Cal Ripken – Any player born prior to May 1, 2015 and on or after May 1, 2006 will be eligible for Cal Ripken Baseball League competition.
Any player that turns 4-years-old in the months of May, June, July and August of 2015 is eligible to participate in the Cal Ripken T-Ball Division

• 13-15 – Any player born prior to May 1, 2006 and on or after May 1, 2003 will be eligible for Babe Ruth 13-15 League competition.
• 16-18 – Any player born prior to May 1, 2003 and on or after January 1, 2000 will be eligible for Babe Ruth 16-18 League competition.
• Any player born in 2000, 2001 and 2002 is eligible for Babe Ruth Baseball 16-18 Division.
• Players born in January, February, March, and April of 2003 must play in the 16-18 Division.

The divisions are broken down as follows:

• Jr. Tee Ball...4yr
• Tee Ball...5-6yr
• Rookie...7-8yr
• Minor...9-10yr
• Major...11-12yr

**Ages are based on their age as of 04/30 of the current year.

Currently game days & times are as follows:

• Girls Softball...Friday (5:30 – 7:00 p.m.) & Sat (9:30 – 11:30 a.m.)
• Jr. Tee Ball...Tues (5:30 – 6:30 p.m.) & Sat (11:00 a.m. – 12 noon)
• Tee Ball...Tuesdays & Thursdays (5:30* – ~7:00 p.m.)
• Rookie... Tuesdays & Thursdays (5:30* – ~7:00 p.m.)
• Minor...Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays (5:30* - ~7:30 p.m.)
• Major...Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays (5:30* - ~7:30 p.m.)
• Babe Ruth...Varies

NOTE – Most coaches hold practices between the times stated. Some coaches may slightly alter practice times based on the teams needs.

*NOTE – GAMES START @ 5:30 p.m., so on game days, it will be necessary to arrive at the park by 5:00 p.m.

**NOTE –  “SPECIAL EVENT SATURDAYS” that we ask all participants to be available for:

1. Picture Day May 20, 2023
2. Saturday, May 22, 2021 - OPENING DAY
3. TBD - ALL STAR GAME
4. Championship Day June 30, 2023 (Photos & trophies distributed to all teams on this day, in addition to championship games)

Coaches Draft/Team Selection should happen by  April 2nd.

• Players should be informed of their teams no later then the 2nd week of April
• Picture Day May 20, 2023
• No games on May 31st
• Make up Picture Day June 10, 2023
• Playoffs: Weeks of June 22- June 28, 2023
• Championship/Closing Day, June 30, 2023

• Championship/Closing Day June 30, 2023

Our home field is Shoesmith Park located between 48th & 49th Street, just west of Dorchester. Over the past few years, to enhance our players experience, we have begun adding games with “outside” teams all the way down to our Tee Ball aged division. In those special instances, we will communicate with the coach to determine if a coach is able to have his team available for either the special time or location that the game requires. These games are NOT mandatory, but are to provide our players with more opportunities to play baseball/softball.

Other area fields that are sometimes utilized are:

• Washington Park (located just south of 52nd Street and west of Cottage Grove).
• Nichols Park (located behind the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club at 54th Street).
• Armstrong Park (located at 44th & St. Lawrence).
• Mandrake Park (located at 39th & Cottage Grove).
• Ellis Park (located at 37th & Cottage Grove).
• Cornell Playlot (located at 48th & Cornell)

All players should have a baseball glove and athletic shoes. Cleats are no required. METAL cleats are NOT ALLOWED.

All players will receive a complete uniform for games, but should have weather appropriate attire for practice days.

All Boys in Rookie or older divisions MUST HAVE A PROTECTIVE CUP & SUPPORTER.

E-mail us at info@hpklegends.org and we will get back to you within 5 days.

Once registration has ended, the coaches for each division get together and select their team in a “draft”. Each Coach is entitled to keep 5 players from the previous years team, but players above that limit go back into the general pool of players. From there, coaches select based on player evaluations provided to the league from either a.) their previous coach; or b.) from one of our player evaluations. Players who do not have a player evaluation on file shall be selected randomly by the coaches.

While we cannot guarantee placement of any player on any specific team (with the exception that coaches are entitled to select their own child(ren), we do make note of “requests” and try to accommodate them as best we can. Please make sure to email your request to info@hpklegends.org.

