Early bird rates for spring registration are being offered until 1/2/2024 so register early to take advantage of our lowest rates!

https://playnorthside.sportngin.com/register/form/582215625

Registration will close on 2/23/24 and player evaluations will be held the weekend of 2/24/24, weather permitting. This will allow us to start practices by early to mid-March.

If you have any questions about the division your player would play in based on their birthdate, check out the Cal Ripken Baseball Age Chart: https://www.baberuthleague.org/league-resources/baseball-age-chart.aspx

Also, read more about our spring season in the write-up below.

Another fall season at Northside has come to an end! We hope everyone enjoyed it.

We can't say this first part enough: THANK YOU to all of the head and assistant coaches this season for their time and efforts in promoting teamwork, player development & general love of baseball.

There are always questions about the differences between fall & spring in our Cal Ripken league, so here is some KEY information about the spring season:

Spring 2024 is the official “move-up” season. (E.g. Players play in the division according to their league age for one spring & fall season.)

Here are the Cal Ripken BIRTHDATE RANGES for 2024:

Tball ages 4-6 born between 5-1-2017 and 4-30-2020

Rookie ages 6-8 Born between 5-1-2015 and 4-30-2018

Minors ages 9-10 Born between 5-01-2013 and 4-30-2015

Majors ages 11-12 Born between 5-1-2011 and 4-30-2013

*Note that due to the differences in age cutoff dates across different baseball leagues, many young players get an extra year of eligibility with Cal Ripken Baseball in comparison to Little League. This applies specifically to players with birthdates between May 1st and August 31st.

**For players ages 13 and up, please check out: https://www.cvillebaberuth.org/

Players should play in the division according to their age. Any requests to play up will be handled on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by the Board of Directors , with input from the player's prior coaches.

ALL Rookie, Minors, and Majors should plan on attending the player evaluations prior to the start of the season. Specifics are TBD, but evaluations will likely be the weekend of February 24th, 2024. Evaluations are what we rely on to form balanced, competitive teams across divisions. (They are NOT try-outs!) The recreation season starts in Mid-March and wraps up by early June.

While fall was focused primarily on development, spring adds more competitive elements. There is more of a possibility for local away games against other teams in our district (Greene, Madison, Fluvanna, Peachtree) for the Minors & Majors primarily. Win/Loss records are kept for all and a playoff week occurs during the last week of the season (usually around the 1st week of June). One Rookie/Minor/& Major champion is crowned at the end of the playoffs.

Additionally, about half-way through the season, there will be information about All-Star Tryouts for each respective age group. Players who make an All-Star team will have an additional practice a week to get ready for the Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken District 5 Tournaments. For planning purposes, these tournaments take place typically during the last two weekends in June and potentially into the beginning of July if a Northside team wins. Follow timelines for future tournaments here: https://vbrdistrict5.com/

*Note: After years of not being able to field a full team per age group, we will NO LONGER be offering softball at Northside. If you have a player or neighbor interested in spring softball please look into  Greene County Youth Center or Crozet Peachtree to play within Babe Ruth Softball which goes up to age 16. Additionally, Central League plays within Little League Softball,but only up to age 12.*

SPRING REGISTRATION will OPEN in December with EARLY BIRD RATES for one month, so check back on our website and follow us on Facebook so you don’t miss out! All families who played in the fall will receive an email with the link to register as well. Please share the spring registration information with classmates & neighbors who attend schools in the northern and central Albemarle zones! If your friend mentions your name when registering, you will be entered into our "Refer-a-Friend" drawing for a baseball equipment related prize!

Are you interested in becoming more involved at Northside? If so, attend a board meeting to learn more! The board meets throughout the year, the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30, location TBD, but usually at Timberwood Grill. Email: Jenn Sims, communications.northsideleague@gmail.com. Our board currently needs help with advertising/promotion/outreach over the winter. We welcome help in any capacity!

