How It Works

For years Kearney Little League (one of the largest organizations in Kearney benefiting youth) has helped thousands of children and young adults become good, decent, healthy and trustworthy citizens.  It’s not an easy job and would not be possible without the constant and ongoing support of all our players, parents and volunteers.

Each season the program provides a fun and educational baseball experience for over 600 youth from Kearney and the surrounding area.  The following paragraphs give a brief description and timeline of how that happens and how you can help.  If you’re a parent with an interested player or a just a citizen with an interest in volunteering please continue reading because this is How It Works...

Program Objective

The objective of Kearney Little League shall be to implant firmly in children of the community the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, courage and respect for authority, so that they may be well-adjusted stronger and happier children and will grow to be good, decent, healthy and trustworthy citizens. 

The Silent Auction

The Silent Auction is the program’s only true fundraising event.  Starting in January the program’s board of directors begins scouring the community for donations.  Some come to us in the form of sports memorabilia, retail goods, services, discount coupons or monetary donations.  A good rule of thumb is that if people can use it, collect it or spend it, it would probably make a great addition to the silent auction.  The Silent Auction is usually held in mid-February in conjunction with the Kiwanis pancake feed hosted at Sunrise Middle School.  For more information about the Silent Auction, learn how to donate to or bid on an item; please visit our Silent Auction page for more details.

League Age & Division

Two of the most confusing topics for players and parents are determining which program and division you’ll be playing in that season.  To get started you must determine what age the player will be as of April 30th of that year.  After figuring that out, players age 6-8 will participate in the Daytime Program and players age 9-16 will participate in the Nighttime Program.  For more information on determining league age and the specific differences between the divisions please visit our League and Division Overview for more details.

Registration

The first major process in each season is registering all our players.  As bats and gloves come out of the closet and last year’s uniform again sees the light of day, every eager player starts to get excited when mom or dad registers him or her for the upcoming season.  We understand that parents' and kids' schedules alike have gotten busier so we have also tried to keep up with these busy times.  Offering nearly two full months of online registration and multiple dates for in-person registration.  These should provide any busy household ample opportunity to get registered.  For exact dates, times and ways to register visit our Registration page for more details

Coach Recruitment

Every year, starting in February, Kearney Little League begins putting together our roster of Managers and coaches for the upcoming season.  While the majority of this work is done before the season starts we are always looking for qualified men and women to help manage and coach the hundreds of players in the program.  If you’re interested in being a coach, either as a manager or assistant, please fill out our volunteer form so we know you’re out there.  You can also visit our coach’s page for more details and requirements of the position.  If you're reading this during the off-season please submit the volunteer form now.

Skills Assessment

Skills Assessment is your player’s first opportunity of the season to get out and start playing baseball.  Usually held in late March or early April it’s the next step in the process of assembling the teams that will compete for that season.  Participating in Skills Assessment is required for all players ages 9-16 that will be participating in the Nighttime program.  Those players ages 6-8 will not participate in this event.  Visit our Skills Assessment page for more information on the event, dates, times and equipment requirements.

Team Selection Process

Typically held just a few days after Skills Assessment this process conducted by the Kearney Little League board will determine which players will play on which teams.  A great deal of time and effort is placed on the selection of players and teams to ensure an equal mix of talent on teams throughout the league.  Players ages 9-16 should hear from their new coaches between 24-72 hours after the completion of the process.  Players ages 6-8 are not drafted and are randomly assigned to teams.  Those players will be notified in early May with schedule and team information.  For more information on these procedures or if your son or daughter has not been contacted visit our Team Selection Process page.

Team Practice

After the Teams have been announced and depending on weather each team usually has between 3-4 weeks to begin practicing before their first game.  Though practices should continue throughout the season it’s during these first few weeks that each team should practice around two times a week.  Every team in the nighttime program is allotted one weekday night and one weekend practice timeslot during this pre-season period...consider it Spring Training.  Each player on the team should attempt to make it to each practice session to ensure team cohesion and the best learning experience possible.  Practice schedules may be viewed under the Schedule link from Division menu at the top of the page.  For more information or questions on team practices visit the Practice FAQ.

Regular Season Games

Regular season play is different for the Daytime and Nighttime program.  Usually commencing in early May and finishing before the 4th of July, the Nighttime program teams will play approximately 12 regular season games.  Game times typically begin anywhere between 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM.  The Daytime program normally starts towards the end of May and runs through the end of June with practice and games being held between 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.  For more information on regular season play and game schedules please see the visit the Division specific pages in the menu at the top of the page.

All-Star Teams

For ages 9 and up two All-Star teams are selected from each division; one from the Red division and one from the Blue division.  These two teams, made up of approximately 18 players each, will compete against each other in one of five All-Star games hosted by the program.  After each All-Star game a most valuable player award will be given to one of the competing players.  Additionally coaches from each division will select one player to receive the Pete Markus Sportsmanship Award which may be given to any player participating in that division in any regular game.  Another purpose for each All-Star game is to select which players will make up teams competing in post-season play.  For additional information about All-Star teams or post-season play visit our All-Star Team or Post-Season Tournament information pages.

Post-Season Tournaments

Those players selected to participate on one of the post season teams will have an opportunity to advance though various levels of play by competing against other teams from the state and nation.  Advancing through districts to state, state to regionals and regionals to nationals affords our players an amazing experience, the likes of which dreams are made of.  For more information on tournament schedules and other pertinent details visit our tournament information page.

Wrap Up

That’s it!  That’s the season in a nut-shell.  Hundreds of kids, parents, volunteers, practices, games, baseballs, and skinned knees make up one of the largest and most active youth sports organizations in Central Nebraska.  If you have questions about the season please visit our FAQs or feel free to contact us.If you’d like to volunteer please fill out the volunteer form now; we’d love to have you active in the program.  If you’re just a spectator that’s fine too; we can’t wait to see you at the field!

Sincerely,
Kearney Little League Board of Directors