Raining outside? Wondering if the games or practices have been cancelled?

Call our Rain-Out line at (815) 290-1342.

Questions about anything on this page may be addressed via e-mail to sports@all-starssports.com

All-Stars Baseball is a fun baseball league offered in Channahon!! The season starts in early July and is offered to children ages 4 through 14. All-Stars baseball is for boys and girls who didn’t make their local post season teams, but still want to play more baseball or for those who haven't played (or haven't in awhile) and want to learn.

All-Stars Baseball features:

• Baseball for all children during the best baseball weather of the summer!!
• Major league shirts & hats for uniforms!!
• Focus on learning how to play, not winning!!
• A Bible based devotion prior to all games, attendance mandatory for all players and parents!!

REGISTRATION INFO:

Registration for the 2008 season will be starting in May. You can pre-register at any of our spring soccer / flag football sign-ups, or by downloading the registration form, complete and return to the church office. Online credit card registration will be opening in May for those who wish to register online and pay with credit card. If you are interested in playing other sports with us, check out our Flag Football League or Little League Soccer.

2008 Registration Fees:

T-ball (A)    $60

Machine Pitch (AA)    $70

Coach Pitch (AAA)   $80

Baseball (Majors)    $90

Registration Dates / Times / Location - "NEW" Online registration* begins May 1, 2008. Online registration ends June 7, 2008. After this date all registrations must be made at the church office, during one of the registration times shown below or by mailing registration forms. Click here for more about registration.

* Online registration is offered for those who wish to register online and pay with credit card. You will leave the All-Stars Sports web site for this registration. Additional charges will apply.

Saturday    May 31, 2008    10:00 am - 1:00 pm    FBC Channahon Concession Stand (at the ball fields)

Saturday    June 7, 2008    10:00 am - 1:00 pm    FBC Channahon Concession Stand (at the ball fields)

Thursday    June 12, 2008    6:00 pm - 8:00 pm    FBC Channahon Concession Stand (at the ball fields)

Saturday    June 14, 2008    10:00 am - 1:00 pm    FBC Channahon Concession Stand (at the ball fields)

Registrations may also be completed by downloading the registration form, filling it out and returning the the First Baptist Church office. Registration space is limited to 48 children (4 teams of 12) in each age group. "Pre-registration" may only be done by downloading the form and returning to the church office. Space is filled on a first come, first served basis. Sign-ups are taken after the above registration dates until all spots in a particular age group are filled. There is no additional charge for late registration, there are no discounts either.

Players are allowed to play up one age group, but only may play down if given special exemption by the director of All-Stars Sports. These exemptions are typically only reserved for those with special needs, not for players of lesser talent or skill or for fear the player may be injured playing with kids their own age. These exemptions may also be changed if the player is found to be of sufficient skill to play with children their own age.

Baseball team draft will be held Sunday, June 15, 2008 at 2:00 pm. The draft will be held at the ball fields. Men / women who have signed up to coach should plan to attend.

WHAT'S NEW:

What's new for this year;

1) All of the divisions have been re-named!!

        T-Ball = "A"

        Machine Pitch = "AA"

        Coach Pitch = "AAA"

        Baseball = "Majors"

2) Online registration will be available starting in May. This will allow you to complete the registration form online and pay with a credit card.

3) The parents of each player will be asked to spend some time volunteering. There are many things you can do to help including; Managing a team, being an assistant coach, work in the concession stand, dugout clean up after games, field preparation, field clean up. Check the Volunteering section for more information on each position.

OPENING DAY / GAME INFO:

First Games:    Monday, July 7, 2008

Opening Day Ceremony:    Saturday, July 19, 2008 (Featuring an appearance from Jammer, sometime during the day!!)

All-Stars Baseball day at the Joliet Jackhammers!! Saturday, July 19 for the 7:05 pm game between the Joliet Jackhammers and the Gary Southshore Railcats.

    Tickets:    $9.00 each

    All players attending in uniform will get to be part of a pre-game parade around the field!!

    12 lucky players will get to be part of the "Dream Team" (click here for more details on the "Dream Team")

    Dream Team players will be determined by drawing (3 from each age group) as part of the Opening Day Ceremonies (must be present to win)

PICTURES:

All-Stars Baseball

If you have All-Stars Baseball pictures that you would be willing to let us post on this site, please e-mail them to

sports@all-starssports.com or drop them off on a CD at the ball fields.

FAQ:

When does baseball practice start?

Baseball practices for all ages will start the week of June 16.

When do the baseball games begin?

Baseball games begin the week of July 7th, during the week. The Opening Day Ceremony will be July 19, even though some games will have already been played.

When does the baseball season end?

The closing ceremony is tentatively scheduled for August 23rd.

Will there be more sign-up dates for baseball?

Yes, there will be sign-ups May 31, June 7 and 12 (Thursday evening) and June 14. All of these sign-ups will be held at the baseball fields.

What is Machine Pitch?

This is a new division starting in 2008. In this division the batters will get pitches pitched to them from a pitching machine. This allows for consistency in speed and usually location. Pitching machine divisions allow kids to go up and swing with reduced fear of getting hit. Our experience has been that kids who play pitch machine end up being better hitters than kids who don't. Batters hit, or are out after three strikes.

What is Coach Pitch?

