FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

REGISTRATION

How do I calculate my child’s Little League Age and what division they play in?
Your child’s Little League Age is their age on August 31, 2026. You can also use the little league age calculator. When you register, only the divisions your child is eligible to play based on their little league age will be available. Click here for more information on the divisions Smyrna Little League offers.

If I deferred my registration from Fall, do I still need to register?
Yes, a new registration must be completed for every player to participate during the spring SLL season, including those who deferred fall registrations and all members of the 2025-2026 Slammers program who are required to play rec ball in spring.

Can I request a coach or teammates?
Our younger divisions (TB/PW) can request a coach and/or teammates and we will do our best to accommodate those requests.
Our older divisions (Rookie, AA, AAA, Majors) teams are formed through a draft and therefore we are unable to honor coach and teammate requests. Please enter “N/A” for requests for players in older divisions, we are unable to remove the requirement on the form. If there are extenuating circumstances we need to consider, please include them in the “Additional comments” section in your registration.

Why do I need to list my child’s school for Little League registration?
Little League International uses school information to determine district eligibility (see: Little League League Finder Tool to see what district you are assigned to). If you do not attend a school listed in the drop down menu, there is another way to enter where your child goes to school. If you believe there is an issue with your eligibility, please email [email protected].

Payment

Can I get a refund if my child no longer wants to play?
Player registration for Spring 2026 may be cancelled with no penalty (minus a small administration fee) until February 1, 2026. After February 1st, no refunds or fee transfers are allowed.

When are final payments due?
Payment should be made at the time of registration. Failure to pay in full by February 1, 2026 will result in cancellation of Spring registration to allow for people on the waitlist to register.

Are there scholarships available?
Yes, to apply for a scholarship please fill out this form. Scholarships need to be approved and awarded prior to the February 1, 2026 payment deadline. The Smyrna Little League board will review applications within 48 hours provided all documentation is accurate/submitted in full.

Can I pay with American Express?
Unfortunately, there seems to be a glitch with the Little League central registration system and American Express. Please try another payment method for your registration.

GETTING STARTED, EVALUATIONS and TEAM DRAFTS

What equipment/items does the league provide and what do I need to provide?
Uniforms
Smyrna Little League provides hats and uniforms for all players. Younger divisions (TB/PW) also receive uniform socks while older divisions (Rookie, AA, AAA, Majors) receive belts. Your coach will let you know which color/style pants and, for older divisions, socks. Cleats are recommended, but not required (metal spike cleats are NOT permitted in Smyrna Little League).
Equipment
- All players need to have their own glove.
- For TB, bats and helmets will be available if you do not have your own.
- For all other divisions, players will need a USA bat (USSSA bats are NOT permitted in Smyrna Little League, check your bat to make sure it is eligible) and a helmet with a full face cage (c-flaps and open helmets are NOT permitted in Smyrna Little League).
- If your child is a catcher, personal equipment is recommended but little league has catching safety gear available for use.

Player Evaluations

What age groups require player evaluations?
Evaluations are required for all our players in the older divisions beginning at Rookie-7u.

Why are player evaluations important and required?
Player evaluations allow the coaching staff in each division to understand every player’s current skill level at the start of the season. This information is essential for creating fair, balanced teams in our drafted divisions (Rookie and above). Without objective evaluations, teams can become unintentionally uneven — a concern highlighted by families in recent surveys. All players are still drafted, and evals are not a “tryout.” They simply help us ensure the season is fun, competitive, and fair for everyone.

When are player evaluations and how do I sign up my player?
For Spring 2026, player evaluations will take place February 4th, 5th and 7th. Each division will have at least one session per day, and multiple on Saturday. The player only needs to attend one session and families may select the session that best aligns with their schedule.

About a week before evaluations, you’ll receive an email with a signup link to choose the session that best fits your schedule. The registering parent must be subscribed to league emails in order to receive this link. To verify, log in to your account and check your Email Preferences under the left-hand menu.

What should I/my player expect at evaluations?
Please arrive 15 minutes before your assigned time to check in. Board members will give your player a numbered sticker to wear on their shirt — this helps coaches identify players throughout the session. After check-in, players can warm up until evaluations begin.

During the session, coaches will guide players through a series of short, age-appropriate drills that assess the core skills for their division:
Hitting
Fielding
Throwing
Running
Pitching (AA and above only)
Before each drill begins, an SLL board member or coach will demonstrate or explain exactly what players should do so everyone feels comfortable and prepared.

