10U OVERVIEW

Age: 3rd and 4th Grade

Note: 3rd graders with a birth year of 2013 have the option to register into 8U Rookie if you feel like coach pitch is a better development fit for your player.

The 10U Minors Division is a development player-pitch division focused on developing skills in ALL facets of the game. This league is appropriate for anyone in this age range at all skill levels, including travel club players. The division starts out with a mix of player and coach pitch with no walks for the first two weeks of the season,  then progresses to a hybrid of 100% player pitch with walks (1st 3 innings) and Kid Pitch/Coach Pitch, no walks (Innings 4 and 5). Players are allowed to steal one base at a time after the ball crosses the plate. The goal of this division is to prepare players for the next level of play at 12U Majors and introduce and develop the skills needed to progress in the game of softball in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment. 

There is a player draft at this level. There will be a Player Evaluation in February. This is an independent assessment of each girl’s skills to help the head coaches create balanced teams at draft time. Please note, this is not a “tryout”. All eligible girls who sign up will be on a team. The purpose is only to help the coaches assemble teams with a goal of competitive balance.

This league uses an 11” softball, bases are at a 60’ distance and pitching is from a 35’ distance. There is a 12 game regular season starting in April and extending into June, followed by a double elimination playoff schedule. There is also an All-Star Game for this division. Games are played on the Turf Field (Keystone East). There will be at least one outdoor practice per week + one game during the week and one game on Saturdays. Additional/alternate times and fields may be added as space, time and weather permit. Schedules are not finalized or released until after Player Drafts and the Mandatory Coaches Meeting in March. 

12U OVERVIEW

Age: 5th and 6th Grade + 7th Grade if Birth Year is 2011

Note: 5th graders with a birth year of 2013 have the option to register into 10U Minors if you feel it is a better development fit for your player. 

The 12U Majors Division is a competitive player-pitch division focused on refining softball skills. This league uses a 12” softball, bases are at a 60’ distance and pitching is from a 40’ distance.

There is a player draft at this level. There will be a Player Evaluation in February. This is an independent assessment of each girl’s skills to help the head coaches create balanced teams at draft time. Please note, this is not a “tryout”. All eligible girls who sign up will be on a team. The purpose is only to help the coaches assemble teams with a goal of competitive balance.

There is a 12 game regular season starting in April and extending in to June, followed by a double elimination playoff schedule. There is also an All-Star Game for this division. Regular season games are typically scheduled on weeknights, leaving weekends to accommodate travel team practice and tournaments. Teams will have one regularly scheduled practice per week. Games are played on the Turf Field (Keystone East). Additional/alternate times and fields may be added as space, time and weather permit.

14U OVERVIEW

Age: Birth Year 2009 and 2010

The 14U Juniors Division is a combined league with our neighbors, Oak Park Youth Baseball/Softball. Girls wishing to play should register with their “home” league and pay the respective fees to those organizations. This registration will also serve as a submission of interest for any player interested in being considered for the River Forest Little League Summer State Tournament Team. 

If registration dictates that the league is viable in 2023, a joint Player Evaluation will be held in late February/Early March where both Oak Park and River Forest players’ offense and defense skills will be evaluated. The draft for these players will occur in early March. All teams will have players from both villages. Girls playing Freshman High School Softball will be allowed to join teams upon completion of their high school season, provided that they have registered in a timely fashion. Teams will draft these high school players during the normal draft process.

Games will be played during the week across Oak Park and River Forest fields. The schedule will allow for  travel club players to play House League and still practice with their Travel Teams on the “House League Off Nights”.

14U Softball uses a regulation 12” softball and adheres to United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Official Fastpitch Rules & Bylaws with minor modifications. The pitching distance will be 43’ from Home Plate. For this division to be viable, we will need a minimum of 40 players registered between both towns. If the division is not viable, families will receive a full refund. Help us spread the word.