General FAQ’s
Who maintains the baseball facilities and fields at South Cherokee?
SC Baseball board members maintain the park and its facilities privately. We receive no support or funding from the county. All park improvements and general maintenance are provided by our outstanding Volunteers and Board of Directors.
How many fields are at South Cherokee Park?
South Cherokee has a total of 9 fields.
Are animals allowed at the park?
Unfortunately, domestic animals are not allowed inside of the park. Certified Service animals only are allowed.
Why do teams at South Cherokee need sponsors?
We are completely self-funded, so everything from the power bill to the grass cutting is paid for by our program. We strive to keep our program affordable so that no family has to miss out on playing baseball due to rising costs. We instead count on community sponsors to help support our program. We require each team to work together to secure a minimum of $350.00 in sponsorships. This is intended to be a joint effort between the coach and the families of the players on the team. We are a non-profit, so sponsorships are tax deductible. We also have a large audience in the surrounding communities, so any business will benefit from sponsorship visibility. The Sponsorship form detailing sponsor levels is located on the website.
How can we sign up to volunteer and help the park?
South Cherokee, like most Little Leagues throughout the world, is a volunteer non-profit organization whose purpose is to teach our youth the game of baseball while also teaching them life lessons, sportsmanship, and how to be a good citizen. Our organization is run completely by volunteers.
We pride ourselves on being a Baseball family so plan to get involved.
We need Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Team Moms, General Volunteers, and much more. If you are interested in being a Head Coach, please contact our Directors of Baseball. If you would like to help out in other areas, we will send out an email with all the volunteer opportunities available, or you can select an area you would like to help with when registering. Let your coach know you are willing to help or contact any board member.
We do ask that all our families volunteer in at least one capacity during the season. There are both season-long opportunities, as well as shorter single day volunteer spots available. Many Youth programs ask for a volunteer fee if your family is not willing to volunteer at least once during the season. We simply ask that you be a part of our program and volunteer!
What can I do as a parent to support my child?
Parent support during both games and practices is critically important to the success of the League. Be supportive of the team by ensuring your child attends each practice on time, be a positive role model during games, whether you are a Coach, Assistant coach, or simply a spectator and please keep the following in mind:
- Always be positive and enthusiastic.
- Show your child positive reinforcement.
- Observe practices and games to learn proper techniques to practice with your child.
- Encourage your child toward skill improvement and good sportsmanship in every game.
- Teach your child to always play by the rules.
- Teach your child that hard work and an honest effort are often more important than a victory.
- Applaud good plays by your team and by members of the opposing team.
- Let the Coaches do the coaching.
- Let an umpire be the umpire. Recognize that the umpire is the closest to the play and that each umpire will “call them as they see them"
How do I stay up to date on ALL the important information?
Visit our website at www.southcherokeebaseball.com for the most up to date information. You can also follow us on our Facebook page, South Cherokee Baseball for updates. Weekly newsletters are sent during the season to keep families up to date with upcoming events around the park.
Registration FAQ’S
What do my registration fees cover?
Registration fees help to cover expenses such as lights, water, field maintenance, uniforms, park equipment, umpires, insurance and general park repair and improvements.
What is included in my registration?
Players will receive a hat, jersey, socks and belt for their uniform. All uniforms are custom made for each player. Trophies are provided for the 3/4 T-Ball league as well as champion and finalist rings for tournament winners per each age group.
Do I have to pay registration fees all at one time?
If you register early, you can use our payment plan option. The earlier you register, the more time you will have to pay your fees. If you wait and register two days before the deadline, you will still have to have the full balance paid by the deadline. All accounts MUST be paid in full before a player can attend assessments or have a uniform ordered. Sorry, we are unable to make any exceptions to this policy.
I already registered but have decided my child is not going to play this season, can I get a refund?
You may send us an email request for a refund up until Assessments. We charge a $10.00 processing fee for refunds. After assessments have taken place, we are unable to refund your registration costs. There are no exceptions.
The registration date has passed, can I still register?
It may be possible for a player to register after the registration deadline. We will continue to register players provided we have open slots. There is an additional $25 per player charged for all late registrants.
When does the Fall/Spring Seasons start and end? How many games are played?
Spring Baseball starts in March and is completed by the middle of May, with assessments and practices in February. The number of games played will vary depending on the total teams in each age group but expect 8-10 games minimum. Ages 5U and up will also play an end of season tournament.
Fall Baseball starts in August with assessments and practices and is completed by mid November. The number of games played will vary depending on the total teams in each age group, but expect 8 games. Ages 5U and up will also play an end of season tournament.
