The primary ages for players in the Tee Ball Division are Baseball Age 4 and 5.
The purpose of the Tee Ball Division is to focus on fun and fundamentals, providing an enjoyable introductory experience to the game of baseball.Boys and girls are taught the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship, as well as the fundamentals of hitting, throwing, and fielding and are introduced to basic game rules.Batters hit off a stationary tee and there are no strikeouts. Fielders begin to learn to stop balls and throw to bases. Score is not kept and the kids bat and field every inning, regardless of the number of outs made or runs scored.Tee Ball practices and games last approximately 1 hour each.
Frequently Asked Questions:
When can my child participate in Tee Ball? WCWAA is part of Little League and has a spring and a fall season.
When does the Spring Season run? Registration for the spring season usually begins the first week of January and runs thru mid-February. We pick teams soon after and start practices toward the end of February. Games start mid-March and the season ends just prior to Memorial Day. We do take a break around Union County’s spring break.
When does the Fall Season run? Registration for the fall season usually begins the first week of July and runs thru mid-August. We pick teams soon after and start practices toward the end of August. Games start mid-September and the season ends around the middle of November.
What is “baseball age?” Being affiliated with Little League, we follow their age ranges for each of our divisions. A baseball year runs from September thru August of the next year. For 2020, a child's baseball age is defined by how old they are on 8/31/2020.
My child doesn’t fit within Little League’s “baseball age” for Tee Ball. What are my options?Generally, we want to keep players within the division that matches their baseball age. Both Tee Ball and Rookie are designed for the beginning player and we don’t keep score in either division, so a first-time player will have a similar experience with either league. We will make exceptions for children close to a cut-off if we feel there is a safety concern. Please reach out to the league President or Tee Ball Commissioner regarding your child’s situation.
What is included with the registration fee? WCWAA will provide a jersey and a hat prior to the beginning of the season. Players must provide their own pants (gray preferred), shoes (rubber cleats are ok, no metal spikes), helmets (dual ear flaps), gloves and bats (must be Little League Approved, and beginning in 2018, must have the USA Baseball stamp on the bat.)
Where are the practices and games held? All events are held at Optimist’s Park at 5211 Weddington Road, Matthews, NC 28104. It’s off of Rt. 84, just down from Weddington High School. The Tee Ball and Rookie fields are on the upper complex, just to the left of the Southbrook Church.
How many practices and games are there a week? Players generally have two events a week between practices and games. Weather and field availability can alter that, however.
What days are practices and games? Unlike other sports and activities, there is no set day or time for practices and games. Weather, the number of teams vs. the availability of fields, opponents, etc. come into play. Generally, once the season begins, we always have games on Saturdays, beginning at 9am and games are scheduled throughout the rest of the day.We will also schedule practices, makeup games, and regularly scheduled games from Monday through Friday during the week. The start and end time during the week will depend on the number of teams we have. Scheduling will generally be between 5pm and 8pm. These will not be the same day and time each week. Unless we have weather and scheduling issues, we try not to schedule anything on Sundays, except practices the first few weeks of the season prior to the beginning of our games.
I’m not sure a variable schedule works for me? Can I make it work? At this age, many parents have their child or children involved in multiple activities. The great thing about WCWAA is that our complex is a “one-stop shop” with fields for baseball, softball, soccer and football, making it easier for parents to jump from one event to the next without having to move the car. In the event that you do have conflicts, it’s not an issue to miss an event because we don’t require a certain number of players to play a game at this age. Just let the coach know.
How many players are on a team? Because our focus is on fun and fundamentals, we generally have smaller teams than the older ages, usually from 5-8 players a team. This gives the kids more reps during the games and more one-on-one time with coaches.
My child would like to play with their friends. Can this happen? Yes, at the Tee Ball level, parents can request that their child play with specific coaches or other kids. Unless it creates unbalanced teams, we make every effort to accommodate all requests. Siblings always play on the same team if they are in the same age division. These requests need to be made in the comments section on the registration form, however.
I have interest in coaching. What is the process?We’d love to have you, no experience necessary! Prospective coaches should note that on their child’s registration and fill out the “Intent to Coach” form on the website. Toward the end of the registration periods, we choose the best qualified coaches based on the number of kids who sign up and the number of teams we will have. If selected, we’ll have you fill out the “WCWAA Background Check” form. Selected coaches are notified prior to team selection.
I’d love to coach, but I don’t have a lot of experience. How much do I need to know? While experience helps, it’s not a requirement at this level. Because we don’t keep score, there is no in-game strategy needed. If you can organize an hour-long practice and teach kids where the bases and positions are and basic hitting, fielding and throwing, you’ve got it covered! If you are sure about those skills, we can help.
I’d love to coach, but I don’t think I have the time. Or do I? Many parents think that they won’t have the time, but find out that the commitment is not as big as they think. There are only 20-24 events a season, practices and games only last an hour, and when there is a conflict, several other parents are willing to step up and take over a practice. We can also try to work thru scheduling conflicts, if possible.
