Frequently Asked Questions

Cleveland Youth Baseball

Who can play for Cleveland Youth Baseball & Softball? Is it only for kids in the Cleveland High School boundary?

All players are welcome to play with Cleveland Youth Baseball & Softball, no matter where they reside.

What is the difference between JBO and Little League or other youth leagues?

There are several differences between JBO and other youth league models. The main differences include: base stealing, field size based on age and teams formed for a full season - no, "all-star" teams. Full, original teams travel to the play-offs together.

You can review all information on the JBO FAQ here.

What are the ages of the kids my player will compete with/against?

Cleveland Youth Baseball plays the JBO model, which places players on teams based on grade level rather than age.

Beginning at "Minor" level (grades 3 and 4) players assess at the beginning of the season and are placed on teams based on skill and experience level.

Cleveland Youth Baseball plays within the Clackamas County Junior Baseball Association (CCJBA), a division within the Junior Baseball Organization (JBO):

T-Ball: Pre-K - Kindergarten
Farm: Grades 1 and 2
Cleveland National League (CNL): Grades 3 and 4 - CNL is comprised of teams that only play other Cleveland Baseball CNL teams
Minor Federal Grades 3 and 4 - Travel team that play other teams in the CCJBA i.e. Clackamas, Tualatin, Canby, etc.
Juniors: Grades 5 and 6
Seniors: Grades 7 and 8

Beginning at Junior level - ALL teams will travel in JBO.

Age & Level Guidelines

T-Ball: PreK and Kindergarten.

Children in Pre-K and Kindergarten will automatically be placed on a T-Ball team.

Players use a tee to hit the ball for at least half the season, and then coaches pitch gradually as players develop. Focus at this level is on learning and fun!

Practices start the first week of April and usually last for about an hour on two weeknights/week.

Games are played starting in late April and end in late May.

Friend Requests: The coaches of teams will do their best accommodate friend requests but we can't make guarantees. New teammates equals opportunities to make new friends.

Farm: 1st and 2nd grade

Children in 1st and 2nd grade will automatically be placed on a Farm Ball team.

The season begins with coach-pitch and transitions to kid-pitch mid-season.

The focus is to learn the basics of the game, prepare to see and hit off a kid-pitched ball, as there is only kid-pitch beginning in 3rd grade.

Practices start the first week in April, games are played two weeknights/week starting at the end of April and ending in early June.

Friend Requests: The coaches of teams will do their best accommodate friend requests but we can't make guarantees. New teammates equals opportunities to make new friends.

Cleveland National League (CNL): League for 3rd and 4th graders

CNL is an in-house league that plays all its games vs. other Cleveland Minor teams...ie, no games vs. other towns.

All players participating in this level are placed on teams based on assessments and a draft. This is the first level of kid-pitch hardball along with base stealing and umpired games. Practices start the first week of April and usually last for about an hour+ on two weeknights/week.

Games are played two weeknights/week, beginning at the end of April and ending in mid-June with the CNL Championship week.

Assessments are REQUIRED at this level.

No friend requests for team placements.

Minor Federal: (3rd and 4th graders) - One team

Cleveland fields one top competitive team at the Minor Level. This Minor Federal team is part of CCJBA and will travel to compete against teams from Canby, Clackamas, Oregon City, Tualatin, Nelson, Estacada, etc.

This team is formed based on assessments and includes additional travel, cost and time commitment.

Games are played twice a week, both home and away locations and must be made up if canceled for rainouts.

The season starts the end of April and runs through early to mid July and requires all players to commit to being available through that date in order to play.

Assessments are REQUIRED at this level.

No friend requests for team placements.

Juniors: (5th and 6th graders)

All players at the junior level play in the CCJBA league - which does require travel. Players are placed on teams based on assessments. There are three levels at this age - Federal, American and National.

The season starts the end of April and runs through early to mid July and requires all players to commit to being available through that date in order to play.

Assessments are REQUIRED at this level.

No friend requests for team placements.

Seniors: (7th and 8th graders)

All players at the junior level play in the CCJBA league - which does require travel. Players are placed on teams based on assessments. There are three levels at this age - Federal, American and National.

The season starts the end of April and runs through early to mid July and requires all players to commit to being available through that date in order to play.

Assessments are REQUIRED at this level.

No friend requests for team placements.

Team formation - JBO Model

JBO has three levels of play: Federal, American and National. CYBS picks teams based on its goal of grouping together players of similar skill levels.

This is the goal of JBO and the goal of CYBS when forming teams.

National is the most relaxed, akin to a "Rec" level. This level does not include weekend tournaments and has a lighter practice schedule.
American is more competitive than National and is for kids who have assessed at a higher skill level and who are wanting to play in more competitive games.
Federal is for players who assess at the highest skill levels and who can compete vs. the best teams in the area.

National, American and Federal: Each of these levels holds an end of season County Tournament for qualifying teams with top teams from the County Tournaments earning their way to the JBO State Tournament. These tournaments can happen anywhere from the end of June through end of July.

Financial

Is there a scholarship program for those who need help with fees?

Yes. If you, or someone you know, has a financial need for support in order to register one or more children in the league, please fill out the form here. No request will be considered without form completion.

What do our registration fees pay for?

Cleveland Baseball & Softball is completely volunteer run. Registration fees help cover the following:

Field permit fees (by far our highest expense), primary uniform, equipment and player protective gear, portable restrooms, field maintenance, umpires, and organizational fees–insurance, background checks, hosting fees, etc.

Do you offer refunds?

Cleveland Youth Baseball and Softball has a NO REFUND policy, including for schedule conflicts. You can read more about it here.

If our season is cancelled in its entirety and no practice or games occur, we will offer partial refunds.

scheduling + Games & practices

See our Scheduling & Game/Practice FAQ for details.

how to prepare

We're new to baseball, what gear, uniform, etc. do we need to have?

As part of your registration, you will receive a hat and a jersey. Players on certain travel teams may pay for a secondary jersey later in the season.

All players will need:

Green socks
Green belt
Gray baseball pants

At registration, you will have the option to purchase those as add-ons and receive them with your uniform and hat. Otherwise, any sporting goods store like Dick's Sporting Goods will have a full selection both on-site and online. Players from Cleveland National Level on - third through eighth grade - are also required to wear a cup as these levels play with a hard baseball.

All players will also need the following gear:

Bat
Mitt
Batting helmet