See website for a full list of dates.
How much time should I expect to be committing to Baseball?
Ages 3-4 T-Ball: Teams will be assigned a pre-season practice 1 day a week for 45 minutes to 1 Hour.
In season, teams will be assigned 1 practice day per week of 45 minutes to 1 hour and 1 game per week played on Saturdays (1 hour).
Ages 5 and up: During Pre-season coaches will have the opportunity to practice 2 days a week. During the season, you should expect 1, possibly 2 practices per week and 2 games per week. Game days are Saturdays, Mondays, and Fridays, with the other weekdays used for practices and make-up games. Weeknight activities do not start before 5:30pm. Saturday games are typically scheduled anywhere from 8:30am – 6:00pm. We do use Sundays for practice slots running anywhere between 1:00pm-7:00pm.
Where will we practice and play?
3-4 T-Ball: All practices and games will be held at South Cherokee Park.
Ages 5-11/12: All practices and games will be held at South Cherokee Park
Ages 13/14: All practices will be held at SC. Depending on numbers this age group may play an interleague season, with the possibility of having 3-5 games at another local park (most games will be held at South Cherokee Park). This is based on the number of teams in these leagues. Our older players always enjoy getting to experience “traveling” to other locations to play ball.
Why am I unable to know my practice schedule before I sign up?
We do not determine practice schedules until registration is complete, as practice and game scheduling depend on the number of teams in each league. The Head Coaches will be assigned practices when teams are drafted.
What does your player need to provide?
Your player will need to provide a baseball glove, helmet, bat, bag and cleats (tennis shoes are ok for t-ball), etc. A detailed equipment list can be found on the website here.
Players will need to provide pants once teams are assigned, and colors chosen.
How are teams formed?
3-4 T-Ball Age: Players are assigned to teams by the Baseball Director/Assistant Baseball Director. Every effort is made to place all players with the requested coaches or friends. Teams will consist of between 6-8 players depending on the number of teams. Friend/coach requests must be noted during registration in special requests.
For ages 5-14: Head coaches have the option of freezing up to three players; their own player and two others. All remaining players, who attend assessments, are put into a pool and selected by the head coaches, using a draft procedure. All players are selected from the draft pool until there are no more remaining players. Any players who do not attend assessments are blindly added to a team in draft order.
How are coaches selected?
Our Board of Directors select Head Coaches from the pool of volunteers wanting to coach. They use several factors including: coaching experience, number of years coaching at South Cherokee and prior experience in the league etc.
They must complete an application and a background check and be in good standing with the park. Assistant Coaches are chosen by the Head Coaches of each team. The Assistant Coaches can be frozen from a previous season, chosen by signing up as an Assistant Coach during registration*, or simply stepping up when a position needs to be filled.
All SC Coaches (Head & Assistant) will be required to complete a background check before being issued an SC Coach Jersey.
When will we know which team our player is on?
The Head Coach will contact you within 48-72 hours of the draft being completed with general information and a team practice schedule. Practices will start immediately thereafter. These dates can be found on the calendar.
Can I request a certain coach or to play on a team with a friend and can I choose my practice nights?
For T-Ball when completing registration, there is space for special requests. If you want to be with a specific coach or a friend enter the information there.
For all other ages the best course of action is to identify a coach and request that they try and draft both players. We do not make special accommodation’s and with the draft there are no guarantees that players will be able to play or be selected by a particular coach.
This is the only place where requests will be seen and noted. We do try to honor requests as we can, but with over 700 players, we are unable to guarantee anything.
The best way to guarantee a choice of practice nights, and a friend on your team is to volunteer to coach a team!
What extras costs may come up during the season?
As a self-funded park, fundraising is a necessity. South Cherokee spirit wear, team, and player photos by SMAX as well as a Sponsor A Player program are some of the programs that we offer.
All of these are optional, but of course we encourage you to support South Cherokee.
Teams will often have extras that you may take part in like team snacks, end of season celebrations and coach/team mom gifts etc.
We ask that teams keep expenses to a maximum of $25 per player for the end of season, and work hard to monitor expenses and always try to keep our program affordable.
I have a problem with my child’s coach, what should I do?
Please make every attempt to resolve the issue directly with the coach. Please address your concerns with him first prior to speaking with anyone else. If you are not able to resolve the issue with you coach, please contact your League Director.
What if I have a question that isn’t covered here?
You may contact a member of the South Cherokee Board of Directors (see website for full list of names). They will be happy to answer any questions you may have. You can also send general questions to our park email: [email protected]