Welcome to North Portland Little League. We offer baseball and softball in North Portland for all boys and girls ages 4 -14.
Use the Little League Finder to check if your child is eligible to play in our League.
Use the Little League Age Chart to find your child's League Age
Which division is appropriate for my player?At North Portland Little League (NPLL) we strive to provide several divisions in order to accommodate age and varying skills. Parents need to know which division is right for their child. We have attempted to provide guidelines below in the hope of eliminating confusion and to give the player the best chance of success. A rule of thumb on which division to choose for your child is to work your way backwards by grade given that:
- Juniors - 7th / 8th graders
- Majors - 5th/6th graders
- Minors - 3rd/4th graders
- Farm - 2nd graders
- Coastal - 1st graders
- Tee Ball - Pre-K and Kindergarteners.
We believe that for success, each child should have 2 years of Majors, 2 years of Minors, 1 year of Farm, 1 year of Coastal, and 1 year of Tee Ball.
Minors and Majors division are full kid pitch and most kids will play 2 years in each division. The 1st year in the division helps the kid to adjust, and get comfortable. The 2nd year is where they shine and have the opportunity to be a leader on their team. If a child only has 1 year in either of the upper divisions (Minors/Majors) this could stunt their development. Due to this, we recommend that a child follow our below recommendation for division placement and not be held back unless there is an issue of safety. We allow kids to move forward if they are skilled enough and they evaluate properly for a higher division than their age would call for.
League Age is determined by your child's age on August 31st of the current year, use the below League Age Calculator for more details:
http://www.littleleague.org/leagueofficers/Determine_League_Age/League_Age_Calculator.htm
Note for Girls: Baseball vs Softball
Starting at the Tee Ball level, girls have the opportunity to play softball or baseball. The divisions are the same for Softball as they are for baseball and girls are welcome to choose either baseball or softball depending on their preference.
T-Ball ( League Age: 4-6 , Grade: Pre-K to Kindergarten )
LEVEL OF PLAY: NPLL offers a Tee ball division for players of league age 4-6. The division is designed to provide a foundation and introduction to baseball and softball that is grounded in fundamentals, fitness, teamwork, and most importantly, having fun. Most players cannot catch or accurately throw the ball in this division. Again, it is about socialization and learning the very basics of the game.
TEAM SELECTION: We try to assemble teams based on school, grade, friend/coach request, age, etc. If you have a special request for team placement make sure to add this information when you register.
COMMITMENT: Tee Ball teams have one 1hr practice on a weeknight. Practices are usually at Peninsula or Kenton Park. Tee Ball teams have one 1hr game on a Saturday. One parent or guardian per family is required to attend practices and games.
Coastal - Coach Pitch (League Age: 6 to 7, Grade: First Grade)
LEVEL OF PLAY: Coastal is for ball players who have had one year of T-Ball or are otherwise not ready for farm division and will mostly consist of 1st Graders. This division is for that player who is still learning to accurately throw and catch the ball. Most players in this division can hit the ball with some consistency. This division is Coach Pitch for the first six (6) pitches with a Tee used afterwards.
TEAM SELECTION: We try to assemble teams based on school, grade, friend/coach request, age, etc. If you have a special request for team placement make sure to add this information when you register.
COMMITMENT: Coastal teams have one 1hr practice on a weeknight. Practices are usually at Peninsula or Kenton Park. Coastal teams will have a one hour game on a Saturday. One parent or guardian per family is required to attend practices and games.
Farm - Machine Pitch + Kid Pitch (League Age: 7 to 8, Grade: Second Grade)
LEVEL OF PLAY: Farm Baseball is a combination of machine pitch and kid pitch. This division will mostly consist of 2nd graders. Machines pitch the first 2 innings and kids pitch the last 2-4 innings.
TEAM SELECTION: We try to assemble teams based on school, grade, friend/coach request, age, etc. If you have a special request for team placement make sure to add this information when you register.