Players rotate through drills as a group. The actual “baseball activity” portion takes about 3–5 minutes per activity per player, but the full session lasts 60–90 minutes so that every player can complete each station in order. Once your player finishes their final drill, they are free to leave.

What should my child wear and bring to evaluations?
Players should wear baseball attire or athletic gear. Cleats are recommended. Please make sure your player is dressed appropriately for the weather.
Players should bring:
- Glove
- Bat (USA bats only, USSSA bats are not permitted by Smyrna Little League)
- Batting Helmet with full face cage (C-flap and other style helmets are not permitted by Smyrna Little League)
- Water

What if my player doesn’t perform well?
Evaluations are not a “tryout” and all players will be drafted regardless of performance. Evaluations are designed to be simple, supportive, and fast-moving — no pressure, no scoring surprises, just a chance for coaches to understand every player’s skills so we can build fair and balanced teams.

What if my player can’t make it to an evaluation session?
Each division offers three days of evaluation sessions, and players only need to attend one. If your player cannot make any of the available sessions, please email us right away at [email protected] so we can review your situation and advise on next steps.

We do our best to accommodate unavoidable conflicts. However, missing evaluations may affect draft placement since coaches rely on evaluation scores to compare players and build balanced teams. When no evaluation data is available, players will be placed based on age and known experience instead of direct assessment, which could include the recommendation of moving divisions. **Please note that all 11u players unable to attend an evaluation session will automatically be placed in the AAA division, barring a change by the SLL Executive Board.**

Team Formation & Drafts

How are evaluations used for the draft?
During evaluations, coaches score every player on core skills for their division. These scores are submitted to the Division Commissioner, who compiles the results into evaluation averages for each player. Before the draft, all coaches receive the full list of player scores. This gives them an objective, side-by-side view of every player’s skill level. Using this data ensures that teams are built through a fair, informed, and balanced draft process.

How are drafts conducted to make sure teams are balanced?
Our top priority during the draft is to create fair, well-balanced teams so every child has a great experience. We follow a clear, structured process designed to prevent any team from gaining an unfair advantage. Smyrna Little League uses a snake-style draft, meaning the order goes from first to last in one round, then reverses from last to first in the next. This back-and-forth format helps evenly distribute talent across all teams. The entire system is built to ensure teams are formed fairly, transparently, and based on player ability, not personal preference. Every rule in place supports competitive balance and a positive experience for all families. For more details on draft rules, please see our league rule book.

When does the draft take place and when will I find out which team my player is on?
The drafts will take place during the week following evaluations and emails to parents will go out at the end of this week with team details.

What if I have an issue with the team my player was drafted to?
Unfortunately, changes in teams cannot be made after the draft is completed. If there are extenuating circumstances we need to consider regarding your players team placement, please include them in the “additional comments” section when you register or notify us before the draft. A board member may follow up to obtain more information.

PRACTICE AND GAME SCHEDULES

When will we receive our practice and game schedule?
For Spring 2026, practices will begin as early as Saturday, February 14th. As coaches are finalized for all divisions, our scheduling board members work with them to identify preferred practice nights for the full season (TB/PW) and the preseason (Rookie and older) and begin building those practice schedules. After that, they turn their attention to the game schedule.

With eight in-house divisions and two divisions that play inter-league, creating the master game schedule is a detailed puzzle. Schedulers must make sure every team receives:
- the correct number of games,
- the right balance of opponents (i.e. competing against opponents the appropriate number of times),
- a fair mix of early/late time slots,
- a balanced midweek schedule (i.e. no upper division team will be forced to play every Wednesday), and
- balanced access to all available fields.

Because of this complexity, game schedules often take time to finalize. It is not uncommon for us to release game schedules in phases in an effort to release as soon as we are confident division schedules won’t change (much!) after that point. You can almost always expect the game schedules won’t be published until within 7-10 days prior to the first games. In Spring 2026, games will begin on Saturday, March 7th, and game schedules are expected to be posted by March 1st.

Once game schedules are complete, the schedulers will finalize the in-season practice schedule for all upper division (RK and older) teams. Practice times depend entirely on midweek game assignments and cannot be created until all division games schedules are set. As with games, we aim for a balanced mix of days and times—no team will practice every Friday, but every team will practice on a Friday at least once.

A full-season schedule isn’t always possible on day one, but we work hard to share schedules as early and as accurately as our field assignments and team logistics allow.

