Overview:

This is a big step up from T-Ball and Rookie Ball Junior, as this division sees players improve greatly in defensive skills, positional play, and hitting. A real baseball is used at this level, baselines increase to 55 feet, and pitching is done by a coach/parent from a distance of 23 feet. The ball gets hit a lot in this group, and generally deeper and faster than at earlier levels. The game is played in adherence to Rocky Mountain Little League House Rules, written and modified by coaches and parents over years of experience. This is the first division where scores are kept and where baseball rules regarding strikes, outs, innings, etc. are generally followed as much as possible. All parents are expected to contribute in some way, either with field prep, assisting on the bench during games, or as a scorekeeper during the season.

Parents Need to Provide:

Participants are supplied with a colourful, numbered T-shirt style jersey, baseball pants, a ball cap, belt and baseball socks (all of which they keep).

Parents must supply players with:

• Batting helmet
• Running shoes or cleats
• Baseball glove
• Athletic supporter or compression shorts (mandatory in Little League).

Please make sure your player's helmet fits properly, is NOCSAE approved, and is marked (athletic tape works well) to identify it as your child’s.

Many players have or will wish to purchase their own baseball bats. All bats used in Rookie Ball Senior must have a "USA Baseball" approved logo and must be at least 27 inches long. No exceptions (this includes practices and games). All USA Baseball approved bats 26 inches and shorter are only permitted with soft T-Balls, not baseballs. The league will provide each team with at least one USA Baseball bat.

Player Age and Ability:

This level of play is designed for 7 year-olds who were considered among the best players on their team in Rookie Ball Junior, most 8 year-olds, and 9 year-olds who have limited baseball experience or who receive evaluation results that indicate Minors would not be the best fit for them (based upon age as at August 31, 2023). It is recommended that 7 year-olds who are not comfortable consistently catching a hard baseball register for Rookie Ball Junior, even if they played Rookie Ball Junior last season. Link to Little League age chart:  Age Chart

Players must have a date of birth between September 1, 2015 and August 31, 2017, to register for Rookie Ball Senior. Exceptions must be approved by the league in advance.

Very strong players who are league age 8 can try out for a spot in Minors. If selected for Minors, parents will pay the fee difference between Minors and Rookie Ball. Players who are league age 9 and are placed in Rookie Ball Senior will receive a refund to reflect the fee difference between Minors and Rookie Ball.

Cost:

Cost is $250 for the regular season. Players registering after March 15, 2024 must pay a $50 late registration fee, so please register before this date. Cost for the Summer Development Program is $150 and requires a separate registration. 

Schedule Information:

The Regular Season generally runs from the first week of May until the last week of June. Games are usually played twice per week from Monday through Thursday on various evenings, and many coaches hold weekend and/or weeknight practices.

Games start at 6:30 pm and are over by approximately 8:00 pm. Many coaches will expect players to be at the Diamond by 6:00 pm to warm up (first pitch is at 6.30 pm for Rookie Ball Senior games). The schedule will be published after enough parents have volunteered to coach and teams can be finalized, usually in mid-April.

The Summer Development Program runs during July and August, and requires a separate registration that will open in early June.

Where Games Are Played:

• Rookie Ball Senior games are played on Diamonds in Braeside, Elboya, Fairview, Ogden/Lynnwood and Woodlands.
• The diamonds for the league can be found here, with links to maps - Diamonds