If there is enough interest at this age level, Norfolk may participate in a 7U league with nearby towns such as Wrentham, Foxboro, Medfield, Millis and a couple others.

What to Expect: Continuing lessons taught in spring, practices are age equivalent, but may include some additional advanced skills depending on the current league rules adopted by the participating summer towns. Advanced skills have historically included the introduction of kid-pitch, the catcher position and 10 fielders with a continuous batting order.  The season runs for the month of July with games and practices held on weeknights. The commitment is likely 2-3 nights per week, but is dependent on the number of teams registered across both towns.  Final schedules are usually announced toward the end of June.

Equipment & Fields Used: Children need to have their own glove for playing summer ball. Baseball Caps and Jerseys will be distributed by your team manager at the start of the season. Baseball pants and cleats are required. As many of the games are travel, kids will need to have their own bats and helmets. Bats must adhere to the current standards here.

If there is enough interest at this age level, Norfolk may participate in this league, which is administrated by the town of Foxboro. The Friendship league is an introduction to competitive summer baseball.  All summer games are against other local towns, usually within about 30 minutes of Norfolk.

What to Expect: Continuing lessons taught in spring, practices are age equivalent, but may include some additional advanced skills depending on the current league rules adopted by the participating summer towns. This may include stealing for example. Friendship League runs through the month of July with games and practices mostly held on weeknights. Pending any rainouts, the season should end by August 2nd for teams that advance deep into the playoffs.  Your coach will be able to provide additional details on the schedule once teams are announced.

Equipment: Children need to have their own glove for playing summer baseball. Baseball Caps and Jerseys will be distributed by your team manager at the start of the season. Baseball pants and cleats are required. As many of the games are travel, kids will need to have their own bats and helmets. Bats must adhere to the current standards here.

Tryouts are held in mid-spring to evaluate skill levels, combined with other evaluation points (pre-Spring and Coach evaluations). Based on skill and baseball acumen, players at each age level will be selected to play on the Norfolk All-Star (Division 1) teams. Players must have played Norfolk spring baseball and attended evaluations to be eligible for a Division 1 team. These teams are all baseball age specific (Ages 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12).  Kids do not "play up" to a Hockomock team unless there aren't enough age appropriate kids to fill a roster.  All other players that register will have a roster position on an age-appropriate Division 2 or 3 team.  If we are unable to place players on a roster due to overall registration numbers at an age group, we have the option to reach out to the Hockomock League to see if those players can be placed with another town.  In these situations, we will check with the parents to confirm they agree with this approach.  Players that did not participate in spring baseball are only eligible for the lowest division team for their age group.  The number of teams at each age will vary depending on total registrants.  Division 3 teams at 9/10U are combined, and Division 3 teams at 11/12U are combined.

Norfolk All-Star (Division 1) Team Selection:

• Players will be selected for Division 1 All-Star teams at each baseball age level (8, 9, 10, 11, and 12) based on skill and baseball acumen.

• Eligibility for Division 1 teams requires participation in Norfolk spring baseball.

• Players will typically play at their designated baseball age.  Playing up to a Hockomock team will only occur if there are insufficient age-appropriate players to fill a roster.

• Players will be selected for Division 1 All-Star teams at each baseball age level (8, 9, 10, 11, and 12) based on skill and baseball acumen.

• Eligibility for Division 1 teams requires participation in Norfolk spring baseball.

• Players will typically play at their designated baseball age.  Playing up to a Hockomock team will only occur if there are insufficient age-appropriate players to fill a roster.

Division 2 and 3 Teams:

• All other registered players are placed on an age and skill-appropriate Division 2 or 3 team.

o If players cannot be rostered on a Norfolk team because of enrollment numbers at that age group, we can seek placement on another town's team if the parent wishes.

• Players who did not participate in spring baseball are only eligible for the lowest division team within their age group.

Team Formation:

• Tryouts will be held in the spring to evaluate talent and ensure players are placed on the appropriate team based on their skill level.

• The number of teams at each age level will vary based on the total number of registrants.

• Division 3 teams for the 9/10U age group will be combined.

• Division 3 teams for the 11/12U age group will be combined.

What to Expect: Continuing lessons taught in spring, practices are age equivalent, but will likely include additional advanced skills depending on the current Hockomock league rules adopted by the participating summer towns. This may include removing run or steal limits for example. Hockomock Summer League play runs from mid June through the end of July with games and practices mostly held on weeknights. Your coach will be able to provide additional details.

Equipment: Children need to have their own glove for playing Summer Ball. Baseball Caps and Jerseys will be distributed by your team manager at the start of the season. Baseball pants and cleats are required. As many of the games are travel, kids will need to have their own bats and helmets. Bats must adhere to the current standards here.

Unlike our spring teams, summer teams represent a maximum eligible age as of April 30 in a given year.

Norfolk Baseball makes exceptions to this policy only for players who play with their grade in the preceding spring and have birthdays such that their “baseball age” would oblige them to play with players in a grade beneath their spring baseball grade cohort. Typically, these are players with birthdays between May 1st and August 31st.

In these cases only, parents may petition the board to have their player evaluated to play on an all-star team above their baseball age.  However, if the player is offered a slot in the age group one year above their baseball age, the player is obligated to accept that offer and will not be considered for a roster spot on the team within their baseball age group.  Any player who petitions and is allowed to evaluate above their baseball age who is NOT selected to play up will be offered a spot on a standard roster for their age group.

• Example 1: A Player is a June 20th Birthday and is in fifth grade. The player plays with fifth graders in spring but is 10 years old as of April 30, which make him a “Baseball 10”.  As most fifth graders are “Baseball 11’s”, Norfolk Baseball allows that child to try out with the 11 year old age group.

• Example 2: A Player is a June 20th Birthday and is in fourth grade. The player plays with fourth graders in spring and is 10 years old as of April 30th, which make him a “Baseball 10”. Norfolk Baseball does not permit that player to try out for the 11 year old age group.

These standards apply to Norfolk Baseball competitive summer leagues, which begin at the 8u level. As there is presently no competitive summer program for players under the age of 8, all children at the 7U level are assigned to a Firecracker team, which is an introduction to summer baseball.  There is presently no offering for 6U and below.

Note: Regardless of age, players are only eligible for one year at a given level for a division one all-star team.  If a player plays up to an 11U team as a Baseball aged 10 player, that player cannot play their next year on the 11U team with the younger cohort as they have used that year of eligibility.

All Norfolk town residents are eligible to play summer baseball.  However, players who did not participate in the spring Norfolk season are only eligible for the lowest division in their age group.   Any summer registrants who did not play spring baseball will be assigned to a standard team roster.

Rosters for all teams at both the all-star and standard levels are generated based on:

1. Spring Season performance;

2. summer evaluation scores;

3. past summer performance; and

4. team positional needs.

If Norfolk Baseball has enough registrants for multiple teams at the standard level, those teams will be balanced so that both are equally competitive.

Norfolk chooses qualified head coaches who have demonstrated the integrity, ability, and commitment to shepherding their team through a competitive five week summer schedule.  These coaches must embody and demonstrate to our players the importance of sportsmanship, leadership, and respect.

Each age group will have independent evaluators, meaning, that nobody with a child trying out for that age group will be allowed to score that age. These evaluators are usually Board Members or coaches from other age groups. Similarly, except in rare circumstances, those helping on the field during evaluations will not have a player in that age group.