• Babe Ruth Baseball

     The Casselton Park District recognizes that the level of competition becomes stronger in Babe Ruth baseball.

     Not all the players who participated in Rookie baseball can or should compete at the Babe Ruth level.  The game gets more difficult, both physically and mentally, when play moves up to the regulation diamond for Babe Ruth.

Sportsmanship

     Sportsmanship extremely important in Babe Ruth baseball.  Players must follow the Babe Ruth Code of Conduct, which specifically requires them to show respect for their teammates, their coaches the opposing team and the game officials.

• It is inappropriate to yell at game officials at any level of any sport.  Calls that don't favor the home team happen.  Parents and fans need to realize that they need to honor the game and the umpires and remind others around them to do the same.  Please don't do anything that would emabarass your child, the team, your community or yourself.
• Profanity and vulgar language will not be tolerated from players or coaches.  The use of tobacco or alcohol is also prohibited. 
• The park district will not accept poor sportsmanship from its players, parents or fans.  If a pattern of inappropriate behavior becomes apparent, coaches will bench offending players, with the option of suspending them if the situation warrants.
• The park district also reserves the right to ask parents and fans to quiet themselves or leave the diamond if they display poor sportsmanship or any type of inappropriate behavior.  We want our teams to play the game the right way, which means they will not question calls made by any umpire.  That's the coach's job, if necessary. 

     All Babe Ruth players and parents will be required to sign a form agreeing to adhere to the policies enacted by Babe Ruth baseball and the Casselton Park District.  Players who violate the terms of that agreement will, at the discretion of the coach, the park district director and the park board, be suspended:

1. First Offense:  One-game suspension
2. Second Offense:  Three-game suspension
3. Third Offense:  The season is over.

     The park district and its coaches strive to set a positive example for our baseball players.  We want our kids to work hard, have fun and enjoy the games they play.  Please respect what we're trying to do by helping us stress good sportsmanship.

13-Year-Old Babe Ruth Guidelines

     Babe Ruth baseball is designed for players 13 to 15 years of age.  The national governing body of Babe Ruth baseball changed its qualifying age in the spring of 2006.

•      Players must be 13 years old prior to May 1 of a calendar year in order to participate on a sanctioned Babe Ruth team.
•      Conversely, players who turn 16 prior to May 1 of any given year are too old for Babe Ruth baseball and must move up to the American Legion level.
• Please note that a player's grade in school has nothing to do with his Babe Ruth eligibility.  Babe Ruth age requirements are determined strictly by a player's birthday.
•      Parents or players who have questions concerning Babe Ruth's age policy should contact the park district office at 347-5386.

     Babe Ruth baseball is played on a regulation-sized diamond.  The bases are 90 feet apart and the pitchers throw from a distance of 60 feet, 6 inches.

     Because of the difficulty many 13-year-olds face moving from the smaller diamond used in Pee Wee and Rookie League play, the park district has a separate team for first-year Babe Ruth players that allows them to adapt to the larger diamond and different rules while competing against teams made up of players their own age.

     The Casselton Titans have participated in Fargo's 13-year-old Babe Ruth league since 2003.  Games typically begin the second week of May and a 20 to 24-game season concludes the last week of July.

• Teams play one (1) seven-inning game every Monday and Wednesday evening.  Casselton home games begin at 6 p.m., and games at other locations typically start at 6 p.m. or 8 p.m.  The league does enforce a two-hour time limit for games, but we don't follow that rule in Casselton because there is only one game per night.
• The Fargo league does have some participation rules all teams must follow.  Each player on your team's bench on a given night has to bat least once or play at least two (2) innings in the field.

      Because of those regulations, teams in the league typically carry only 11 or 12 players on their rosters.  Otherwise, it is very difficult for a coach to make sure all of his players participate while remaining competitive.  Team rosters are capped at 15 players, but we can carry more during the season.

     The park district will instruct its 13-year-old coach or coaches to take no more than 12 players to each league game.  If the Casselton team has more players than that on its roster, the coaching staff, with assistance from the park district director, will develop a player rotation system:

• All players at the Babe Ruth level will have an opportunity to participate, but not equally and not in every game.  The parks department and the coaches may decide to set up a rotation that includes the same six players for every game, with the team's remaining players rotating in and playing in selected contests.  At the Babe Ruth level, the kids that show more skill and work hard to improve will receive the majority of the playing time.
• Playing time will be determined by the coach or coaches, based on game situations.  Coaches can choose to play or not play kids based on their ability, their effort, their game and practice attendance and their attitude.

     Parents with issues during the baseball season should first address them with the coach in an effort to solve whatever problems may be occurring.  The park district director will encourage our coaches to discuss those issues with him as well.