Is your business or a business you know of interested in becoming a Northside sponsor – email kristy.bevans@gmail.com to get information on our Tiered Sponsorship Levels for spring 2024.

We ALWAYS welcome feedback – if you would like to provide us with any highlights & suggestions for improvement, please use this Google Survey form: https://forms.gle/1xwoaHH1Yv31uLSQ9

Northside uses SportsEngine for all communications. After you register your player, please download this application!

For instructions on how to download it, click here: https://help.sportsengine.com/en/articles/227-how-to-download-the-sportsengine-mobile-app

Use the messages and chat features to communicate with your coach and teammates. View your teams upcoming practice and game schedules. Hear about cancellations or other important updates.

Importantly, with as much advanced notice as possible, please use the RSVP feature on your app to let the coach your player will be attending or missing a practice or game. This is helpful because coaches must plan ahead for games where they are short the required # of players and at the upper divisions they need to set their lineups ahead of time. To access this feature on your app, click on schedule, click on the specific game date, click on the RSVP tab, and select yes, no, or maybe in regards to your player's attendance.

Also, if you would like for more than one parent to have access to your player's team schedule on the app, please try the following:  Have the person who registered the player log on to Sportsengine, then in the top right hand corner go to settings and click on manage your household profile. Add a second (or third) adult as a 'guardian' for your player and once they accept the invitation, they will also have access!

After putting in extra weeks of practice and hard work,  our All-Star coaches and players did a great job in the District 5 Babe Ruth tournament this 2023 post-season. Our 8s All-Star Team went to Madison and after a tough loss to Rockville in the first game, they fought back with an awesome 13-2 win over Greene B.  Their season ended with a narrow loss to Peachtree B.  

Roster of the 8s All Star Team: Adam Pariseau, Blaine McQuown, Conor Leary, Cooper Cole, Dalton Lynch, David Whittemore, Eric Felini, Evan Walker, Griffen Livengood, Justice Thomas, Kyle Peters, Ryder Rapp, Ryker Gerber-Boone & Warner Focht  8s Coaches: Walker (Head), Caito, Rapp, Pariseau

The 10s team took 3rd place in the tournament. Way to go boys! After losing their opening game to Peachtree, they made a big comeback and won against Greene 15-0 and also Madison 21-9. The team rallied and played tough against Rockville in their 4th game in 2 days, ultimately losing 12-4.

Roster of the 10s All Star Team: Asher Roberts, Daniel Tulip, David Artusio, Harrison Lawson, Jake Zoll, Jameson Rogers, Jaxson Floyd, Leo Sutton, Owen Rapp, Samuel Lewis, Walker Chumney, & Wyatt Sims 10s Coaches: Sims (Head), Sutton, Lawson, Zoll

The All-Star 12s team lost by one run in a nail biter to Greene in their first game. They played very well and showed off some excellent pitching and hitting. Their tournament ended with a loss to Rockville. We realize that many of our players on that team and in the Majors in general will be moving on from Northside and we want to say that we are all so proud of you and wish you the best! We hope that your many years at Northside will be fond early baseball memories.

Roster of the 12s All Star team: Bentley Via, Brody Davis, Carson Frey, Dillon Robinson, Ethan White, Issac Swift, Jackson Hutter, Jeremiah Bullette, Josiah Hopkins, Manny Aparicio-Jones, Samuel Carder, Samuel Tulip, & Vedant Kommaraju    Coaches: White (Head), Carder, Robinson

We can't wait to see what returning players can do next year! A reminder that All-Star tournaments are typically held during the same time frame each year, mid-to-end of June. If a Northside team wins the tournament, they qualify for regionals which is the weekend after 4th of July. Tryouts for All-Stars are held midway through the spring season. There is no All-Star tournament in the fall. The fall season is considered to be more developmental in nature and is also only 8 weeks long. 

