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FAQ for East Chatham Little League 

How do I determine my child's league age?
East Chatham Little League offers baseball AND softball to boys and girls ages 4 - 16 according to Little League birthdate/age rules. Visit https://www.littleleague.org/play-little-league/determine-league-age/ to use the Little League age calculator to determine your child's league age for the current season.  For our fall season, we use the Little League age requirements for the FOLLOWING spring season (so the age division your child will play in during the spring season, they will play in that same division the preceding fall.)  All children are REQUIRED to play in their age appropriate division, unless they desire to play in an older division that is approved by the board.  

Where are your baseball/softball fields located?
We have access to several fields throughout the East Chatham area to use for games and practices. 

PIT Field - 375 Pittsboro Elementary School Rd, Pittsboro 27312 (behind the school)
EC Field - 375 Pittsboro Elementary School Rd, Pittsboro 27312 (in front of/across the street from the school)
Farrell Field -  3380 Lystra Rd, Chapel Hill 27517 (Intersection of Jack Bennett Rd. & Lystra Rd.)
Horton Middle School Field - 79 S Horton St, Pittsboro 27312
Perry Harrison Field - 2655 Hamlets Chapel Rd, Pittsboro 27312
Northwood Fields - 310 Northwood High School Rd, Pittsboro 27312
North Chatham Elementary Field - 3380 Lystra Rd, Chapel Hill 27517 (behind the school)
Seaforth Field - 444 Seaforth Rd, Pittsboro 27312
Briar Chapel Fields - 1015 Andrews Store Rd, Pittsboro 27312

When and where are games usually held?
Games for the spring season will begin on Opening Day held in late March and continue through early June. 

The Tee Ball (4-6) teams will play the majority of their games on Saturday mornings at PIT or EC Field (possibly Farrell field as well). However, there may be some instances where Tee Ball teams will need to play on a weeknight due to schedule and weather related issues.  

The machine pitch and player pitch divisions up to league age 12, will typically have 2 games played during the week at PIT, EC or Farrell fields (Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri) nights with games starting at 5:30pm and approx. 7:15pm) with possible makeup games held on Wednesdays and/or the weekends.  

The Seniors 16U (13-16) season starts in mid/late March and lasts through the end of May/early June.  *The season could start and end later since we currently rely on interleague games for part of our schedule.  The games will be Northwood High School.  

All-Star practices begin in the middle of May with games starting in mid/late June.  

Games for the fall season will typically run from the beginning of September through the end of October.

All games for the fall season are held on Sunday afternoons at Pit, EC and Farrell fields for 12U and younger.  16U games are at Northwood.


*There are many variables that can affect the game schedule throughout the season including weather, number of teams, field conditions, etc. The ECLL Competition Committee and Board greatly appreciate your understanding as the schedule may need be adjusted throughout the season due to weather and other reasons.

What is the typical practice schedule during the season?
Days and times for practice vary and will be set by the head coach in accordance with the ECLL Competition Committee and Board once teams and rosters are established.

In the spring season, T-Ball (4-6) teams typically practice one hour, twice a week (one weeknight and weekend) until games start. Once games begin, tee ball practice is only held one weeknight or Sunday with games on Saturday mornings. Teams in the other divisions typically practice 90 minutes twice a week until games start (one weeknight and one weekend practice). Once games begin, teams will usually hold only one practice on the weekend and play games on weeknights.

In the fall season, teams will practice 1 time per week on a weeknight. 

How are teams formed in ECLL?
Tee Ball (6U) teams are always formed by the board.  At the Tee Ball (4-6) level, ECLL does try to honor requests for coach/teammate/practice locations if possible.

In the spring season, teams for the other divisions are formed based on player evaluations and a player draft conducted by the coaches.  In the fall season, the board will form the teams and try to make them as equal as possible.

What equipment/uniform items are needed?

What is the USA Baseball Bat Standard? Does my child need a certain type of bat?
All players in ECLL must follow the USA Baseball bat standard (USABat) as adopted by Little League Baseball, effective January 1, 2018.  All bats used in ECLL games must be certified/stamped with the official USA Baseball logo showing they comply with the USABat standard.

Click here for more information, including a complete list of bats approved through the USABat standard.

What is the typical timeline for the recreation Spring season?

December: Registration opens
Mid January:  Early bird discounted registration ends
Early February:  Registration ends and player evaluations held for machine pitch and player pitch (12U and younger)
Mid/Late February:  Practices begin for all divisions/teams (12U and younger)
Late March:  Opening Day ceremonies (including picture day) and games begin
April:  Games continue
Mid May: All-star practices begin
Late May:  Regular season ends/playoffs begin 
Early June:  Championships for playoffs held for machine pitch and player pitch (12U and younger)
Mid/Late June:  District all-star tournaments held 
July:  State all-star tournaments held

*In the fall season, registration opens by mid-July, with practices starting in late August. Games start in early September and finish in late October.


What is our COVID Protocol?

Our league recommends following the current CDC guidelines at the time of any positive tests for Covid.