other costs associated with running the program.

Please keep in mind that Fountain City Recreation Commission is a volunteer run 501c3 Non-Profit. The board does not take any pay for running programs or making the park available to the community. 

The park uses several methods to communicate with the community.

Team Communication: Each team will have a Team GroupMe where general information will be distributed. This will also be where coaches inform everyone about weather delays, cancellations and re-schedules.

Game/Practice Reminders: The registration system sends out e-mail reminders a few days before games/practices. Please log-in to your account at fountaincitysports.org and make sure your e-mail addresses are correct. Also, log-in to your email provider and make sure  messages from the park are not going to spam/junk mail.

Facebook: We encourage everyone to Like & Follow our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FountainCityBallPark for general info and updates.