Manchester Little League offers several levels of leagues to help your child succeed in Baseball or Softball. Many of these levels overlap in age ranges so there is some flexibility on where your player can end up based on both size and ability.

League eligibility is based on your "League Age", and Little League uses these dates to ensure kids are closest in age playing with one another.  For Baseball this is your child's age as of August 31st of that season year.  For Softball this is your daughter's age as of January 1st of that season year.

Examples:
- Timmy plays baseball, and was born on August 15, and the current season year is 2025.  On August 15, 2025 Timmy will turn 7.  This makes Timmy "League Age" 7, even though Timmy will play the entirety of the 2025 season while he is 6 years old.
- Jimmy plays baseball, and was born on September 1, and the current season year is 2026.  On September 1, 2026 Jimmy will turn 12.  This makes Jimmy "League Age" 11, even though he turns 12 right after the cutoff.
- Cindy plays softball, and was born on January 3rd, and the current season year is 2024.  On January 3, 2024 Cindy will turn 13.  This makes Cindy "League Age" 12, even though she turns 13 right after the cutoff.
- Jilly plays softball, and was born on December 13th, and the current season year is 2023.  On December 13, 2022 Jilly turns 10.  This makes Jilly "League Age" 10 for the upcoming season.

Continue reading on for more details regarding our Baseball, Softball, and Challengers Divisions of play.

Tee Ball (Ages 5 & 6)

This is where it begins for most kids starting out in the Little League journey.  The players are instructed in a group, and the goal is get them acclimated to the game of baseball.

Teams consist of 10-12 players.  Every player in attendance gets a chance to hit and run the bases, and the last better up gets to clear the bases.  Outs and score are not recorded.  The goal here is to get the kids to pay attention in the field, and start to develop the hand/eye coordination to swing a bat and make contact with the ball.

The games are limited to 3 innings, and an inning consists of both teams taking their turn at bat, and in the field.

We use a softer baseball for this level for player safety, and coaches and parent volunteers are encouraged to be in the field with their team to try and keep them focused on the batter.

We ask that players start here, so if your child is 6 and did not previously play Tee Ball, sign them up here.

Minors (Ages 6-9)

This is our Coach Pitch level.  The game is pretty much the same as Tee Ball, but now the coaches will pitch to the players.  If a player struggles after 7-10 pitches, a batting tee is used to speed up the game.

We don't track runs or outs.  Innings are over when all the batters on a team have had a chance.

Farm (Ages 7-11)

This is where the kids start to pitch.  If a pitcher gets wild and walks a batter, the coach is brought in to face the next couple of batters.

All players at the game will bat, but only 9 take the field.  Some coaches might opt for 10, and add a 4th outfielder to keep the kids more engaged than sitting on the bench.  Innings are over after 3 outs or 5 runs are scored.

Majors (Ages 10-12)

This is the full Little League Baseball experience.  Innings end after 3 outs, there is no longer a "Run Limit".  There is an overall "Mercy Rule", which consists of either team leading by 15 runs after 3 innings, 10 runs after 4, or 8 runs after 5, the game is over.

Players get nicer jerseys, and we keep track of scores and standings and each season ends with our Town Tournament.

Softball is offered to girls ranging in League Ages from 6 to 16.  We offer the following levels.

AA - Double A (Ages 6-9)

This is our "Coach Pitch" division.  The focus here is for the girls be able to hit a moving softball.  The coach will pitch to the girls and use their judgement to determine how many pitches a player needs, but most players get 7-10 pitches, and then a tee is used to move the game along.

Every player at the game will take a turn at bat each inning, with the "Last Batter" clearing the bases with a "Homerun".

All the girls play in the field, adding more outfielders as needed, and the focus here is to build up the attention spans, and if they can get down for a ground ball or coral a pop-up that's AWESOME and should be cheered wildly!

We use an 11 inch softball and we don't keep score, and we don't track outs.

AAA - Triple A (Ages 8-11)

This is the first level where the girls get to pitch on their own.  Coaches are brought in if a girl gets wild, and walks a few batters in a row. This is to move the game along.

Similar to AA, every girl at the game is in the lineup, but we do track outs, and 3 outs ends the half inning.  We also track a maximum of 4 runs per inning.  Once a team reaches 4 runs scored, the inning is ended and if a batter is in the middle of their at-bat they will resume the next inning.

This is a little closer to the full game, with a few rule modifications to keep pace of play and allow for the girls to continue to learn the game.

We still use an 11 inch softball, but we do start to track scores.

Majors (Ages 10-12)

This is the next progression for the girls.  The pitching rubber moves back 5 feet to a distance of 40 feet, we use a 12 inch softball, and innings are 3 outs or 5 runs scored.

This level does not allow a "Coach Pitch" if the pitcher gets a little wild and walks a few players.

Still at this level, everyone who is at the game is in the line-up, but only 9 players are on the field per defensive inning.  Coaches do their best to substitute players to positions on the infield and outfield where they will find the most success.

Juniors (Ages 13-16)

Juniors is where we open up and have no restrictions on play.  The girls pitch from 43 feet, use the 12 inch ball, and an inning ends when there are 3 outs.  There is an overall "Mercy Rule", if the winning team is up 15 runs after 3 innings, 10 after 4 inning, or 8 after 5 innings the game is over.

Unfortunately, this level is offered only when we have enough girls interested in play.  At this point many of the girls have moved on to play for the middle school team or HS team.  If they are playing for the Middle School team they can double roster, but once your daughter makes a High School roster she is no longer eligible to play for anyone else per CIAC rules.

Manchester Little League is proud to offer our Challengers Division.  This is for those players who due to physical, mental, or emotional limitations would struggle in our other divisions.

Challengers is a modified game of baseball, played with a softer ball, and rules that are similar to our Coach Pitch divisions.

The Challengers Division also offers on field buddies to assist players during the game.

If you have questions, or would like more information about our Challengers Division please reach out to our Commissioner at [email protected]