Baseball / T-Ball

It is the philosophy of Princeton Little Tar-heel League to progressively develop children’s skills by offering programs for various age levels. As they develop, the children are taught higher level skills,all with the value of good sportsmanship and teamwork. Our intent is for children to have FUN and to enjoy the sport they play while learning the character building lessons that come from participating in team sports. PLTL emphasizes the fundamentals of baseball as players are taught the basics of hitting, throwing, catching and base-running within a framework of teamwork and sportsmanship.




PLTL's recreational baseball program consists of five age based levels depending on your CURRENT 2022 spring school grade at the time of registration.

Program emphasis is on fundamentals of the game as players are shown the basics of hitting, throwing, catching and base running within a framework of teamwork and sportsmanship.

All coaches are volunteers and coaches set up the practice location, day and time.  Rosters, schedules, uniforms and equipment are distributed to coaches in late March.  Players will be contacted by the coach of their team by late March. Practices will begin in March and the 10-12 game season (depending on weather) will begin in April and run through the last week of school.

Special Request Policy — Special requests for team placement will be considered carefully, but there is NO GUARANTEE they will be honored. For requests to be considered, the registration must be turned in by the registration deadline. Starting at the 8U age group, PLTL uses a draft system to set teams. 

These dates are tentative, please check our Facebook or Twitter pages for up-to-date information on current sports.

•  On-Line Registration begins Jan 14th
• On-Line Registration ends March 1st
• Practice begins March 11th
• Games begin first week of April

Recreational

PLTL’s Recreational Baseball League consists of an age progression of playing levels for pre-K through age 14. The program is started at the Kindergarten level with T-ball and then progresses to 8U where the ball is pitched by a coach. The continuing program mirrors the real world progression of baseball and starts with 10U player pitch and continues through 12U and 14U baseball.

Fall Baseball ( 8U, 10U, 12U & 15U Age Groups)

Fall baseball is an instructional program that is available to players of all skill levels between the ages of 7 to 14 years old.  The season runs from September to late October.  The age groups are identical to the spring season, however PLTL sets the age cut offs for each division as they would occur the following spring season. This will help boys gain a head start on the coming season and adjust early on to the new dimension of their respective next playing level.

PLTL DOES NOT OFFER TRAVEL BASEBALL

 

T-Ball (3 & 4 year Olds): Only Offered In The Spring

T-Ball is a coed introductory baseball program for both boys and girls at 3 or 4 years of age. Players are introduced to the basics of the game of baseball. Focus is on instruction and fun. Emphasis is on fundamentals of the game as players are shown the basics of hitting, throwing, catching and base running within a framework of teamwork and sportsmanship. Players in this age group will generally hit primarily from a batting tee.  Games are instructional  as outs and runs are not counted.  Each team will bat through their entire line-up each inning.

Coach Pitch T-Ball (5 & 6 Year Olds) Only Offered In The Spring

Coach Pitch T-Ball is a coed introductory baseball program for both boys and girls at 5 or 6 years of age. Players are introduced to the basics of the game of baseball with a more advanced structure than normal T-Ball. Emphasis is on fundamentals of the game as players are shown the basics of hitting, throwing, catching and base running within a framework of teamwork and sportsmanship. Players in this age group will generally hit from a coach pitching.  Each player will receive 5 pitches and then must hit from a tee, (players can't strike out).  Each team will bat through their entire line up each inning, however the bases will be cleared after 3 outs are recorded.  Once the hitting team bats through their line-up the half inning will be over, regardless of the current number of outs.  Each game will consist of three full innings regardless of the score, to ensure each player receives three at bats per game.  All runners will be stopped once the ball is returned to the infield.  Runs will be counted and each game will be managed by an umpire.

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8U Baseball (coach-pitch) Offered Both Fall and Spring

8U Baseball is an introductory baseball program. These are typically our 1st and 2nd grade students and ages are normally 7 and 8 year olds.   Six year olds are allow to play up however a minimum of one year of T-ball is required for a six year old to be considered.  All six year olds wishing to play 8U must contact the current PLTL Baseball Director for the appropriate approval, as online registration for this player is not available.

Coaches pitch to their own team for the entire game.  Players get 6 pitches; there are strikeouts but no walks. 60' bases and 40' pitching distance.

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10U Baseball:   Offered Both Fall and Spring

10U  Baseball is an introduction to  player pitch baseball.  Regulation 3 strikes and 4 balls are counted at each at bat.  Pitching distance is 46' and bases are 60"

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12U Baseball:   Offered Both Fall and Spring

12 Baseball is for 11 and 12 year olds in which players begin to fine tune their skill for middle school tryouts. However, no tryouts are required for recreational 12U baseball. Players pitch the entire game. Pitching distance is 50' and bases are 70'.

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15U Baseball:   Offered Both Fall and Spring

15U Baseball is a recreational program that allows players to begin playing our full size baseball field however with a slightly shorter mound and base distance than a regulation diamond.  Pitching distance is 56' and bases are 80'. PLTL reserves the right to regroup this age divisions based upon registrations. No tryouts are required.

PLTL is a non-profit volunteer organization.  Parent volunteer coaches are needed for all teams at all levels.  Please volunteer to coach your child's team. 

Coaching Descriptions:

Head coach:
Primary responsibility for management and motivation of the team. A solid understanding of the rules of baseball is helpful and a desire to teach baseball fundamentals to children is necessary.  Attendance at a PLTL baseball coaches meeting is required. The head coach notifies all team members within 48 hours of draft to inform parents and players of their new team.  Provides team with roster, schedule, rulebook, and picture information. Head Coach subject to background check at the request of the PLTL Board of Directors.

Assistant Coach:  Assists the head coach. Assistant Coach is also subject to background check at the request of the PLTL Board of Directors.

ALL PARENTS THAT DESIRE TO HELP IN PRACTICE OR GAMES AND THEREFORE WILL HAVE DIRECT CONTACT TO PLAYERS CAN BE ASK TO COMPLETE A BACKGROUND CHECK UPON REQUEST OF PLTL BOARD OF DIRECTORS .