Frequently asked questions

Player registration fees are used to cover the following expenses incurred by Zionsville Little League:

• Uniforms
• Team equipment
• Game baseballs
• Umpire fees
• Park/field maintenance and improvement

ZLL’s biggest expense is the upkeep of Lions Park from the months of March through October. Lions Park is privately owned by the Lions’ Club and jointly maintained by ZLL and the Lions’ Club.  Most youth baseball and softball leagues play at a public park and are not responsible for the park maintenance and everyday upkeep. If you are interested in the financials, please refer to our yearly budget.

ZLL board positions are strictly volunteer based and are not paid positions.

ZLL is always in need of managers, assistant coaches, and team parents. During registration, you’ll be given the option to volunteer for those positions. Team managers are board approved and are notified of their selection prior to evaluations so that the approved managers can assist in those evaluations.

Also, ZLL board elections occur every year in September. Please approach a current board member for more information regarding your interest in volunteering.

Zionsville Little League follows the bat rules established by Little League International.  Wood, metal, and some composite bats are allowed, but these bats must meet specific Little League requirements for length, diameter, and performance specifications.  We strongly recommend you consult with Little League International’s rules before purchasing a new bat.  The rules page includes the bat specifications.  It is very important that you check the list of approved composite bats if you want to use a composite bat.  The best resource for you is the Little League International Bat Resource Page.

Practices for the spring rec season begin in mid-to-late March, depending on the weather.  Games begin in mid-April, usually on the second or third weekend of April.  The spring rec season lasts until its conclusion with a post-season tournament that ends in mid June.  Check the ZLL Calendar for the specific dates each year.

There are no set days of the week or times for practices and games.  We often have more teams than fields available which makes it impossible to give each team a specific date and time each week for practices.  Most teams will practice once or twice per week before the games begin.  Once games begin, practices are less frequent – perhaps once every two weeks.  Some teams schedule practices at locations other than Lions’ Park to get more practice time in.

Teams typically play 12 to 15 games per season.  Usually there will be one game for a team during the week and one game on each Saturday.  Weekday games begin at 5:30 or 6 pm.  Saturday games start as early as 10 am and will run all day.

Practice and game schedules will provided by each team’s coach.  They are also posted on the web site under the Calendar tab as Game Schedules.

Many parents of baseball players in our player pitch divisions (ages 9 through 13) wonder which division is right for their child.

For the Minors, Majors and the 50/70 (officially known as “Intermediate”) ZLL allows players over a range of ages to play at the different levels.  Details about the age ranges and the objectives of the divisions are described on the ZLL web site at http://zionsvillelittleleague.org/programs/recreation-baseball.

The decision where a child plays is a combination of the parents and ZLL.  The parents decide which level or levels you have your player evaluate for (you may evaluate for more than one level), and ZLL determines, through a drafting process, which level your child will actually play at.

When parents determine which level (or levels) to have their child evaluate for, the parents should consider a variety of factors including:

• The child’s age
• How the child’s skill levels compare to the probable skill levels of players in that division
• The desire to play with friends from school (i.e. in the same grade)
• Potential selection to All-Star teams
• Likelihood of being selected in a draft if playing “up” with older players.  Each division fills teams using a draft.  If your child isn’t selected in the draft for the division in which they evaluated, they will be drafted in a lower division.  Every child is selected in the draft – no one is left out.
• ZLL or Little League International do have some age based restrictions.  9 year olds can only play in minor in ZLL.  13 year olds can only play in 50/70.  For 10, 11 and 12 year olds, there is a choice.

Before your player attends an evaluation session, you should consider these factors.  If you have any questions, please consult with ZLL Board members or prior coaches you may have had in previous years.

Softball players aged 9-12 and baseball players aged 9-13 are drafted onto teams after evaluations. No players are assigned to a manager’s team except for that manager’s daughter or son prior to the draft.

Softball and baseball players aged 6-8 are blindly distributed to teams based on evaluation scores. A manager may designate one parent as an assistant coach and that daughter or son will be assigned to that manager’s team.

Zionsville Little League provides the following refund policy when a child is withdrawn from the program. 

1. If the player withdraws or quits before team selection, a 100% Refund will be allowed (Minus a $10 processing fee).

2. If the player withdraws or quits after team selection and prior to the first scheduled game, a 50% Refund will be allowed (Minus a $10 processing fee).

3. If the player withdraws or quits after the first scheduled game, NO Refund will be allowed.
Please email Ashley Alexander at zllplayeragent@gmail.com when requesting a refund.

4. Under any circumstances, if the season is completely cancelled, ZLL reserves the right to withhold up to 25 percent of the collected fees for administrative costs and field maintenance.

“Little League Age” describes a baseball or softball players age for eligibility to play at different levels of Little League.