Coach pitch will allow kids to begin learning to pitch. The kid pitcher will pitch, if the pitcher "walks" the batter (or a batter is hit with a pitch), a coach will come out and pitch to the batter. The batter gets to hit, until the ball is put in play, or three strikes, whichever comes first.

What ages can play?

T-ball (A):    Children cannot be 6 years old before July 1 to be eligible for T-ball. Most of the kids are 4-5 years old, though occasionally parents have signed up children that are a little younger.

Machine Pitch (AA):    Children cannot be 8 years old before July 1 to be eligible for machine pitch.

Coach Pitch (AAA):     Children cannot be 10 years old before July 1 to be eligible for coach pitch.

Majors:    Children cannot be 15 years old before July 1 to be eligible for our majors division.

Notes:

    1) We may allow children with special needs to play and will place them based on skill level, however, we will not allow anyone older than 6 years old July 1 to play T-        ball.

    2) Some parents wish to move their child "up". We will allow them to play up a level.

How many players are on a team?

No more than 12 players per team.

How many games / practices per week and what time?

Each team will be scheduled to play 2 games per week. The week day will vary depending on age. All teams will play on Saturday. Week night games are planned as possible at this point;

    T-ball (A):    Monday evening, 6:00 pm

    Machine Pitch (AA):    Monday evening, 7:00 pm for games in July. Games on August 13 & 20 (Wednesday evenings) will start at 6:00 pm

    Coach Pitch (AAA):    Thursday evening 6:30 pm in July, games in August will start at 6:00 pm

    Majors:    Tuesday evening 6:00 pm for games in July, games in August will start at 5:30 pm

Saturday games start as early as 9:00 am and typically are played as follows; T-ball @ 9:00 am; Machine Pitch @ 10:30 am; Coach Pitch @ 12:30 pm and Majors @ 3:00 pm

Practice times will likely differ from the times shown above to allow a chance for all teams to practice.

Check printed schedules for final times, days and dates. All times and days above are estimated.

Do your teams play against other leagues?

No, our teams only play against our teams. Most other leagues have finished by the time we start playing.

Do you accept late registrations?

Yes. Basically we allow for a maximum of 4 teams of 12 players per age group, a total of 48 players in that age group. So, late registrations are accepted as long as there are open spots in the age group you wish to register for. The registration fees remain the same, they are not pro-rated.

Rain

What happens if it is raining?

Our fields dry pretty good, especially if it stops raining by the mid to late afternoon and we get sun. If you are in doubt, you can call our Sports Information Line at (815) 290-1342. We will begin updating this line about 1 to 1.5 hours before the first scheduled game, or practice, of the day. If all games are rained out, the line may be updated sooner and if rain is expected to end, other instructions may be obtained by listening to the message. For instance, a Saturday game may be moved back to allow for rain to stop.

When would rained out games be made up?

Our game schedule is tight, there isn't a lot of time for rain make ups, but, in the event games are missed due to rain we will make an effort to re-schedule. Games could be made up on Wednesday nights, Friday nights or after the schedule on Saturday is played out. It is possible games could be made up on Sunday afternoon as well if needed.

Every effort will be made to play all games. However, games rained out late in the season may not be made up. The season will be fully completed, including the Closing Ceremonies before Labor Day weekend. No games will be played after August 23rd as well. Closing Ceremonies could be pushed back to late in the day on the 23rd, or the 24th if needed.

Is there anything else I can do if it is raining?

Sometimes we may indicate that the fields are wet, but playable. In these cases there is likely work that needs to be done to get them ready to play. If you can help, bring a rake and come help rake fields. Field work will start on these days at approximately 4:30 pm, anyone with a rake and a willingness to work would be more than welcome.

FIELD LOCATION:

The entrance to our fields is directly across the street from the Channahon Plaza. The fields are located at the new First Baptist Church of Channahon location.

VOLUNTEERING:

Team Manager

Team Managers do not have to be baseball experts. They simply need to be willing to follow our guidelines which include moving players into different positions, being a teacher, able to control their emotions. Responsibilities include making sure your team is contacted for all practices, games, pictures, awards day, etc. (These positions will receive a free team shirt & hat).

Assistant Coach

Helps the manager run the team. Helps teach, controls emotions and helps to make sure the kids are being properly encouraged. (These positions will receive a free team shirt & hat, 3 spots only).

Concession Stand

We operate a full concession stand and it requires lots of help. Must be able to handle money, take orders and deal with customer complaints (if there are any). Will be asked to work a minimum of 4 hours.

Dugouts

Our facilities must be kept clean. After each game it's important someone (not a coach) leads the effort to make sure the dugout is clean, not only of trash but all equipment from the team is removed (gloves, shoes, hats, etc).

Field Preparation Crew

We need men (or women) who can be at the fields 1 to 1.5 hours before the first games of the day. This time is spent setting bases, lining the fields and any other general preparation that needs to be done. If it rains, we need these people to be extra early to help rake the fields, apply sand or field dry and work to dry the fields to a playable condition. (These positions will receive a free Grounds Crew T-Shirt).

Field Clean Up

We need people to stay after the last games to clean the field up. This includes removing and storing bases and pitching rubbers. Locking the dugouts and dragging the fields. (These positions will receive a free Grounds Crew T-Shirt).