Reston Little League: About RLL

Reston Little League (RLL) in Reston, Virginia, provides boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 12 an opportunity to play in an organized baseball program.

Overview
According to our By-Laws, the objective is to “implant firmly in the children of the community the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, courage and respect for authority, so that they may be well adjusted, stronger and happier children and will grow to be good, decent, healthy and trustworthy citizens. To achieve this objective, RLL offers a supervised program under the Rules and Regulations of Little League Baseball, Inc. All Directors, Officers and Members shall bear in mind that the attainment of exceptional athletic skill or winning of games is secondary, and the molding of future citizens is of prime importance.”

This philosophy has served the players, and coaches in our league well for many seasons.  RLL has a stricter set of rules than other leagues surrounding player participation.  During games, all players must play in the infield, all players bat in continuous order, and no player may be placed on the bench in simultaneous innings.

While this may seem counterintuitive to developing a top-tier little league program, the results speak for themselves.  Reston Little League consistently produces quality players and is always competitive within Virginia's District 4 in tournament play.  Reston Little League has won the Virginia State Championship twice, in 1998 and 2011.  In 2011, the Reston National All-Star team won not only the District 4 Tournament, but went on to win the State Championship, and compete in Warner Robbins, GA at the Southeastern Regional Little League Tournament.  In 2012, at the District 4 Tournament, Reston American came out of pool play undefeated as the #1 seed and finished as Runners-up in the district .  The 2012 AAA Nationals won the challenging Starliper Tournament against District 4's best AAA teams.  Check out the 'Tournaments' tab to learn more about post-season tournaments.

League Structure
RLL has 7 divisions for players based on their age, experience and ability. “Playing Age” refers to a player’s age as of April 30th of that year. To help you understand the appropriate level of play for your child, below is a table describing the RLL Level of Play Policies for each level, based on the player's league age.

*   Players in the Challenger division are assigned to teams by division Commissioner.
** Players in the BlastBall, T-Ball and Single A divisions are assigned to teams by RLL Player Agent based on player age, experience, and ability.
***Teams in the Majors, AAA, and AA divisions are determined by a draft.

Draft

Reston Little League will utilize the "Common Pool" player assignment system at all five league divisions. The "Common Pool" will provide the best opportunity for parity throughout the league, and will also ensure that all players are assigned to the correct league level. A committee chaired by the Player Agent will assign all players to either the Majors, AAA, AA, A or T-Ball pool. The pool assignments will be based on the players age, previous experience, previous year's player evaluation and their tryout performance (5 - 7 year olds do not need to tryout).

Challenger (Playing Ages 5 – 22)

Challenger is the division of Little League designed to meet the needs of children with physical and mental disabilities that would like to experience America’s favorite pastime but would probably not be successful on a regular team. Challenger athletes get a chance to field balls, make a base hit, run the bases, and even score a home run for their team each time they take the field. The positive attitude of the coaches and parents inspires the players to do their best, and at the end of the day, everyone is a winner. In addition to regular games, usually played on Sunday afternoons, the Reston program includes practices one evening a week. They are held for one hour in the early evening and are not mandatory. It is a very casual set up, with parents out on the field working on skills and using fun drills and games to encourage the kids. The intent of

 RLL's Challenger Program is to build self-esteem, confidence, and good sportsmanlike conduct in children who sometimes have difficulty in today’s world. If you have any questions regarding the Reston Challenger Division, please contact the Commissioner Eric Johnson.  His contact information is in the Board of Directors listing.

BlastBall (Playing Ages 4-5)

BLASTBALL! is an excellent introductory game to T-Ball and baseball for boys and girls. It is packed with action so it is perfect for youngsters’ short attention spans. Small teams mean more kids get to be involved in every play which helps them retain interest in the T-Ball / Baseball concept. BLASTBALL! teaches the basic T-Ball and baseball fundamentals of hitting, throwing, and fielding while emphasizing the importance of teamwork, sportsmanship and having FUN.

