Welcome New Families to Murrieta National Little League Baseball!

As a new parent to the baseball scene, you may not be familiar with what players need, necessary equipment/gear, or
what is expected of a parent. Here is some general information. Please keep an eye out for emails detailing the upcoming events as they provide vital information as time goes by.

Once the registration closes and evaluations have been completed you will begin to receive more frequent emails detailing time and place of upcoming events. Stay tuned. If you’re not sure what division to register your child please reach out to us and we will be happy to point you in the right direction. If you have additional question please reach out to [email protected] for more information.

GENERAL INFO:
* Our baseball season begins in late September for Fall and mid March for Spring.
* MNLL will host a Hat Day where families will be introduced to their manager and teammates.
* Parents will be required to work snack bar shifts (unless you paid for the buy out). They’re fun!
* Fundraising of some sort is usually required.
* Kids will fail more than they succeed.  So, it is up to the parents to ALWAYS be positive for every kid.
* Get a good chair (ex. stadium chair) and blanket to use for games.  Bleachers can be cold and hard.
* Be ready for snacks after the game (parents take turns).

Handy items for parents to have on hand:  Sunscreen, plenty of water, extra plastic bag for cleaning up trash or dirty
cleats, wet wipes, large umbrella or pop-up tent.  Always great to have sunglasses and a baseball hat while at the
fields.

Murrieta National Little League provides players with the following:
* Jersey
* Hat
* Socks
* Belt
* Pictures

Murrieta National Little League also provides Managers a bag with equipment that includes helmets, bats, and
catchers gear however, you are welcome to purchase your own items for your player. The list below are items that are
needed (some are optional) for each player.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
* Helmet
* Athletic Cup
* Water Bottle
* Fielding Glove
* Batting Gloves (optional)
* Baseball / Gear Backpack
* Bat (USA Baseball Certified)
* Baseball Pants (Manager will advise of color)
* Cleats (No mental for Majors Division and below)
* Baseball Under Shirt (Manager may have a preferred color optional)

MOST OF ALL, REMEMBER:
Don’t take it seriously – it should be FUN for everyone, enjoy every minute watching them play and constantly
encourage everyone. We are here for the Kids lets play some ball and HAVE SOME FUN!


GAMES / SCHEDULES

1. How many games a week do we play?
A. There will be 2 games and 1 practice per week. 1 game during the week and 1 Saturday game.

2. When does the season end?
A. The Regular Fall Season ends at the beginning of November and the end of Spring season is in mid May.

3. When will I know what day(s) my child will be playing on and their teams schedule?
A. The number of teams is directly related to the final registration numbers in each age group. Schedules cannot be determined until registrations have concluded and teams have been drafted. Once these two items have taken place it will take a couple of weeks to put together the schedule. Once it has been completed, it will be provided to your manager and posted on our webpage under 'Schedules'.

4. Where are games played?
A. Most of our games are played at Los Alamos Hills Sports Park. For the Majors division and below, some games may be played at Hunt Park. For Intermediate and above some inter league games may be needed. These games would require some travel to neighboring cities. 

* Los Alamos Hills Sports Park
* Hunt Park

5. When and where are practices scheduled?
A. MNLL is allocated several locations within the city limits. Los Alamos may be used before the season starts but once games begin the fields there are used for game purposes. Team managers are given a pool of days and times to choose their team practices and generally pick what best suits their team. Extra practices are held at the managers discretion and only if field space is available. 

6. If it rains, how will I know if the games have been cancelled?
A. The City of Murrieta determines when fields will be closed due to the weather. Once MNLL has been notified of field closures we immediately update the website and post it on our Facebook page as well as send an email to all managers. Field status will remain the same until otherwise notified.

7. Does my child have to try out to be on a team?
A. Players do not "try out" however, they are "evaluated" and placed on a team. All players age 8 and above will attend one of the player evaluation (of two session) at either Hunt Park or Los Alamos park to determine the division the player will be drafted in. Failure to attend the player evaluation will result in the player being a "Hat Pick" at the draft.

8. Can I request for my child to be on the same team as his/her friend?
A. We cannot guarantee your child will be placed on the same team as his or her friend. Requests are looked into for all players in Tball and Single A. No requests are considered in drafted division AA and above.

9. What equipment will the league provide and what should I purchase for my child?
A. The league provides most of the necessary equipment. All players receive a jersey, hat, socks, and a belt. Parents will purchase pants, helmet, fielding glove, and a bat.

1. Volunteering/Fundraising
A. Please indicate you would like to volunteer on your registration form, or visit the Volunteer page to see what opportunities exist. Our board is always looking for committed people who can enjoy helping out the local community. Any help is appreciated.

2. What am I expected to do?
A. Cheer on your baseball player in a positive and encouraging way. Because this is a volunteer organization, you will be expected to work in the snack bar a few times throughout the season. Your Team Parent will work with your team to determine a schedule that serves all participants.

3. How old does a volunteer have to be to work in the snack bar?
A. Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age, and only one teenager is allowed to work in the snack bar at a time.

4. Our league is run by 100% volunteers. Everyone from the MNLL Board, Managers, Coaches, Team Parents, Scorekeepers, Umpires are volunteers. We are here to help the players enjoy the season and play the great game of baseball.

5. Where do our fee's go?
A. MNLL registration fees are used to help keep our league running. As a non profit organization we used all the funds for the league itself.

Expenses include:
* Field use
* Field lights
* Field Maintenance
* Uniforms
* Equipment
* Snack Bar
* Insurance

In addition we are also assessed player fees that must be paid to the city and district as well as Little League International. These are just a few of the big items our registration fees cover through each season.