NPAA Baseball & Softball offer recreational and competitive baseball and softball programs for children of ages 5 through 18 years old. The following provides a summary of each league. If you are uncertain about which league your child will play in, click the Age Chart.
League Descriptions:
Girls Softball | T-Ball League | Rookie League | Minor League | Major League | Senior League | Jr. American Legion | Travel Teams
Girls Softball
Nether Providence Girls Softball participates in the Media Area Girls Softball League. Girls from grades 2 through 12 are eligible to participate in the slow pitch recreational league or the more competitive fast pitch league, which competes against teams throughout Delaware County.
The recreational league is grouped into three divisions based on school grade. The Junior division includes grades 2 through 4, the Intermediate division includes grades 5 through 7, and the Senior Division includes grades 8-12. The Fast pitch teams are grouped by age. U10 is 10 years old and under. There are also U12, U14, U16, and U18 teams, with multiple teams in each age bracket, based on skill level.
T-Ball League
T-Ball (5 & 6 year olds) is the youngest division of our league. This program is designed to teach the fundamentals of hitting and fielding. All batters will hit the ball from a batting tee which is adjusted to a height that allows the batter to swing level. All rostered players present for the game bat in order, whether playing defensively or not. Each player plays a minimum of two innings defensively. An adult coach is stationed beyond the infielders in order to provide instruction to all defensive players. The primary goal is to begin to instruct young players in the fundamentals of baseball in a supportive team environment. All teams are winners in T-Ball as runs are not counted. T-Ball is a full participation league emphasizing sportsmanship and a love of the game.
Rookie League
The Rookie League (Ages 7 & 8 ) takes T-Ball players to the next level. While continuing to learn the fundamentals of the game, these young athletes are introduced to “the pitching machine,” and will progress to live pitching half way through the year. With the pitching machine, delivering strikes to the batters each and every time helps develop their batting skills while allowing more pitches to be hit and fielded by the defensive players. This program prepares them for the Minor League where they will experience the game without the coach directly in the field for support and instruction.
Minor League
The Minor League (Ages 9 & 10) is where young players get their first real taste of baseball. Here they get the opportunity to perform the skills they have learned in the T-Ball and Rookie Leagues. The batters will hit live pitching from their peers, learn how to steal bases and realize the importance of the fundamentals they have learned and how well they can execute them may very well determine the outcome of their games.
Major League
The Major League (ages 11 & 12) is the natural progression from the Minors. This level gives the players the opportunity to really demonstrate their skills. The Major League allows the serious baseball players to fine tune their skills and children who just want to play baseball and have fun still have the opportunity stay involved in the game. While we tailor the rules a bit from the “Big Leagues” to insure parody and continuity, this level prepares them for the big jump to the Senior League where “Big League” Rules apply.
Senior League
NPAA Senior League (Ages 13-16)* offers our youth an alternative as serious baseball players to have several options at this age level. Many players who enter this age group play for the Strath Haven Middle School and High School teams and some players will try-out for our advanced league (Jr. American Legion). This league offers the kids who play for the school or the Legion team another outlet to “tune” their skills and guarantee playing time. Many parents believe their child can not play on more than one team, but the league schedules briefly overlap school team schedules without time conflicts and will allow the player to continue to play after the school team has finished their season.
* 16 year olds may play defensive positions, but cannot pitch.
Jr. American Legion
Jr. Legion “Prep” Team
This year NPAA will sponsor a Jr. Legion Prep Team. This team will be composed of primarily 13 year old players making the transition to the “big” diamond.
The Jr. American Legion team, under the direction of 4th year Head Coach Ronnie Anderson, enjoyed its first League Championship in 2008 since joining the Main Line Jr. Legion League. With several starters returning, the Legion program is looking forward to another great year in 2010. The team consists of the townships finest 13-15 year old players. This league typically offers the most competitive baseball in the area. Traditionally starting their league games in late May, the American Legion league enables players to continue to play deep into July as talent and luck prevails. General Manager, Ron Anderson is the primary contact. For additional information he can be reached at rdanderson4@comcast.net or 610-565-1677, Cell: 610-724-0033.
For more information, visit our website at www.leaguelineup.com/nether
Travel Teams
The 2010 season will be our our seventh year for travel Baseball. This year, NP Baseball will participates in the 11-12 DELCO league. The team is looking forward to competing with the top teams in Delaware County.