CANDIA BASEBALL/SOFTBALL
Candia Boys and Girls may participate in Baseball and Softball through Lamprey River Little League (Boys and Girls Baseball, 4-13 years old), Lamprey River Softball (Girls Softball, 6-16 years old) and Lamprey River Babe Ruth Baseball (Boys Baseball, 13-15 years old).
League Contact: Carl Carlson (Director) baseball@cyaasports.com
Facilities
Candia has three facilities for Baseball/Softball. At the CYAA, we have three fields: a T-ball field, and two Little League diamonds where Intermediate, Majors, Minors and Farm teams compete. At the town-owned Moore Park, we can use the softball field for Girls Softball and Farm games. The Babe Ruth team uses the Moore School diamond. In addition to these outdoor fields, we have access to the indoor turf at the CYAA field house, a valuable asset that allows for winter programs and practices during inclement weather.
Lamprey River Softball League
Candia is part of the the Lamprey River Babe Ruth Softball League. We have not been fielding Candia-based teams in the league, but if you are interested in softball we need volunteers who would take on the task of pulling team(s) together and making softball an ongoing option for our girls. Contact the director if you are interested. He can also provide options to individuals or groups smaller than a team-size for playing on a non-Candia based team.
Lamprey River Little League
The Lamprey River Little League consists of the towns of Auburn, Candia, Deerfield, Northwood, Nottingham and Raymond. If your child plays in the Farm, Minors or Majors Divisions you will be traveling to these towns to play games. Our home games are played at the CYAA Fields or Moore Park. All T-Ball activities are not affiliated with the league but are Candia-only and held at the CYAA.
We kick off the season with winter clinics from January to March. Registration for the spring season opens in January with a mid-March deadline. An evaluation session is typically held on the indoor turf in mid- to late March. Practices start in April and the first games start during the first week in May. A 12-game season plus playoffs wraps up by mid-June.
For T-Ball only: April is be used to organize and train volunteers for a May start to the clinics.
All players who meet Little League’s strict residency requirements are eligible for Lamprey River Little League sanctioned All-Star and Tournament teams, which play into July and possibly August. In past seasons we have fielded teams in the Little League State Tournament for 10U and 12U, while fielding an 8U tournament team and a 9-10 year old Matty Dobens Tournament team (Manchester LL). The 12-year-old State Tournament champion moves on to the New England Regional Tournament which leads to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA.
Lamprey River Little League Website
Divisions of Play
Important Note: All age information is a reference to your child’s “League Age”, which is often different than his/her actual age. Please look up and know your child’s “League Age”.
Little League’s official age determination calculator can be found here:
2023 Baseball Age Chart (littleleague.org)
Intermediate Baseball – Player Pitch (Ages 11-13):
2023 Fee and Deadline: Contact the Director (baseball@cyaasports.com)
Intermediate Baseball is a Little League division that is played on a larger diamond. The division is also known as “50/70” due to the pitching distance of 50 feet and the base-path distance of 70 feet (compared to standard Little League distances of 46 feet and 60 feet). This increased distance allows for play similar to a full-size 90 foot diamond but on a smaller field more appropriate to this age group. Unlike standard Little League baseball baserunners may lead off, requiring the pitcher to follow all the standard rules and strategies that are expected on the 90 foot diamond.
The team is comprised of 10-12 players and governed by the official Little League rules. Players must attend Evaluations in order to participate in the Intermediate division. At this time, all 11 and 12 year-olds are encouraged to play Majors while the Intermediate division is reserved for 13 year-olds.
Intermediate teams will be made up of players from multiple towns. Typically, they will play or practice a total of 4-5 times per week with games being played both within and outside of Lamprey River Little League boundaries. Some leagues that field Intermediate teams include North Manchester/Hooksett, Concord, Portsmouth and Rye.
Majors Baseball – Player Pitch (Ages 10-12):
2023 Fee: $120
2023 Deadline: March 16
Majors Baseball is the highest competitive division of 46/60 baseball in Lamprey River Little League. The team is comprised of 10-12 players and governed by the official Little League rules. Players must attend Evaluations in order to participate in the Majors division. Any player not selected to a Majors team will automatically be selected by a Minors team.
As a general rule all players age 11-12 should be playing Majors. 10-yr olds who are ready for more competitive baseball will be considered for Majors.
In 2023, we expect to have to partner with another town to form a Majors team. Majors teams typically play or practice a total of 4-5 times per week. Games are typically held on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays and practices are held on the off days at the discretion of the coaching staff.
Minors Baseball – Player Pitch (Ages 7-11):
2023 Fee: $120
2023 Deadline: March 16
Minors Baseball is a less competitive player pitch division. Lamprey River Little League follows a two division format for Minors, “AAA” and “AA”. AAA is more competitive and geared toward 10 year olds. The division follows official Little League rules with only some minor modifications. The “AA” division, geared toward 8-9 year olds, is less competitive and features more rules modifications such as scoring limits and stealing restrictions. All players who will be playing either division of Minors must attend evaluations.
As a general rule, all 10-yr olds should be playing AAA. 9-yr olds who are ready for more competitive baseball will be considered for AAA as well.
AA is for 8-yr olds and most 9-yr olds. 7-yr olds who are ready for more competitive baseball may attend evaluations and be considered for AA.
For 2023, we expect to field a Candia-only AA team and send our AAA players to surrounding towns. AA teams typically play or practice a total of 3-4 times per week. Games are typically held on Wednesdays and Saturdays and practices are held on off days at the discretion of the coaching staff. AAA teams typically play or practice a total of 4-5 times per week. Games are typically held on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays and practices are held on off days at the discretion of the coaching staff.
Farm Baseball (Single A)– Coach Pitch (Ages 7-8):
2023 Fee: $85
2023 Deadline: March 20
Farm Baseball (Single A) is an instructional coach pitch division designed to help players develop the fundamental skills necessary to move on to play at the AA level. While games are played, results are not tracked and the rules are highly modified in order to emphasize skill development over competitiveness. Six-year-olds should have played a year of T-Ball before participating in Farm. Attendance at Evaluations is not required.
For 2023, we expect to field one Candia team in the Farm Division. Teams typically play or practice a total of 3-4 times per week. Games are typically on Mondays and Saturdays with one or two mid-week practices at the discretion of the coaching staff.
T-Ball – (Ages 4-6):
2023 Fees: Advanced – $65 / Beginning – $35
2023 Deadline: April 2
2023 Program Dates: May 6 thru June 10 (no May 27)
T-Ball is an introductory program for familiarizing players to the game of baseball. Here, they begin to develop their fundamental skills of throwing, catching, and hitting. T-Ball is a clinic style program designed to involve both parents and kids. Advanced T-ball is for 6 year-olds and meets twice per week, with the goal of preparing players for the Coach Pitch division. Beginning T-ball is a basic introduction to baseball for 4-5 year-olds and meets once per week.
The Clinics start during on the first Saturday in May and end in mid-June. Both T-ball divisions will meet on Saturday morning. The Advanced division will hold the second meeting on a weekday evening at the discretion of the coaching staff.
Lamprey River Babe Ruth
Boys 13-15 are welcome to participate in Babe Ruth Baseball. For 2023, we will not have a Candia-based team, but individuals may contact the Director for information on how to register to play on teams in other League towns.