programs

Spring is our biggest season! We offer official Little League programs for players from preschool (players must turn 4 by August 31 of the following summer) through ages 15 or 16*.  For more information on available programs, see our DIVISIONS page.

What to expect:

• Registration fees include a full uniform (shirt, pants, and socks; for Teeball and Baseball, this also includes a hat). The T-Mobile grant has been available that several year to cover fees for low-income players.
  
• See our Gear and Equipment guide for more information on items needed.  We do collect gear donations so if you are in need of an item, please feel free to contact us!
• The season begins right after Spring Break with 3-4 weeks of practices.  Usually this is one weeknight and one Saturday practice each week, although we expect that some cancellations will occur this time of year due to weather.  (Teeball and PeeWee players typically only practice once per week but we schedule extra slots due to unpredictable weather conditions.) 
• Games will begin on April 29th.  Most Divisions have two games per week at 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday.  Older teams may have 8:00 games under the lights on Friday nights or other nights once school is out for the summer.  We do not play on Friday-Monday of Memorial Day weekend.  The season ends on June 2 for TeeBall and PeeWee or June 9 for all other Divisions.
• There is typically one Saturday where we have a thank-you ceremony for Sponsors, recognize special contributions to the League, and have all our teams play a home game.  This is planned for May 11, 2024.  We are seeking sponsors to have fireworks that evening!
• Indiana District 1 Little League (which includes all of Northwest Indiana) offers tournaments late in the season for regular season teams in Minor A Baseball (the Taber Tournament), Major Baseball (the Connors Tournament), and Major Softball (the Callaway Tournament).  Our regular season teams in these Divisions do participate in these tournaments, which can involve travel throughout Northwest Indiana and will likely have games over the weekends.  Please note that these schedules are not set by DLL and therefore we cannot adjust or accommodate based on coach or player availability.

Little League All Star teams give eligible players a chance to try-out for post-season tournament(s).  Players from multiple regular season teams are selected to make one team which competes in tournaments at the District Level and may continue on to Sectional, State tournament, or even World Series tournaments.  

There are three criteria which must be met for a player to participate in an All-Star Team:

• Age: see chart below for eligible ages
• Residency or school attendance within our Boundaries (or an appropriate waiver): If you were told that we obtained a waiver for you to play with DLL this season or in a past season, please check with us specifically as it may or may not allow tournament eligibility. Otherwise 99% of our players meet this criteria.
• Participation with your regular team: you must have played at least eight (8) regular-season games before the start of All-Stars, with the exception of those playing on a high school baseball or softball season, who must participate in 60% of the games available to them. 

All-Star teams are issued a complete uniform.  The league pays most of the uniform cost but parents are asked to contribute some of the uniform cost (typically $40).  This fee will be waived for anyone who received a T-Mobile grant for their initial season registration fees.

All Star teams are filled by competitive tryouts, usually in very late May or early June.  Eligible players will be notified of tryout times.  Please watch for communications. 

Our Fall Program allows players to try out a shorter season will more practices built-in.  

Divisions are generally consistent with Spring.  For more information on available programs, see our DIVISIONS page.  Players may compete in the Division from either their previous Spring season or their following Spring season.  This gives players who are "moving up" a chance to get more experience before Spring season starts.  Note that depending on how many sign up, we may not be able to create teenage divisions - this is beyond our control but we will do our best!

What to expect: 

• Registration fees include a  uniform (shirt, pants, and socks).
• Although the T-Mobile grant is not available, we strive to be accessible to all players.  Therefore, we offer a reduced registration fee for players that request it; this covers the cost of the uniform only.  Any players who need additional assistance with registration fees or equipment should contact help@demottelittleleague.com for further information.
• See our Gear and Equipment guide for more information on items needed. 
• The season begins just after the school year with several weeks of practices only.  Usually this is one weeknight and one Saturday practice each week.
• Games begin after Labor Day.  Once games begin, most Divisions have two games or practices per week at 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday.  Older teams may have 8:00 games under the lights on Friday nights.  The season lasts 6 weeks after games start, so we conclude around mid-October.  We try to schedule each team so they have 8-9 games and 3-4 practices after Labor Day.