Centennial Lakes Little League

We are the Centennial Lakes Little League (CLLL) located serves youth in the Lino Lakes, Centerville, Lexington, Circle Pines and East Blaine.  We are chartered through International Little League in Williamsport, PA.  We also run the Silver Bullets girls fastpitch league.  Please see the section on Fastpitch for more details.

 

Yes, to play in baseball, players must reside within our league boundary.  Consult our Little League Boundary Map for specifics.  If you live outside of our boundaries you must obtain a waiver to play in our league for any post-season (All-Stars) play.  When you register you will be asked questions about residency and directed to the process of obtaining a waiver if necessary.

Starting in 2014, Little League now allows for a player to live outside our league boundaries and play in our league if you go to school in the Centennial School District, live outside our boundaries but played with our league last year, or qualify under a few other exemptions.  See Little League International's Residence and School Attendance Player Eligibility Requirements for full details.

 

Centennial Lakes Little League offers T-Ball, Coach Pitch, AAA, International and Majors.  We also offer girls fastpitch in our Silver Bullets programs including 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U and with enough interest 16U and 18U.

 

T-Ball: (Ages 4-5 with 6 yr old option) This is instructional baseball and game scores are not recorded. Players in this division are co-ed.  At this level the ball is hit from a tee. Games consist of four innings or 1-1/2 hours.  Teams are formed by random draft each season.  6 yr olds are encouraged to play Coach Pitch (see below) but inexperienced 6 yr olds can play T-Ball.  Games are scheduled for Fridays and a Sundays at 5:45, 6:30 or 7:15 pm.

 

Coach Pitch: (Ages 6-8) This is instructional baseball and game scores are not recorded.  Players in this division are co-ed however, we recommend girls consider switching to our girls only Silver Bullets Fastpitch 8U program.  At this level coaches pitch to their own team. Games consist of five innings or 1-1/2 hours. Teams are formed by random draft each season. Games are scheduled for Mondays and Wednesdays with some weekend play, mostly at 6:00 pm.

 

AAA Pitching & Skills development Baseball: (Ages 9, **8 yr olds allowed if already played 2 years at coach pitch) At this level of play, players pitch to each other.   Games consist of six innings or two hours.  Teams are formed by random draft each season.  Games are scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays, mostly at 6:00 pm.

 

Major Baseball: (Ages 10-12)  All players are selected for teams based on player evaluations (tryouts) by team Managers in a player draft. Majors is the highest level of play in Little League for ages 12 and under and is divided into three levels, International, American League and National League, with National League being our most competitive, followed by American League and then International League.  All Majors players participate in a tryout and teams are formed through a draft process every year.

 

International League generally plays two times a week at 6:00 pm.  Play will be Mondays through Sundays depending on field availability.  International League plays some games against Coon Rapids.

 

American League has four teams and generally plays two games a week at 6:00 pm.  Play will be Mondays through Sundays depending on field availability and will periodically play against several other Little League associations.

 

National League (Traveling) has two teams and generally plays two or three games a week at 6:00 pm.  National League is more competitive and have more games and practices than American League.  Play will be Mondays through Sundays and will regularly play against other Little League associations.

 

Little League baseball is for children ages 4-12 and is based on how old the child is as of August 31st (generally) of the year they will be playing, known as "League Age". See the Age Chart or our Little League Age Calculator to figure out your child's "League Age"

 

There are plenty of volunteer opportunities you can do for both your team and for the league. At the team level, you can volunteer to coach, assistant coach, team parent (team manager or organizer), field preparation, or be the scorekeeper for your team. At the league level there are also many committees and events that you can participate in including, opening day ceremonies, fundraising, league publicity, picture day, team/league sponsorship, newsletter, fall ball, team parent orientation, tournaments, or assisting with the league's communications efforts. By participating in these positions, you are helping the Little League Organization to provide the best possible playing opportunities for your child! If you are interested in helping please email the office with what you are interested in at clittleleague@comcast.net.

 

The roster of board members is posted on this website. Each board member can answer the questions pertinent to their area of responsibility.

 

This depends on the nature of the problem or issue, as follows:

 

For issues regarding your Child’s selection to a particular team, please contact the League Representative for your division.  This can be found on our Baseball Board Members page or Softball Board Members page.  If there are questions regarding league rules and more specifically, Centennial Lakes Little League rules, please read through the house rules posted on the website in our league manual.

At a minimum, your child will need a baseball glove - boys also will need to wear an athletic supporter with a hard cup. Our league color for baseball pants is grey and can be purchase at most big box stores in the area.  The league will supply a team shirt and hat. Most children will also require belt, bat, and (non-metal) cleats, which the league does not provide. The league provides each team with several bats, batting helmets and catcher gear. Players can bring their own bats, helmets and catchers equipment if they choose, but are not required to furnish these items themselves.

 

Little League season begins around the beginning of March, and lasts until about the end of June. Teams begin to practice in March indoors at our league facilities and move outdoors in April weather permitting. Extended season is available for anyone interested through the end of July.  Starting in Minor League, all-star teams are formed and may play through August.  We also provide a Fall Ball opportunity that mostly play games on Sundays.