Implementation of USABat Standard Begins on January 1, 2018

USA Baseball, the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the U.S., in conjunction with participating national member organizations (NMOs) announced the decision to adopt a new method for measuring bat performance in the testing of youth bats. Informed by the research of leading scientists on the USA Baseball Bat Study Committee, and supported by its NMOs, -- including the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC), Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), Babe Ruth Baseball/Cal Ripken Baseball, Dixie Youth Baseball, Little League Baseball and PONY Baseball -- USA Baseball has concluded that recent advancements in science, engineering, technology, and the materials available to fabricate non-wood bats, now allow the manufacturers to construct youth bats that can perform at a wood-like level through the entire range of lengths and weights of youth bats.

The new USA Baseball bat standard (USABat), which will apply to bats that are classified below the NCAA and NFHS level of play, will be implemented on January 1, 2018, allowing the bat manufacturers sufficient time to bring these bats to the marketplace.

The Cal Ripken Division of Babe Ruth League, Inc. have approved the use of the 2 5/8 inch barrel bats for local league play and tournament play beginning in January 2018 and coinciding with the new USA Bat standard.

Similar to the NCAA and NFHS BBCOR standard, which helped to eliminate discrepancies with different length bats and thus provide a more direct measure of bat performance, the new USA Baseball bat standard will allow youth baseball organizations in the United States to reach their goal of establishing a wood-like standard, a standard that will provide for the long-term integrity of the game.

It is important to note there will be no immediate change to youth baseball organizations’ bat rules. All bats, currently accepted for the respective leagues, remain permissible through December 31, 2017. Each participating national member organization will incorporate the new standard into their rules for the 2018 season and will begin, with this announcement, to inform their membership of the USABat standard.

Frequently Asked Questions about the USABat standard:

Which national member organizations are implementing this new standard?

To date, the following organizations are participating (in alphabetical order): American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC), Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), Babe Ruth Baseball/Cal Ripken Baseball, Dixie Youth Baseball, Little League Baseball and PONY Baseball.

Why the change to a wood-like standard?

USA Baseball’s national member organizations believe that a wood-like performance standard will best provide for the long-term integrity of the game. The new standard will not have a drop-weight limit, so young players can use bats made with light-weight materials.

Why not just use wood bats?

Wood is a scarce resource. The new bats will be designed to perform much like wood, where its performance will be limited to the highest performing wood.

How is the USABat standard different from the BBCOR standard used by the NCAA and NFHS?

Both the USA Baseball and NCAA bat performance tests are based on the coefficient of restitution from a bat-ball impact. The scale of results is different, however, since they use different test balls and test speeds. The testing difference is necessary to address the various levels of play in the respective age groups.

Why is USA Baseball involved?

The national member organizations asked USA Baseball as the national governing body to take the lead in this process to establish a new standard. Many other national governing bodies set and enforce standards for the equipment in their respective sports. To that end, USA Baseball established a Bat Study Committee of leading scientists and conducted theoretical modeling, field testing and lab testing. The committee shared its findings with the national member organizations, who then endorsed the new USABat standard.

Who were the scientists on the USA Baseball Bat Study Committee?

Alan Nathan, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Illinois

Dan Russell, Ph.D. Professor of Acoustics at Penn State University

Glenn Fleisig, Ph.D. Research Director of American Sports Medicine Institute

Why wait until 2018?

The implementation date of 2018 will allow bat manufacturers sufficient time to conduct the appropriate research, design, testing, manufacturing and shipping needed to get new bats into retail outlets. This date also allows the participating national member organizations adequate time to educate their memberships of the USABat standard.

Is my current bat good for league play?

Yes. Current league-approved bats can be used through December 31, 2017.

Is safety the reason for the change?

No. Youth baseball continues to be one of the safest of all sports for youth participants.

How will I know which bat to buy?

All new bats that bear the USABat licensing mark will be permissible for play in the leagues and tournaments of the participating youth baseball organizations.

Refunds:

Due to the nature of our current environment, we have implemented a new refund policy effective immediately.

We are unable to issue refunds after the first day of practice. Full refunds (less a $25 service charge) will be issued up until the first day of practice, which begins April 11, 2023