What to know about signing up for Los Altos & Los Altos Hills Little League:

1. Know your child's "Little League age"
2. Determine the Division that appears to be the best fit for your child (video)
3. Volunteer Requirements
4. Register
5. Complete Volunteer Verification
6. Player Evaluations (January 11th, 2025, if applicable)

1.  Know your child's "Little League age"

The information below is based on your child’s Little League age.  For the Spring 2025 season, your child's "Little League Age" is the age that they will be on August 31, 2025.  To determine your child's playing age, please refer to the Little League Baseball's Age Calculator or the Little League Age Chart (select sport “Little League Baseball”).

2.  Determine the Division that appears to be the best fit for your child

Los Altos & Los Altos Hills Little League offers the following divisions: T-Ball, Minors A, Minors AA, Minors AAA, and Majors. We also offer Juniors and Seniors for teenagers, and a Challenger division for children with special needs.  Please use the information in this section as a guide to selecting the right division for your child.  Again, please refer to Little League Baseball's Age Calculator for Baseball to find your player’s Little League age.

For a quick overview, see this video.

There are many factors that go into selecting the right division beyond baseball skill, including:

• Safety:  Players should not be too big/strong for a level nor have it be too big of a jump in competition level such that the power and strength of the more-developed players hitting, pitching, and throwing poses an unacceptable risk of injury;

• Player Development: Little League is about community and developing a life-long love for the game.  While coaches ensure every child gets sufficient playing time, as you move to higher divisions the game does get more competitive and playing time becomes increasingly merit-based.  So if a child is able to make a team but will be on the less-skilled side of the roster, it may be better for their baseball development to be a great player on a lower division team than struggle to get on the field as much as they’d like at the higher level.

• Leadership: Kids at the appropriate levels often get to benefit from leadership opportunities on and off the field.  When players are registered for higher divisions than is age-appropriate, those kids miss out on developing leadership skills;

• Emotional growth:  Playing at the Little League Age-appropriate level is more fun because the competition is at the right level.  It’s not fun for kids to be stressed out and overwhelmed by much stiffer competition, which can happen when parents push their kids to be at a level where few or none of their friends are at - and depending on the maturity level of the younger child, it might not be fun for the older kids that the level is designed for either.

• Social factors:  Kids usually want to be with friends from their age/grade, and when playing at the divisions designed for that age, should be skilled enough, physically/emotionally mature enough and when appropriate, get drafted, at the right level.

The emphasis on community and social / emotional factors versus predominantly baseball skill is the biggest difference between Little League and private baseball programs.  Just because a child could make a team at a higher-level division doesn’t mean that’s in their best interest, as these other factors should be significantly weighted.

Minors AA, AAA and Majors require an evaluation, which will be held on January 11th, 2025.  Players of certain ages are guaranteed to be drafted at a given level if their age qualifies, as shown in the table unless there’s a serious safety concern.  

If your player registers for a level that’s clearly above or below an appropriate level for your child, the League and our coaches will help ensure they’re moved to the right level for them after a discussion with the family.

More Details about Divisions

The following is a summary of the different divisions.  All ages refer to “Little League Age” - or the date your child will be on August 31st, 2025 (or use the Little League Age Calculator for baseball).  

The “Approximate Schedule” indicates roughly when teams are formed and when they begin practicing through the end of the spring season.  For divisions that don’t require a draft, it’s typical to not hear much from the League until the team is formed at the start of the season.  For divisions that do require a draft, it may take a few weeks after the evaluation session until teams are formed.  The schedules below provide some guidance on when to expect a welcome email from your team’s manager. That message will provide practice and game schedule information.

Please note that it’s not possible to know the precise practice or game schedule until after teams are formed.  Teams at the T-Ball and Minors A levels have more flexibility with regard to changing teams in order to accommodate schedules.  Minors AA and higher divisions require a draft to ensure competitive talent distribution, and thus the team a player is on cannot be changed.  

Most weekday practices start sometime after 4 pm, with exact times dictated by field availability, daylight, and coach availability.  Saturday games usually are played in the morning or afternoon, and will often be at different times.  Weekday games are typically around 5 pm, with most coaches expecting players to arrive approximately one hour prior.