How are practice and game times assigned and why does my schedule change week to week?
We serve over 1,000 players across multiple age groups and only a limited number of fields. To give every team fair access, practice and game times rotate from week to week rather than staying the same all season. When building the schedule, we look at:
- Age priorities: younger divisions are placed earlier when possible
- Fairness: older divisions rotate through early and late slots
- Field availability: we share fields across several complexes and partners
- Division needs: game lengths, field equipment (e.g., pitching machines, mounds), and umpire coverage

Because these factors shift each season, a fixed weekly schedule isn’t possible. We work hard to build a plan that is fair, balanced, and family-friendly, and to share it as early as our field assignments allow. We’re also partnering with the City of Smyrna, Cobb County, and other local partners to identify additional practice and game spaces to help sustain and support our growth.

Why are weeknight game and practice times sometimes earlier or later than we’d prefer?
Families have different needs, and no single time works for everyone. Some parents shared that 5:45 PM feels too early on a weeknight, while others felt that 7:00/7:30 PM games end too late for younger players. With the league’s size and limited field space, we must schedule two time slots each weekday to give all teams the opportunity to play and practice. To keep things fair, teams rotate through early and late times so no team gets all of the “good” or “tough” slots. We know these times can be challenging, and we do our best to keep the schedule manageable by releasing it as early as possible and working with families when extenuating circumstances arise.

What happens if there is bad weather?
Smyrna Little League monitors weather closely to keep players safe and protect our fields. When forecasts, daytime conditions, or overnight rain raise concerns, the SLL Board evaluates field safety and playability for that day. The SLL Board may close fields due to:
- Lightning in the area
- Unsafe conditions (standing water, slippery surfaces, poor visibility)
- Fields being too wet or waterlogged to play on without causing damage

If the fields are closed, the league will notify you through multiple formats:
- Coaches will communicate through the GameChanger app
- The league will send an email update (verify that you are set up to get emails)
- Families may also sign up for text alerts when fields are closed [text Spring2026leagues9515 to 334.310.2497 to subscribe]

Whenever possible, we will play, as long as it’s safe and will not cause field damage. Once a game has started, the umpire has full authority to pause or stop play if conditions become unsafe.

How are makeups handled?
Practices
If fields close, the scheduler may move practice to the covered batting cages or other available spaces when conditions allow (no lightning present). Games take priority for rescheduling, but if available space remains for rescheduling practices, coaches may request this of the SLL Scheduling team.
Games
If a game is canceled due to weather, we work with coaches to reschedule the makeup in the next available field slot, which may be:
- The following day
- A weeknight
- A different field
- An earlier or later time than usual
Because we have limited field space and a tight season timeline, makeups often need to be scheduled quickly. We appreciate families being flexible when weather forces change.

Will there be games during school breaks or holidays?
In general, we avoid scheduling games when we expect a large number of families to be away. SLL does not schedule games during the last weekend of Cobb County School District break; however, we do play on the Saturday before the break begins. For Spring 2026, that means:
- Games will be played on Saturday, April 4
- No games will be played on Saturday, April 11

During school breaks, some coaches may choose to hold optional practices during CCSD Winter (February 14th - 22nd) and Spring Breaks (April 5th - 12th) for players who are still in town, but attendance is never required.

For Spring 2026, If your family will be out of town on April 4 or if your child attends a non-Cobb County school with a different break schedule, please let your coaches know as early as possible. This helps us plan for substitute players and keep the season and playoff schedule on track. We rarely, if ever, cancel games - instead we source players from other teams to fill-in for absent players. We highly recommend scheduling trips beginning Sunday.

How do playoffs work, and why don’t we know the playoff schedule earlier?
Playoffs are held each season for Rookie (RK), AA, AAA, and Majors, and the format differs slightly between Spring and Fall.
- In the Fall, playoff seeding is randomized, and playoffs follow a double-elimination format to give teams additional game experience.
- In the Spring, playoff seeding is based on regular-season standings, and playoffs are single elimination.

Because playoff brackets depend on final standings (Spring), field availability, head coach availability, and umpire coverage, the full playoff schedule cannot be set far in advance. In Spring, standings often shift until the final week, determining matchups and game order. In the Fall, double-elimination adds even more variability, since a team’s next game—and the practice slot connected to it—depends on how earlier games unfold and can only be assigned once each round is complete. We know this can feel last-minute, and we work hard to share playoff information as soon as it is confirmed and accurate, ensuring a fair and well-coordinated postseason for all teams.

Key Spring 2026 dates include:
- Regular season (RK/AA) ends: April 25
- Regular season (AAA/MA) ends: May 2
- Rookie & AA Championships: May 9
- AAA & Majors Championships: May 16
- Final regular season games for TB/PW: May 16

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