     The park district director may choose to discuss issues that may arise during the season with the park board.  Parents can attend a park board meeting and request to speak on any baseball issues they may have.  Please contact the park district office at 347-5386 to be placed on a meeting agenda.

14-15 Babe Ruth Baseball

     Casselton's older Babe Ruth team and/or teams participate in the Mid-Cass Babe Ruth League with teams from Enderlin, Kindred, Northern Cass and Harwood.

     All players 13 years of age prior to May 1 of each calendar year is eligible for Mid-Cass league play.  Players cannot turn 16 prior to May 1 of each year and remain eligible, however.

     Mid-Cass league play typically begins the last Wednesday of May.  The season culminates with a league tournament, with the top two teams from the tournament advancing to district play.  The winners of the District VII Babe Ruth Tournament advance to the north Dakota State Class B Tournament, held at rotating sites each year.

     The number of registered 14 and 15-year-old players will dictate our team structure, to a certain extent.  In years where we have enough eligible 14 and 15-year-olds, we may choose to divide the teams up according to their age.

     If that is not the case, the park district may decide to field just one Babe Ruth team.  Babe Ruth policy allows for only 15 players on any team roster, but we can choose to carry more during the regular season.

     At tournament time, however, we must trim our roster to the mandated 15 players.  That means that players who participated during the regular season may be left off the roster during tournament play.  Player personnel decisions will be made the coach or coaches, in conjunction with the park district director.

14-15 Team and Player Guidelines

     All 14 and 15-year-old players need to attend all practices and games.  Players can be excused if they notify their coach prior to a practice or game and receive permission to be absent.

     Individual player commitment plays a big role with coaches in determining playing time.  Players who show up on time and are ready to listen to instruction and play hard can earn more extensive playing time during games.

     One of our main goals at the Babe Ruth level is to be competitive, win games and advance in tournament play.  To that end, our coaches will use the players they feel will give their teams the best chance to be successful.  All players on our older Babe Ruth roster or rosters will have an opportunity to participate during the season, but equal playing time is not a primary goal, as it was at the youth level.

     Coaches may choose to use a rotation at this Babe Ruth level as well.  Players may not play in every game during the season.  Playing time will be determined by the coach, based on a number of different factors, including practice attendance and performance, attitude and skill level.

     Parents and players who have questions about their team or the season itself should first address those issues with their coach.  The coaches will be encouraged to talk with the park district director as well.  The director may choose to bring the issue or issues to the attention of the park board.

Casselton Youth Baseball

     The Casselton Parks and Recreation Department oversees all summer youth sports in Casselton, beginning with T-Ball for children ages 5 and 6 all the way up to American Legion baseball for players 16 through 19 years of age.

     The following guidelines apply primarily to players ages 9 and up, when they begin playing as Pee Wees in an organized league.  

Sportsmanship

     The most important thing your son or daughter can learn plying baseball in Casselton is to be a good sport.  Parents should set a good example for their children at games by being positive at all times.

     It is inappropriate to yell at game officials at any level of any sport, but especially at the youth level.  If "bad" calls occur, honor the game and be silent, and remind those around you to do the same.  Don't do anything that would emabarass your child, the team, your community or yourself.

     Don't give instructions to your child during the game.  Let the coach do that.  After the game, be positive, no matter what the outcome.

     Parents are our children's primary teachers.  Remember that kids often do what their parents do.  Winning and losing is not the parks department's primary focus at the youth level, so why should it be yours?

     All players and parents will be required to sigh a form agreeing to abide by the policies and principles enacted by the park district in this document.

     The park district and its coaches will try to teach our players, your children, how to have fun and enjoy the game.  Please respect what we're trying to do by helping us stress good sportsmanship.

Pee Wee Baseball

    The Pee Wee division of the Mid-Cass Baseball League is designed to be an introduction to the organized game.  Team records are kept for the purpose of seeding the year-end tournament, but learning the rules of the game and the fundamentals of baseball are much more important than winning or losing. 

     Pee Wee baseball is for players 9 and 10 years old.  Players must be 9 by May 1 of a claendar year and cannot turn 11 before May 1 prior to each season.  The parks and recreation department will determine player eligibility prior to the beginning of each season.

     Please note that a child's grade in school has nothing to do with his or her eligibility in relation to Pee Wee baseball or any of our other levels of play.  Birthdates drive the eligibility requirements in all of the park district's organized baseball activities.

Coaching and Player Guidelines

    Pee Wee baseball is an introduction to the organized game.  Practices and games are tailored toward teaching players the rules of the sport and it fundamentals, including fielding ground balls and fly balls, pitching, thorwing to the correct base, running the bases and all the elements involved in hitting a baseball.