It’s common for teams to start with more practices near the start of the season and replace those days with games later in the season, to keep most weeks to about the same amount of field activity (e.g. going from 2 practices and a game to 2 games and a practice).

Your team’s coach will have more information about your player’s team’s schedule when they send out their welcome message in February or March.

T-Ball

Often, a family’s first introduction to Little League® is in the T-Ball program.  T-Ball is the entry level division for players with "Little League ages" 5-6 (usually Kinder - 1st grade). The experience is grounded in fun, fitness, and fundamentals while also being a key to growing a child’s love for the game.  The League attempts to honor buddy requests at this level.

The ~10-week T-Ball program benefits the players and volunteer coaches.

Practices / Games:  The season features 1-2 practices per week with a single game played on Saturday mornings.

Approximate Schedule:  T-Ball usually starts in early March and goes until mid or late May.

Some 4 year olds, such as those in TK, may be appropriate for T-Ball.  Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

Minors A Division

Minor A is for younger players with little or no baseball experience.  Minors A players may be Little League ages 6-8 (usually 1st - 3rd grade).  Players may be a little bigger than in T-Ball, and are slightly more skilled.  The League attempts to honor buddy requests at this level.  Coaches pitch to batters in Minors A, but may tee up during the first half of the season. 

Rosters may have between 10 and 13 players.  The diamond used is a 60-foot diamond and the pitching distance is 46 feet.  

Practices / Games:  The season features 1-2 practices per week with a single game played on Saturdays.

Approximate Schedule:  Minors A usually starts in early March and goes until late May.   Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

Minors AA Division

Minors AA is for players that are Little League ages 7-10 (usually 2nd - 4th grade).  Minors AA is the first level that requires player evaluations (held in January) to verify readiness and make sure teams are balanced.  Buddy requests aren’t available at this level, but some coaches at this level sometimes draft to keep cohorts of kids that know one another together.  Coaches pitch to batters in Minors AA.  This is the first level with playoff competition at the end of the season.

Practices / Games:  The season features 1-2 practices, one weekday and one Saturday game per week, and playoffs at the end of the season.  Post-season tournament opportunities may also be available for a limited number of players league-age 8-9.

Approximate Schedule:  Minors AA usually starts in mid February and goes until early June.   Please contact [email protected] with any questions. 

Minors AAA Division

Minor AAA is for boys and girls with Little League ages 9-11 (usually 3rd - 5th grade) with intermediate experience or those that are new to baseball, but that have aged-out of the prior levels.

In rare cases, 8 year olds may qualify for AAA (keep in mind, the most recent average age was Little League 10 across this level).  

Minors AAA is a player-pitch level.  Player evaluations are required.  

Practices / Games:  The season features 1-2 practices per week with games played one-to-two times a week, usually including Saturdays.  Games and practices take place at Purissima Park Baseball Field.  All AAA teams play in a league play-off double elimination tournament at the end of the season.  The winning team will have the opportunity to participate in the District Tournament of Champions, (T.O.C.) All Star tournament opportunities may be available for a limited number of players league-age 8-10.

Approximate Schedule:  Minors AAA usually starts in early February and goes until late May. The T.O.C. occurs during early June.  The All Star season begins in June and can go all the way into August, depending on how far a team advances. 

Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

Majors Division

Major League Division players are typically Little League ages 11 or 12 (usually 5th - 6th grade), with some limited cases of being Little League age 10.

Practices / Games:  Players participate in an evaluation prior to the season starting, and a draft is held to build the teams.   The season features 1-2 practices per week, plus 1 game played on Saturday and one on a  weekday.  Games and practices take place at Purissima Park Baseball Field.

All Majors teams will play in a league playoff, double-elimination tournament. The winning team will have the opportunity to participate in the District Tournament of Champions, (T.O.C.).  All-Star tournament opportunities may also be available for a limited number of Majors players.

Approximate regular season Schedule:  Majors usually starts in early February and goes until late May. The TOC occurs during early June.  The All-Star season begins in June and can go until August, depending on how far a team advances.
Please contact [email protected] with any questions. 

Juniors Division

The Junior League Baseball Division is a program for boys and girls with "Little League ages" 13-14 (usually 7th - 8th grade), using a conventional 90-foot diamond with a pitching distance of 60 feet, 6 inches.  Juniors teams play all District 44 Juniors teams from around the area.

