Play Ball!!!

There might have be an occasional weekday game depending on field availability and the number of rainouts that occur during the season, but a weeknight game is possible. The season starts in April and runs into early September.

Where are the league’s games played?

The league rents fields from Tacoma to Lynwood and so games are played wherever the nicest fields are available.  In some cases where a larger division is broken into sub divisions there may be a North and South distinction where some games can be localized a bit more for teams that are exclusively located in the south or in the north.  The league's primary goal is to play games on the nicest fields available.

 

Also note that the league does not play on the major holiday weekends. These are Memorial Day, July 4^th and Labor Day.

What is the difference between the two 18 & over leagues?

The 18 & over American league is our most competitive league and features many players who have either played professionally or played in college at some level. If you are trying to decide which league to tryout for, or bring a new team in, a good way to determine this is if you are an ex college player and were a starter, you should probably try out for the 18 & over American league. If you are older, and prefer to play in a more relaxed atmosphere, then you should tryout for the 18 & over National league or the 26 & over league. For new teams, if you have 3-4 ex college or professional players who play key positions (pitching or catching), then you would be a better fit in the 18 & over American league. We RARELY mandate what league or division a team should play in, so really the decision is up to the manager.

What does it cost to play?

The league fee is $325 for an 18 game season that includes playoffs, all-star games and championship games. The fee covers everything that is required to play a game including field cost, umpires, baseballs and liability insurance (required by all fields). This also covers your individual and team statistics that are tracked by a third party and are available on this website. This feature is a new addition to the league. Your fee also covers league advertising costs, awards, web services and many other things required to run a baseball league of our size.

How can I get on a team?

Information for tryouts for the league will be posted on the front page of this site. We hold our draft immediately after each tryout and you will know before you go home whether you were selected to a team or not. Most everyone who attends a try out is drafted, but those who are not drafted are put into a ‘players pool’ for selection later on. This list of players is available to all managers throughout the year and is used quite a bit to replace players who get injured, move out of town, or for a variety of reasons.

What do I need to do to try out?

There are 3 things you will need to do.

One is to bring a glove and have a good time. Our tryouts will consist of outfield, infield, pitching and catching (for those that can play these positions) and hitting. You do not have to try out for all positions, just those you primarily play.

Second is to pay a non refundable player deposit. The deposit is $150 and should you decide not to report to your team after you are drafted, this deposit will be forfeited and you will not be allowed to play during that season. The reason we do this is to be fair to the teams that draft players and to keep a competitive balance in the league. Within a couple of weeks of the tryout, the remaining balance of your league fee will be due to your manager and your $150 will go towards your league fee. Your manager will need to turn it into the league. Before you try out you should determined whether or not you can commit to a season’s worth of weekend baseball games, along with the financial commitment of the league fee.

The third is to sign an NABA contract, which covers you under our liability insurance.

Are there tournaments during the year?

Yes, there are local and national tournaments that occur over the major holiday weekends (which we do not play league games). There are some managers in the league that also host tournaments on the weekends that the league does not play games. Along with this the National NABA office also hosts tournaments on these weekends all around the country.

At the end of the season, the National NABA offers up a National World Series which is in October and played down in the Phoenix area. For more information on national tournaments, please visit the National NABA site at www.dugout.org.

Who umpires the league’s games?

The league uses 2 of the best local umpire associations. These are the same umpires that work local High School and College games and have been working with the NABA for the last 15 years. Umpire quality is extremely important for the league as we want to ensure that everyone has a good time when playing in the league, and that all teams and players are treated fairly.

What fields do you play on?

The league uses a variety of local high school, parks department and college fields. As previously mentioned, we have fields in the south end, central area and up north. Some of these are Bannerwood Ballpark, Lee Johnson field in Kirkland, Sammamish High School, Kent Memorial Park, Tacoma Community College, Edmonds Community College and Mount Lake Terrace High School to name a few.

What if I have other questions on the league?

The quickest way to get your questions answered is to use the “Contact Us” link at the left.