Baseball/Tee Ball Age Determination:  For a child playing baseball (and Tee Ball), the Little League age is determined based on the child’s age on August 31 of the current calendar year. For the 2023 season, your child’s Little League age is based on their age on August 31, 2023.

• Example 1:  If your child’s birthday is March 15, 2013, then he/she would be 10 on August 31, 2020, and his/her Little League Age for 2023 is 10.
• Example 2:  If your child’s birthday is July 15, 2013, then he/she would be 10 on August 31, 2023, and his/her Little League Age for 2023 is 10 (even though he/she would only be 9 during the duration of the ZLL 2020 spring season).
• Example 3:  If your child’s birthday is November 15, 2013, then he/she would be 9 on August 31, 2023 and his/her Little League age for 2023 is 9.

Softball Age Determination:  For a child playing softball, the Little League age is determined based on the child’s age on December 31 of the calendar year preceding the current softball season.  For the 2023 season, your child’s Little League age is based on their age on December 31, 2022.

• Example 1:  If your child’s birthday is March 15, 2013, then she was 9 on December 31, 2022 and her Little League age for 2023 is 9, even though she will be 10 during the duration of the 2023 spring season.
• Example 2:  If your child’s birthday is July 15, 2013, then she was 9 on December 31, 2022 and her Little League age for 2023 is 9.
• Example 2:  If your child’s birthday is November 15, 2023 , then she was 9 on December 31, 2022 and her Little League age for 2022 is 9.

Little League International provides tools for determining a child’s Little League age which are updated each year.  If you are unsure from the information above, please consult the official Little League Age Determination web page.

A child may play in Zionsville Little League if the child meets the residency requirements for Zionsville Community School system – living inside the borders of the ZCS system.  A map of the ZCS system is available here.

A child may also play in ZLL if the child attends a school that is physically located inside the boundaries of the ZCS system.

Please note that Trader’s Point Christian Church is outside the ZCS system boundaries.  Children who live outside the ZLL/ZCS system boundaries and attend Trader’s Point Christian Church are not eligible to play in ZLL.

If the child does not live within the ZLL boundaries or attend a school within the ZLL boundaries, but would like to play in ZLL, please contact the ZLL Player Agent at playeragent@zionsvillelittleleague.org

The complete rules for player residency and school attendance are described on the Little League International web site .

Zionsville Little League will be offering a Tee Ball program for younger children beginning in the Spring of 2020.  For more information, view our Tee Ball page.

This answer starts with a question. Do you live in another little league’s boundaries? If your address is within another little league’s boundaries, Little League International requires that your player play at that little league. A waiver can be submitted to the District Administrator, but ZLL has been told that these waivers are only approved when special circumstances are involved. If you’d like to apply for this waiver, please contact the ZLL Player Agent.

*Special Note* Currently most of Carmel does not fall within another little league’s boundaries. If you live in Carmel and would like your son or daughter to play at ZLL, please contact the ZLL Player Agent.

Yes. Little League International allows players to continue to play at ZLL after moving out of the boundaries. A waiver must be completed and 3 proofs of residence provided for the prior address and current address. As long as there is not a season in which someone in your family is not playing at ZLL, your family is allowed to continue to play.

No. Practices and games occur on variable days throughout the season. No team will have weekday practices
and/or games on a consistent day of the week.

Little League International sets the birthdate cutoff for softball.

The softball birthdate cutoff is December 31^st. The age of your softball player on December 31^st is the age your player is considered for the following season. So, if your daughter was 10 years old on December 31, 2015,  and turned 11 on January 15, 2016, she would be 10 years old for the 2016 Little League Softball season.

Have you ever been confused about whether a runner has to slide when approaching a base when a tag may be made?  Truth is, they don’t have to slide if they make an attempt to get around a fielder.  This FAQ will help clear up things for you.

Rule 7.08 (3) for both baseball and softball reads:

“Any runner is out when the runner does not slide or attempt to get around a fielder who has the ball and is waiting to make the tag.”

A few points of emphasis:

• The runner has a choice; he/she may slide or he/she may attempt to get around a fielder.  So it’s not mandatory for the runner to slide in these situations.
• If runner’s choice is not to slide and instead attempts to get around the fielder who has the ball, it does not mean runner must avoid contact — contact alone does not make the runner out if in the umpire’s judgement they made an attempt to get around.
• The fielder must have possession of ball and be waiting to make the tag for either choice to matter — if NOT, the baseline and the base belong to runner.

Our youth umpires are trained to apply this rule correctly, but sometimes we see disagreements on what constitutes an “attempt.”  The attempt is a judgment call by the umpire.  If the umpire says the runner made an attempt then their decision stands (and should not be debated or influenced by managers, coaches, players, parents, etc.).