Youths from 4 years old to 12 years old are getting out their bats, balls, gloves and cleats preparing for baseball as Sugar Land and Missouri City, Texas little leagues prepare for the 2012 season.
FIRST COLONY LITTLE LEAGUE
Located in Sugar Land, Texas, First Colony Little League hosts one of the larger leagues in the immediate area with 460 participants in all divisions. This year marks the 25th anniversary for First Colony Little League.
Divisions are broken up into Tee ball for 4 and 5-year-olds; Rookie, for 6 and 7-year-olds; Pee-Wee, 7 and 8-year-olds; Varsity, 8 and 9-year-olds; Minor, 10 and 11-year-olds; and Major, 11 and 12-year-olds.
According to First Colony Little League President Kristin Holy, the First Colony teams may be down in numbers but the Majors Division is still taking District and Sectional titles.
Registration fee is $190 if registered before a certain date. Registration fee is $150 per sibling. After the cut-off date, fees increase to $215 for the first child and $175 for additional siblings. Registration fees provide each player with cap, shirt, pants, belt and socks.
Opening ceremonies will be held on the Little League fields, located at 3232 Austin Parkway, Sugar Land, Texas, on March 24, from 4 to 5 p.m.
Holy said the league is also doing a fund raiser at the new Sugar Land Skeeters, a minor league baseball team, field.
On May 5, the Little League will be hosting a parents night out which will include live and silent auctions.
First Colony Little League complex has seven fields, which includes fields for all age groups.
For more information on First Colony Little League, visit www.fcll.net.
SUGAR LAND LITTLE LEAGUE
Sugar Land Little League hosts approximately 250 players in all age groups, according to league vice president Roy Duff.
“Those numbers are equal to the last few seasons,” said Duff.
Registration fee is $125 for those playing in Tee-Ball and $150 for those in the older divisions. The cost includes a pre-paid $40 concession fee. Parents may volunteer to work in the concession stand rather than pay the $40. There is a $10 sibling discount. Participants are provided a cap, jersey, pants, belt and socks.
Located in older Sugar Land, the five-field complex is located at 225 7th Street.
Opening ceremonies will be held on March 24 and include marching bands and Sugar Land fire trucks leading the parade of players. Parade begins at 8 a.m. with the day ending with fireworks at 8 p.m.
“For our size, I believe we are a very competitive league,” Duff said.
Age groups include Tee Ball for 4, 5, and 6 year olds; Pee Wee, open to 7 and 8-year-olds; Minor, open to 9 and 10-year-olds; and Majors, open to 11 and 12-year-olds.
Championship games will be held May 24. All-Star voting will be held the first week of May.
For more information on Sugar Land Little League visit www.slll.org.
MISSOURI CITY LITTLE LEAGUE
A suburb of Houston, Texas, Missouri City Little League will be celebrating its 100th anniversary at the March 24 opening ceremonies.
According to Missouri City Little League President Alvin Williams, the league will be honoring those who played in the league along with their high school grandchildren who played in the league.
We want to present Little League with a panoramic photo celebrating our centennial celebration,” Williams said.
Missouri City Little League includes 420 players from T-Ball division to Majors Division. Registration fee is $165 per player. It includes game jersey, pants, socks and cap. A sibling discount of $10 to $15 applies, according to Williams.
Divisions include T-Ball for ages 4 and 5; Single A for ages 6 and 7; Double A for ages 8 and 9; Minor for ages 10 and 11; and Major for ages 11 and 12.g
Missouri City Little League also includes an older division with Junior Division for ages 13 and 14 and Senior Division for ages 15 and 16.
For more information on Missouri City Little League visit www.missouricityll.org.
West Sugar Land Little League
West Sugar Land Little League holds baseball games at four different fields in the area for its different age groups.
Age groups consist of coach pitch and Tee-Ball for those under 6 years old and under 5 years old. Machine Pitch is available for ages U7 and U8; Minor Division is for those ages 9 and 10; Varsity is for ages 10, 11 and 12; and Majors are for those 11 and 12-year-olds.
West Sugar Land also has a Junior League, which is available to those players that are 13 and 14 years old. Players who are 12 years old may participate if they are in 7th grade.
Under West Sugar Land Little League President Elias Garcia, all coaches and umpires are volunteers and the club runs through its volunteer support.
Fields are located at The Club, 1200 Walker School Road; Cunningham Creek, 376 Cunningham Creek and the Sports Complex North and South fields, each located on New Territory Blvd.
For more information about West Sugar Land Little League, visit www.wslll.com.
*I love the Little League fields. I watched both my boys grow from 5-year-old Tee-Ball players to 12-year-old All-Stars to varsity players in high school. Friendships are made on the little league fields, by both parents and players. Even when the boys get to high school and compete against one another, they are still friends off the field. Every time I pass our local little league fields, I think about all those nights, weekends, holidays spent watching and cheering them on. It’s truly for the love of the game. I love the Little League fields.