COMMITMENT: Farm teams have one to two one hour practices on a weeknight. Farm teams will typically have two games a week, one during the week and one on Saturday. This level allows for drop offs at practices and games.
Minors - Kid Pitch ( League Age: 8-10 , Grades: 3rd-5th )
LEVEL OF PLAY: This division is for players ages 8-10 (mostly 3rd and 4th graders and mostly 9-10 year olds) who are ready for a faster paced game that includes live pitching from players, stealing, and bunting. Note, some 11 year olds will try out for majors and will be selected for minors teams during team formation. Our goal is to find the right level for each player. Players should feel comfortable attempting to catch the ball. They should be able to throw accurately most of the time. They do not necessarily need to be able to make the throw on a line from 3rd to 1st. They should also feel comfortable attempting to catch a fly ball. They should feel comfortable in the batters box and have a good grasp of what is a ball and what is a strike. The players should all understand how to make outs.
TEAM SELECTION: Minors Teams are assembled via the Draft Process. All Minors Players are required to attend Evaluations which usually take place the 2nd Saturday or Sunday in February. Check the calendar on the home page. Your child can come to either date or come to both tryouts if desired. Evaluations usually run for about 2 hours. Results of the evaluations are shared only with coaches and are used in order to help draft balanced teams. Because of this, we are not able to honor any player placement requests with regards to playing with specific teams/players. Siblings are always drafted to the same team, and kids always stay with their parents if a parent is a coach. Team sizes are limited to a max of 13 players per team, although 12 is a more desired team size.
COMMITMENT: Minors teams have one to two 1.5-2 hour practice on a weeknight (and Saturdays before games start). Minors teams have two two-hour games a week - one on the weeknight and one game on Saturday. This level allows for drop offs at practices and games.
Majors - Kid Pitch ( League Age: 11-12 , Grades 5th-6th )
LEVELS OF PLAY: This division is for players ages 11-12 (mostly 5th and 6th graders and everyone once in a long while a 10 year old will move up). Players in this division should have spent at least one productive season in minors before considering this level. This is a much faster paced level than minors. The pitching is more refined with many throwers able to deliver off-speed and breaking pitches in addition to locating their fastball. Hitters should feel very comfortable seeing the ball out of the pitchers hand and be able to make contact most of the time. All 11 year olds must try out for majors, but might be selected for a minor league team depending on what coaches believe will be the best fit for the player.
TEAM SELECTION: Majors Teams are assembled via the Draft Process. All Majors Players are required to attend Evaluations which usually take place the 2nd Saturday or Sunday in February. Check the calendar on the home page. Your child can come to either date or come to both tryouts if desired. Evaluations usually run for about 2 hours. Results of the evaluations are shared only with coaches and are used in order to help draft balanced teams. Because of this, we are not able to honor any player placement requests with regards to playing with specific teams/players. Siblings are always drafted to the same team, and kids always stay with their parents if a parent is a coach. Team sizes are limited to a max of 13 players per team, although 12 is a more desired team size.
COMMITMENT: Majors Teams have one to two 1.5-2 hour practice on a weeknight (and Saturdays before games start). Majors teams have two two-hour games a week - one on the weeknight and one game on Saturday. This level allows for drop offs at practices and games.
Juniors - Kid Pitch ( League Age: 13-14 , Grades 7th-8th )
LEVELS OF PLAY: This division is for players ages 13-14 (7th and 8th graders). Juniors is the highest division of Little League Baseball/Softball that we offer. Players utilize a 90 foot diamond.
TEAM SELECTION: We have typically have fielded on Juniors team each season and will revisit the team selection process if we have more signups than usual. Team sizes are limited to a max of 13 players per team, although 12 is a more desired team size.
COMMITMENT: Juniors Teams have one to two 1.5-2 hour practice on a weeknight (and Saturdays before games start). Juniors teams have two two-hour games a week - one on the weeknight and one game on Saturday. This level allows for drop offs at practices and games.