We are fortunate to have the support of many local businesses. Their contributions allow us to keep fees low, serve more of the community, and purchase much needed equipment. Please visit these businesses to show your appreciation for supporting Northside!

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor please email: kristy.bevans@gmail.com

Baseball, Tball and Softball have completed their spring 2023 regular seasons. We hope everyone had a great recreational experience. The focus, as you hopefully can see, has been on player development for each and every member of a team, along with teaching the fundamentals, having fun and being good teammates and sports. That is our mission at Northside and that is what we will continue to do! Thank you families and spectators for your positive support and encouragement.

Congratulations to our Rookie Division champs - the Ironpigs, the Minor division champs - the Rangers, and the Major division champs - the Grasshoppers. What a fun playoff week and championship weekend!

We welcome feedback about your season, it can be provided anonymously if you would like - click here: https://forms.gle/kXqyiEn4U1iQgRpa9

We wanted to share the information shared by Crozet Peachtree Baseball/Softball regarding the The Marr Scholars Fund:

"Since 2000 the Marr Scholars Fund has provided four years of college assistance to support 22 graduating seniors who played Babe Ruth baseball in Charlottesville. The fund provides $2500 an academic year for a four-year total of $10,000.

The Marr Scholars Fund honors the lives of two brothers – John D. and Richard T. Marr – who dedicated their lives and careers to the crucial contribution that a well-rounded education and healthy athletic competition provides to a rich life. John D. “Jack” was the president of the Lane Babe Ruth League in Charlottesville at the time of his death.

Previous Marr Scholars from Charlottesville have attended the University of Virginia, Christopher Newport, Virginia Commonwealth, University of Richmond, Virginia Tech, James Madison, Savannah College of Arts & Design, Hampden Sydney, Duke, Elon, Oberlin, and Haverford.

The criteria for selection of a Marr Scholar are academic achievement, character and citizenship, financial need, and plans to matriculate in a four-year college or university in the fall of 2023.

Applications are due online on June 12, 2023. To enter the competition, please complete this application.

https://forms.gle/yXTxybAQM2VnwPUB7

Required material includes a one-page essay, high school resume, letter of college acceptance, financial aid sheet from college, and two letters of recommendation.

Please write Tim Marr, Trustee, at marr@unc.edu with questions."

Northside is a volunteer run league - we could not be successful without the help of families and community members!  Each Northside Family is asked to meet a minimum volunteer requirement of 2 hours.  

Northside offers many opportunities to volunteer such as:

• Working in the concession stand
  • Sign up genius sent out to all families periodically
  • Directions provided when you arrive for your 2 hour time slot. You can see the game being played at CRF from concessions!
• Coaching/Asst Coaching
• Field Prep for Games
• Base Coach, Scorekeeper, Dugout Parent
• Board Member

Questions? Contact Jenn Sims: communications.northsideleague@gmail.com

Developing a strong community by teaching baseball fundamentals and life skills; helping kids improve as players, work as a team, and grow as individuals.  

Click here for more information on our mission, goals, and expectations.

Northside is chartered with Babe Ruth League and fields teams playing in Cal Ripken Baseball. Our geographical boundaries span nearly all schools in central to northern Albemarle County, Virginia including the following public schools: Agnor Hurt, Baker Butler, Stony Point, Hollymead, Broadus Wood, Woodbrook, Stone Robinson, Mountain View, and Greer Elementary Schools, along with Lakeside and Journey Middle Schools.

T-ball: age 4-6

Baseball teams are fielded for ages 6-12  : Rookie (Machine Pitch 6-8), Minors (9-10 Kid Pitch), Majors (11-12)

Softball will no longer be offered at Northside, starting with the spring 2024 season.

During the baseball seasons, up-to-date information about field closures at Baker Butler, Holleymead, Lakeside and Woodbrook will be posted here.

This coupon can be used throughout the year, please feel free to use whenever you are purchasing any sporting apparel or equipment!