T-Ball (Playing Ages 5-6)

This is a basic introduction to baseball. The players learn the fundamentals through practice and games. Players hit the ball off of a stationary tee and play in the field with coaches nearby to help with instruction. The Tee Ball division is suggested for all league age 5 year old players as well as for any first-time 6 year old players or other 6 year olds who would like another season of fun, basic instruction. Placement in this division is done by league age and teams are organized by the RLL’s Player Agent and the Tee Ball Commissioner. It is an instructional division where players hit off a tee rather than hit a pitched ball using Reduced Impact Force (RIF) or “safety” balls. No scores are kept, every offensive player bats each inning regardless of outs, and no player sits on defense. Players are taught the fundamentals of baseball such that they are exposed to playing positions and are taught throwing, catching, batting, defensive ready position and running the bases.

A Ball (Playing Ages 6-8)   

At this level, players improve their fundamental skills, sportsmanship, and teamwork. Pitching machines are used to pitch regulation baseballs to their own team. The A division is primarily for playing age 6, 7 and 8 year old players. Teams are organized by the Player Agent. It is an instructional division where players hit balls pitched by a pitching machine. Players are taught the fundamentals of baseball such that they are exposed to playing positions and are taught throwing, catching, batting, defensive ready position and running the bases. The A division is intended to be a logical transition from T-Ball to Player Pitch play. Per Little League requirements, a playing age 6 year old can only be considered to play in machine pitch if they played one full year (Spring Season) of T-ball in an approved Little League program. Score is kept to determine when to end an inning (4 runs or 3 outs, whichever comes first), but standings are not kept.

AA Minors (Playing Ages 8-10)

The skills that the players have been accumulating finally come together as they now work as a team pitching, hitting and fielding the ball. Fundamentals and sportsmanship are still stressed along with the strategies required for competitive play. The AA Division is the first “draft” level division and is primarily for playing age 8, 9 and 10 year old players with eight year old players being allowed to try-out (but with usually a minority of 8 year old players allowed by the Player Agent to be drafted into AA). All players are required to try-out and teams are formed through a formal manager draft process supervised by the Player Agent. Players pitch, protective cups are required, all players bat in the line-up, nine defensive positions are used, and scores and standings are kept. Trained volunteer umpires enforce Little League Baseball and Local Board Adopted Rules. Players are taught advanced fundamentals of baseball such that they are exposed to pitching techniques, playing positions, defensive pre-pitch preparedness, live batting, and aggressive base running. A post-season tournament will determine a World Series champion for the league.

AAA Minors (Playing Ages 9-11)

The skills that the players have been accumulating come together as they now work as a team pitching, hitting and fielding the ball. Fundamentals and sportsmanship are still stressed along with the strategies required for competitive play. The AAA division is primarily for playing age 10 through 12 year old players with some nine year old players traditionally drafted onto AAA Division teams as well. All players are required to try-out and teams are formed through a formal manager draft process supervised by the Player Agent. Players pitch, protective cups are required, all players bat in the line-up, the standard nine baseball defensive positions are used, players are now allowed to steal all bases and bunt, and scores and standings are kept. A post-season tournament will determine a World Series champion for the league.

Majors (Ages 11-12)

Players continue to refine their skills and compete at a higher level. Little League Baseball, known as the Major division, is generally oriented for experienced players who are 11 and 12 years old. Occasionally some ten year olds are drafted into the Major Division. All non returning players are required to try-out and teams are formed through a formal manager draft process supervised by the Player Agent. Players who make it to the Little League World Series on TV come from the Majors division of Little League Baseball. A post-season tournament will determine a World Series champion for the league.

Boundaries
Our league covers portions of Herndon, Reston, Chantilly, Oak Hill, and Vienna. 

Eligibility
RLL is open to all children between the ages of 4 and 12 as of April 30th of each year. The league is open to players who live within the established physical boundaries, subject to adherence to established rules and required parental support. In addition, player candidates must have parental or legal guardian consent.

Operations
RLL is an all-volunteer league. Many parents devote their personal time to support and operate the league. Help is always needed - if you are interested in volunteering some time, please read more by clicking on the REGISTRATION tab on the left.

All-Stars/Post House League Season Tournaments
RLL participates in four District 4 Little League tournaments following the conclusion of the Spring House League season. Reston will submit one team each to represent its American and National Leagues. The tournaments are:

- Starliper Tournament (AAA Division Winners)
- 9-10s Tournament
- 11 Year Old Tournament
- Majors Tournament

For more information on tournaments, player selection, and commitment, please click on the TOURNAMENTS tab on the left.

Frequently Asked Questions
For more information, read RLL's list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) by clicking on the FAQs tab on the left.