Jenkintown Abington Little League Baseball Spring 2024
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR 2024!
We are excited to announce the start of our 2024 spring baseball season and look forward to another great year!
JA Little League Baseball offers intramural programs for children aged 4-13. 13-17 year olds can check out our Connie Mack program. The Spring season will begin in March with practices (games will begin in April) and conclude June 9th. Below, please find a brief description of the 4 programs. Remember, all children are welcome, regardless of experience or skill level.
QuickBall/Tee Ball: This increasingly popular program is for our youngest athletes, ages on Sept 1 '23 of 4-5. Every Saturday morning, they will practice the basic fundamentals of running, catching, hitting, and learning the game of baseball. They will participate in drills by moving from station to station in small groups, and then play a non-competitive game against another JA Quickball team. This program is interactive and engaging. All Quickball games are played at Alverthorpe Park on Saturday mornings. Parking is ample and convenient!
***If you’re registering for QuickBall, there will be another email coming from the QuickBall coordinator providing more detailed information
Rookies: Our Rookies Machine-Pitch program is for athletes ages on September 1 '23 of 6-7. This program is designed to further develop the fundamentals of baseball. Players are introduced to baseballs, bats and helmets. Your coach will feed the ball through a pitching machine to players with the other team in the field (catchers are introduced at this level). As the season progresses, the games will become more competitive and scores will be kept. We will have playoffs and crown a champion at this level (playoffs and championship are JA Baseball teams only). Our games will be played at Alverthorpe and the Cheltenham baseball complex.
Minors: Our introductory to kid-pitch baseball is for ages on September 1 '23 of 8-9 . These games are played on a 46-60 field with a child pitcher, catcher behind the plate and base stealing is permitted (2 per inning max). Umpires are introduced and games are played by the rules. The main goal is to continue to develop these kids and be instructional in nature. However, these games do get competitive and we will have playoffs and crown a champion (playoffs and championship will only include JA Baseball teams). Games will be played at Alverthorpe and Cheltenham, and new for 2024, McKinley Elementary.
Intermediates: Our senior league for our oldest athletes, ages on September 1 '23 of 10-12 These games are played on a 50-70 field where leads and pick off are permitted. Again, we ask the coaches to continue to teach the game as this is still considered a developmental league for all skill-leveled players. These games are competitive and we will crown a champion at the end of the season. These games will be mostly played at SPS Field for home games and Cheltenham for away games. We are also looking forward to hosting games under the lights at Alverthorpe Park at the end of the season for our intermediates as well as on our new convertible field at McKinley Elementary.
***If your child brings his or her own bat, the bat MUST have the USA BASEBALL label on the barrel of the bat. USSA, BBCOR or any other labeled bat is not permitted on the field at any time. We play under a Little League Charter and this is a firm rule, so please don’t waste your money on the wrong bat. Umpires and most coaches will know as soon as the ball makes contact with a non-USA bat that it is illegal.
Volunteers:
We need as many volunteers as possible. We’re always looking for head and assistant coaches, concession workers, field crews, and team moms and dads. There is no experience needed to coach or volunteer for any of our programs. Please register when you sign your child up!
We need help with the snack stand and are looking for someone to take over coordinating volunteers. This is a great way to help out if you are looking to help in a way other than coaching.
Calendar of events (subject to change):
- Registration Opens Monday, January 1st – Sunday, March 3rd
- Player Draft: Early March
- March 9th or 10th: Volunteer Day. We will meet at Alverthorpe to go over logistics. ***Mandatory for rookie coaches to learn how to set up the machine and go over the rules.
- Practices begin: Week of March 24th or first week of April depending on field availability
- Opening Day: April 13th
- Playoffs begin: June 3rd
- Championships: Saturday, June 8th (All Championships on Field B - Alverthorpe)
- Home Run Derby: Saturday, June 8th (All participants and volunteers on Field C - Alverthorpe)
***The baseball committee asks that you please do not request specific coaches or teammates if your child is playing at the rookie level or higher. We must ensure that teams are balanced evenly and competitively throughout the season.
Please feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Shawn Walker
[email protected]