 

Practices begin in mid March, and are scheduled weekly until the start of game play in April.  The higher the level of play the more often practices and games are scheduled.  

 

Games begin in April and are generally scheduled 2 times per week; however, there may be weeks where 1 or 3 games are scheduled. Game play continues until the season ends near the end of June.

 

Games and practices are played on fields throughout the Centennial School District Area.

 

How do I know if a game or practice is cancelled due to weather?
Our league rarely cancels games due to weather forecasts.  Games are not called until game time AT THE FIELD.  Once onsite, the umpire or both coaches with the umpire (or both coaches if no umpire) decide to cancel the game.  Parents and players should expect the game to be played as scheduled.

Games can be called due to severe weather such as heavy rain or lightning, but players and parents should be aware that Summer weather can be spotty.  Inclement weather at your workplace or home is usually quite different across town at the ballpark.  Safety will always be our utmost concern, but every effort will be made to start and complete each scheduled game.

Please consult our FIELD STATUS before calling your coach or the league offices.

If its too hot, will games be cancelled?
Centennial Lakes Little League does not cancel games because of the hot weather; but here are some tips to keeping your player healthy and cool during these high-temperature days:

• Keep your player hydrated throughout the day before the game. This will help him/her from trying to drink too much too fast during their game.
• Pack a small cooler with ice, extra water/Gatorade, and wet cloths for cooling their neck and face.
• Stay away from sodas!
• Don’t eat a big meal before heading to the park; instead have a sandwich or fruit or something light before the game.

 

Little League rules are those rules to which we are strictly bound. Little League rules are strictly adhered to at the Majors level of play. Each year Little League publishes updated rules that are well founded in history and are focused at every kid getting a chance to play Little League. House Rules are those rules adopted by the Centennial Lakes Little League Board to enhance the game for the players. The house rules generally apply to the Minor League and below levels. An example of house rules is a continuous batting order where all the kids attending the game bat in succession until all have batted. After all have batted the batting order reverts to the top of the batting order. House rules are posted on the CLLL website and are voted on each year.

 

Yes, there are time limits on some games when it is necessary to clear the field for another game.  Time limits are detailed in the house rules for each level of play in our league handbook. Any game can also be called due to darkness (by the home plate umpire) in the interest of safety for the players.

 

Yes and yes. The must-play rules become less stringent at higher levels, but all players must play in every game, regardless of ability. In general, CLLL house rules require more play for each child than the standard Little League rules do.

 

Little League rules allow CLLL to schedule games with adjoining leagues if this is mutually agreeable. In general CLLL will pursue inter-league play opportunities when possible in the upper divisions. At lower levels, where the number of teams is greater, there is less inter-league play. The extent of inter-league play may vary from year to year.

Head Coaches and Assistant Coaches apply to manage/coach by using our On-line registration system for coaches and volunteers.

 

The CLLL Board reviews all applications and in some cases interviews coaches to determine eligibility.  The major focus is coaching background and skills, communication ability to children and parents, and commitment.

 

All coaches and managers must pass a thorough background check including a criminal background check before managing.

 

A Recommended List of Coaches/Managers, based on the number of teams needed for each division, is presented to the Board for discussion and final approval by the President of the league.  

 

National League coaches participate in an interview process with a selection committee.  Any coach interested in the National League is encouraged to contact the President or League administrator to convey interest.

 

CLLL policy is 3 Coaches at the National Level and 2 Coaches at all other Levels, all of whom must be approved by the CLLL Board of Directors.

 

New for 2017: Only head coaches will be named prior to team formation, and allowed to draft teams.  Assistants will be chosen from your team roster.

 

At the Minors and Majors level the games are umpired by anyone interested that is 13 years old or older, including adults. The umpires are trained prior to league play and depending on years of experience and skill are assigned to the various levels. The umpires are paid a fee for this work. Fans should not be communicating (good or bad) about umpire calls. It is the responsibility of the Coaches on each team to communicate with the umpires if there is an issue. At the T-Ball and Coach Pitch levels, umpires are not needed since the coaches and parent-umpires are on the field and fill in as umpires. Volunteers are a key in making this a successful program. If you are 13 or older and interested in being an umpire please contact the league office.  There is umpire training offered every April for interested parties..

 

CLLL's policy is that no child will ever be turned away from our program due to a financial hardship.  Scholarship requests should be directed to the Administrative Coordinator at the office.   If someone would like to sponsor a scholarship, please contact the office..

 

Is it possible to get a refund if we change our mind about playing in CLLL? 

Refer to the Handbook on line for our refund policy as there are deadline dates for refunds.  Please note: for those trying out for a traveling team (e.g. softball or National League baseball), not making the traveling team of your choice does not warrant a refund and is past the refund date.

 

There are many levels of sponsorship available.  Please take the time to review and consider which level of sponsorship is appropriate for you.  You can obtain a form listing levels of sponsorship, which can be completed and mailed into CLLL headquarters along with your donation.