FAQ's

How do I sign up?
You can sign up online at springhilltnlionsclub.org
Look at dates on Upcoming Dates
Registration fee is $50.00.
And Ticket fee, read next question.
Spaces are Limited, leagues will sell out!

Ticket fundraiser program
We are a fundraising League
100% of profit goes into community activities.
The fee is $1.50 per game, each league plays different amount of games but in general it is around $25 a season. At beginning of season give your coach this money and they will hand out tickets to the kids after each game.

*$1.50 a game, some divisions play 12 games and playoffs. Each child gets 1 ticket to spend at end of each game at concession stand. So 12 + playoffs = roughly $20-$25. Coaches will hand out multiple tickets at the end of the last game if they have them.

Rain Out Make Ups
Rain outs will be moved to the next available "make up day". Make up days are random Fridays throughout the season. The next available day could be the next day or 2 weeks later. Playoff rainouts will push all games to the next game day.

What is the birthday cutoff?
August 1st. Age is determined by the players age as of August 1 of the current season. Please be sure you are signing up for the correct league. If your child turns 7 before August 1, they will be in the 7-9 league. If your child turns 13 before August 1, they will be in the 13-15 league.

Can my child play up/down a league?
We do not allow players to play down a league unless they are special needs (please contact Denise Zanchi madcontan@yahoo.com). We do allow players to play up a league in the coach pitch leagues only.

When does the season usually start?
Memorial Day-ish, Day after, week before, depends on date. We also try to end season before the kids return to school in August. Some years we are successful, some we are not due to rainouts.

How many games will my child play a week?
At least one game a week, but 2 on average.

When are games played?
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. You will play 1-2 games a week on one of those days. (Half of the Friday's are for rain out make ups towards second half of the season.) In extreme situations, we will Use Saturday Mornings for rain out make ups. We have not had to in years, but just in case.

How do I find out if my game is cancelled?
Our Facebook page, Spring Hill TN Lions Club, is updated the minute we decide to cancel games. Game cancellations usually don't happen till after 5:00 when managers get to the ball park.

When will practices start?
They start around the last week of April at your coaches discretion.

When should I hear from a coach?
Around the end of April after evaluation and coaches meetings. If you don't hear from a coach, please contact Denise at madcontan@yahoo.com after May 1st.

What equipment does my child need to play?
Definitely a glove and a ball. Ball sizes are 12" for 10-12, 13-15, & 16-17 leagues and 11" for 7-9 league. The t-ball leagues use Soft Tee T-Balls. Bats, helmets, and cleats (no metal cleats) are recommended. The Lions Club will provide helmets during games, but they are shared.

As a coach, what equipment do I need for practices?
You will need to provide balls and bats for practices. Kids will need their gloves.
Ball sizes are 11" for 7-9 and 12' for 10-12 and older leagues. The t-ball leagues use Soft Tee T-Balls. Coaches in the t-ball leagues will need to provide their own T-stands during practices.

Can my child play with friends?
We take friend requests in the Lollipop/T-ball leagues ONLY. In the Coach pitch leagues, the ONLY way you can play with friends is if the parents head coach, asst coach, and/or sponsor, with a max. of 5 kids on roster prior to draft. There are only 4 coaches allowed per team. Siblings in same age group will be put on the same team unless otherwise noted. Please contact Jamen with questions, jamenzanchi@gmail.com

What does my child need to wear?
Shorts are highly recommended as it gets very hot. Cleats are recommended but not required. NO METAL CLEATS. Team shirts are provided by the league. No alterations can be made to team shirts. Team shirts are required for playoff games (coach pitch leagues).

What are evaluations?
Evaluations are for the coach pitch leagues. This is to keep teams balanced and fair. Kids not able to attend evaluations will get put in the blind draft. If you are a coach or assistant coach already assigned to a specific team, your child does NOT participate in the evaluations. If you signed up to assistant coach and you are not assigned to a specific team, you and your child will need to attend evaluations.

What determines the cancellation of games?
Games will be cancelled or postponed due to inclement weather. Weather may include, but not limited to: Flooding, Heavy Rain, Lightning, Tornadoes, Heat Advisory, Earthquakes, Mass Extinction Events, or other acts of God.

Coach Pitch League Questions often asked

Batting Lineup
Coaches must turn in a batting lineup to scorekeeper 15 minutes before each game.
A player arriving late will be put batting at end of batting order if they arrive before the 3rd out of their teams second at bat. If they arrive after that they are ineligible.

Catcher - is equipment available for this position
A helmet with face mask is required and 1 will be provided to each team by the dugout before each game. We do not require a catcher to wear anything else besides that. But they can if they have the equipment. Hint: Catchers can catch tipped balls for outs and tag runners out trying to score at home plate.

Coaches and their location on field
As for coaches, on offense you will have a Coach pitching, a 1st base and 3rd base coach (read below about coach interference) in “coaches box” yelling ( I mean instructing) runners to run, stop, or go back and a dugout coach keeping the batting lineup in order. only coaches and players allowed in the dugout If kids bat out of turn it is an automatic out. If a batted ball hits the pitching coach, it is dead ball and the batter bats again. That pitch does not count towards the 7 pitch limit. A kid who fouls on the 7th pitch stays alive until a strike, ball, or hit occurs. THEY HAVE TO SWING AT 7TH PITCH.

On Defense coaches can stay along fence NEAR the dugout or stay in the dugout. They cannot interfere with play or obstruct umpires from clear view of the play.

Coaching Interference
If coaches interfere with a pop up EVEN in foul territory the Umpire can award the batter first base and advance the runners on base. EVEN if they feel a defender had NO chance at the ball. This is to prevent coaches from repeat interference.

Base coaches are asked not interfere with a defender trying to catch or make a play on the ball.
Get out of the way! If an umpire feels a coaches action was intentional then an out can be awarded. Base coaches are not allowed to Push or Grab a base runner ever but especially while the the play is live.
Unfortunately I put that in here for a reason.

The coach who is pitching is encouraged to leave the field of play after the ball is hit. Please try to stay out of way of the play.

Have another question about rules check out the rules located on the right side of the main page or email SHLCSoftball@gmail.com
Make sure to include your age division in email.