Practices / Games:  Typically two or three practices per week, and shifting to two to three games and one practice per week later in the season.   Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

Seniors Division

The Senior League Baseball Division is a program for boys and girls with "Little League ages" 15-16, using a conventional 90-foot diamond with a pitching distance of 60 feet, 6 inches.  Seniors teams play District teams from around the area.

Practices / Games:  Typically two or three practices per week, and shifting to two to three games and one practice per week later in the season.The Senior Division season may only begin once the local high school season has concluded. This is typically mid May.   Please contact [email protected] with any questions. 

Challenger Program

The Little League Challenger Program is an adaptive baseball program for individuals with intellectual and physical challenges. The LALL Challenger program accommodates ages 5 through 15. Games are played on Sundays in the spring and are typically 1-2 innings long, lasting about an hour.  Games follow T-Ball rules with regard to every player getting to bat every inning. Players have a buddy to offer guidance, to keep them safe, and to provide the best experience possible. Buddies assist with batting, running the bases and fielding.

The following local leagues in District 44 have Challenger teams: Cupertino, Santa Clara Westside, Sunnyvale, and Sunnyvale Metro. For more information: D44 Challenger Division.  Please contact [email protected] with any additional questions.

3. Volunteer Requirements

LALL is a 100% volunteer-run organization, and requires family participation to operate.  Each player is expected to have at least one parent support their team or the League during the season.  There are a number of different jobs suited to a variety of skill sets and time commitments.  You may select from your preferred role in the registration process.  Should that role not be available, the coach or commissioner will let you know and offer you other volunteer opportunities.

It’s understood that some families are not able to provide support with their time.  As a result, there is an opt-out fee option in the registration process.  Those funds are used to support League operations and, when possible, to backfill for volunteers we otherwise need.  However, for reasons related to both engagement and getting optimal coverage, the League strongly recommends the volunteer option over the opt-out fee.

Please note that background checks are required by the State of California for volunteers that work with children.  More information will be provided to you from our Safety Officer upon registration.

4. Register

All registrations are completed online via this losaltoslittleleague.com. Some very basic (but important) instructions:

1. If you have not previously done so, you will be prompted to create an online account. This collects parent and player information.

2. You will then be prompted to register your child(ren). Click on the "Register" button next to your child's name to add the child to your online shopping cart. If you are registering multiple children, be sure to add both before "checking out" (i.e. paying as the final step in your registration).  Please make sure to answer all fields.  Some Divisions may (or may not) require certain information (like School), and this helps ensure the best experience for all registered players.

3. Finally, you will be prompted to "complete checkout", which will prompt you for payment information.

5. Complete Volunteer Verification

PLEASE NOTE: ANY PARENT WHO SERVES AS A COACH OR ASSISTANT COACH MUST COMPLETE A BACKGROUND CHECK. We will be using JDP, a third party vendor, to conduct the required background checks of all adult volunteers. With this process, all volunteers will receive an e-mail shortly after online registration is completed, which will contain a link that directs the volunteer to the Los Altos & Los Altos Hills Little League Volunteer Online Application (served by JDP).

6. Player Evaluations (if applicable)

Minors AA, AAA and Majors require an evaluation, which will be held on January 11th, 2025.  There is a weather-related make-up date of January 25th, 2025.  Please save both dates.  Evaluations typically take approximately 90 minutes.  The schedule will be communicated to all AA, AAA, and Majors registrants a couple of weeks prior to the evaluation date.

The evaluation results, along with info from prior LALL coaches, is used  to guide coaches during the draft in order to determine if a player is a fit for their team.  If selected, the family will be notified within about a week of the draft (see above for rough timing).

If a player isn’t selected, they will be offered an opportunity to play at the more appropriate division for their skills.  Because these drafts are staggered, players who don’t get selected at one level will still be eligible for selection in the next-lower level (e.g. if a player doesn’t get drafted in AAA, they will be offered the opportunity to enter the AA draft).

Players of certain ages are guaranteed to be drafted at a given level if their age qualifies, as shown in the table unless there’s a serious safety concern.

See Section 2’s description of each division for more info on when families should expect first contact from their coach for the season.