     Pee Wee league games are four (4) innings in length.  Pitchers can throw two (2) innings per game and a total of four (4) innings per calendar week in order to insure the safety and the health of our young players and their arms.

     In Pee Wee games, coaches can choose to put all the players on their roster or at that particular game into the batting order.  Ten (10) children can play in the field, with each team typically usinf four (4) outfielders.  Both rules are in place to give more players the opportunity to participate.

     The Casselton Park District attempts to limit each Pee Wee team roster to 12 players or less in order to allow maximum participation.

     Once registration is completed, the coaches, in consultation with the park district director, divide players up in to teams that we hope can compete equally with each other and with the other teams in the Mid-Cass League. 

     There is no A, B or C team structure.  We want our Casselton teams divided as equally as possible in terms of ability.  At the Pee Wee level, our interest is in participation, not competition.  Winning and losing is important, but we want to teach our players to do both in the right way and to enjoy the game regardless of the outcome.

     We instruct our coaches to play everyone on their rosters as evenly as possible and to rotate kids as much as possible to allow them to play a variety of positions.

     Our coaches do have some leeway in applying these guidelines:

•      Not all Pee Wee players can pitch and catch, or play shortstop or first base.  Some 9 and 10-year-old players do not have arms strong enough to throw a baseball across the plate from 46 feet, 6 inches away, and not everyone can catch the ball when it does cross the plate or reaches them at first base.    
•      Coaches are allowed to limit playing time based on player commitment.  All players, regardless of their age, need to show up on time for all scheduled practices and games.  They also need to be respectful and listen to what their coaches are trying to teach them.
•      At this level of baseball, our goal is for the kids to have fun, but we also want them to realize that playing a sport also involves some effort and that they need to pay attention and hustle in order to learn and improve.
•      The park district director is in regular contact with all the youth coaches throughout the season concerning issues that affect their teams.  If parents have a concern or a question, they should first contact their child's coach, then the park district director, who could refer the issue to the park board, if necessary.  Remember, the park district director's job is to coordinate games and gives coaches direction as to how to play, not who to play.    

Rookie Baseball

     Rookie League baseball is for players 11 and 12 years of age.  The Mid-Cass League uses the same May 1 deadline as a guideline for Rookie player eligibility.

     Rookie League baseball is played by older, stronger and faster kids, and the rules allow them to do more things.  League games are five (5) innings in length, with the 10-run rule in effect after three (3) complete innings of play.  Nine (9) players are used in the batting lineup and in the field.

•      Pitchers can throw three (3) innings per contest and a total of six (6) a week.  We're still trying to protect young pitching arms by limiting the number of innings kids can throw.  Players in this age group have bodies that are still developing and any type of injury to a young arm can cause problems for a player for a number of years.
•      Fundamental is still stressed at the Rookie level.  Players in this age group can never catch enough fly balls, field enough grounders, or swing at enough pitches.  Pitching mechanics and the fundamentals of hitting and bunting will be emphasized, along with base-stealing, which players will be allowed to do in Rookie League play.
•      Our youth coaches and the park district director will divide the Rookie players into 10, 11 or 12-person teams once registration is complete.  Our goal is to create evenly-matched teams that compete well against each other and the rest of the league.
•      Competition becomes somewhat more important at the Rookie level, but we still stress participation.  We want our teams to win with respect for the other team and accept losses with dignity.  Winning is easy; learning to lose can be difficult, but iit is an important lesson for all our players to learn. 

Coaching and Player Guidelines

     Rookie baseball is the next step up from the Pee Wee level.

     Players need to be familiar with the rules and many of the fundamentals of baseball because the speed of the game increases a great deal at the 11 and 12-year-old level.  Rookie players have to think faster, react quicker and play harder than they did at the Pee Wee level.

•      The park district will instruct its Rookie coaches to give all their players an opportunity to participate in each game, although it may not be on an equal basis each and every time out.  Throughout the season, it is our hope that all Rookie players will have a chance to participate and improve.
•      Coaches can make decisions concerning playing time based on the commitment each players shows.  All Rookie players need to be on time and ready to play at each practice and game.  Tardiness will not be tolerated.
•      Players must notify their coaches in advance when they will miss games and/or practices.  Players who make a habit of missing games or practices will not play as much as others who make a stronger effort to attend.
•      Our coaches will decide who will play and who won't, as well as where they play and how often, based on skill level and the other factors listed above.  The park district director will review its guidelines with the coaches and offer advice and support, but the director will not decide who plays.  That's what we hire coaches to do.
•      Parents who have issues with Rookie baseball should first address them with the coach of their team, then with the park district director, who can choose to refer the issue to the park board if necessary.