Bulls (SOLL) and Sand Gnats (NOLL) prevailed as the AAA Champions this year!

NOLL/SOLL A’s Night Friday April 15th

Come join us on Jackie Robinson day as the A’s take on the World Series Champs Kansas City Royals on Friday, April 15! This is a great NOLL/SOLL Community event – don’t miss out.

Cost is $25 per person and includes game ticket and pregame tailgate catered by Mavericks (burgers*, hot dogs, pasta salad, green salad) *Veggie burgers available

BBQ starts at 5:00pm, First pitch at 7:05pm.

Order tickets now on Sportability!
(Click Register Now to begin your order)

* When ordering tickets, please make sure to select your team from the drop-down menu, this will ensure you are seated with your team.

* If you want a vegetarian meal (veggie burger) please make a note when ordering on Participant’s Contact Information page.

Tickets are on sale now for our annual NOLL/SOLL Cal Game Day Event. This year we will watch the Bears take on Oregon State on Saturday March 26th at 1pm. The game is at Evans Field on the Cal campus.

Players 6th grade and under wear your NOLL/SOLL jersey and take part in several game activities including a pre-game Chalk Talk, pre-game high 5 tunnel, run the bases after the game and a post game Easter Egg hunt.

Tickets are $10 each. Please purchase online through Sportability. Each purchase (registration) is for one ticket, add additional tickets on the final page before you finish your purchase.

NOLL/SOLL Coaches Sign up here – all clinics are free of charge to our coaches.

We have organized a series of coaching clinics that will help our coaches expand their knowledge of the game and provide them with the foundation for a successful season. We encourage all coaches to attend several clinics and take advantage of the great lineup of clinics this year! These clinics are for coaches only (sorry, but no kids allowed.) Parents who are interested in becoming a coach are encouraged to come and join us.

NOLL/SOLL Coaching “Skills” Clinics: We have a great lineup of coaching “skills” clinics led by veteran NOLL/SOLL coaches, Cal baseball coaches and professional instructors. Each clinic will focus on how to coach a specific skill area (hitting, fielding, practice management, etc) and will cover topics such as proper technique, routine drills, correcting common mistakes, and more. Competitive division coaches must attend at least one coaching clinic each season.

Big Al Clinics: Big Al and his son Scott have provided hands on training to over 250,000 coaches and their program is recognized internationally. All new TBall and Farm coaches are required to attend a Big Al clinic and all other coaches are strongly encouraged to (re)attend. TBall and Farm coaches who cannot attend the D4 clinic in Oakland on February 14th must attend the alternate D57 clinic in San Ramon on February 20th.

We will hold try outs on January 9, 10 and 16. Rain does not cancel try outs, we will move into the gym in the case of rain.

We could use your help to run our try outs. This year we will have 700 players trying out!
Sign up for Try Out Volunteer spots.

Here is what you need to know:

• Players must try out to be drafted onto a competitive team. All players league age 9 and older must tryout.
• Tryouts will be held at Montera Middle School
  Montera Middle School is at 5555 Ascot Drive, please enter on the back side, off Scout
• Coaches of multiple divisions will be attending and watching each tryout slot (for example AA and AAA coaches will watch league age 10 year olds try out)
• Do not miss your slot – if you aren’t there on time, we might not have more slots available later
• Players will either try out for NOLL or SOLL – it matters when you show up (for residency questions see our FAQ and Registration pages which have maps and details)
• Show up 15-20 min before your slot to check in and warm up. We hope to have you done by the end of your appointed time!
• Parents, please stay off the field – kids can and should warm up with each other
• There will be NOLL/SOLL volunteers to answer questions you have about the tryouts and about the league

About the tryouts…
Tryouts will consist of batting, fielding, throwing and running. In the batting station, balls will be delivered to players from a pitching machine at an age appropriate speed. Players may be asked to run the bases. Players should bring their glove and, if they have them, wear shoes with rubber/plastic cleats (soccer shoes are fine). No metal cleats are allowed. Players may bring bats and helmets, and some will be available if you do not have one. It is recommended, but not required that male players wear cups for the tryouts. The tryouts will occur as scheduled rain OR shine. If rain makes the field unsafe, we move indoors to the gymnasium, so players should have sneakers as well as cleats.

After the tryouts and more…
* Drafts occur the two weeks after the tryouts are complete (dates are listed on our website calendar)
* Players will be contacted by their coach or the league within two days of the draft.
* 9s may be drafted into either AAA or AA, but not lower than the division you played in last year.
* Some 9s will not be drafted, in which case they will be placed on a FarmB team with schoolmates.
* 10s must be drafted into AA or higher
* 11s must be drafted into AAA or higher
* 12s must be drafted into Majors or higher
* 13s must be drafted into Intermediates.
Visit www.nollsoll.com/registration-info if you want to find out more about the age cutoffs for Little League (they have a chart on their site which helps clarify all of the changes they have made in the past couple of years).

My name is Paul Rosky. For the last 16 years, I’ve been working hard behind the scenes to make this organization successful. One president after another has called on me to help out when help was needed, and I’ve always been willing to step up. I have held virtually every job in this organization – coach, fundraising chair, volunteer recruiter, division coordinator, field coordinator, Opening Day chair, coach development coordinator, you name it. I have a good handle on what it takes to run NOLL/SOLL, and now I am proud to be the next NOLL/SOLL President.

Our mission is to provide a positive experience for youths in the sport of baseball for the hundreds of kids who sign up with us to play the game every year. People who know me know I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty – I’ll jump in and do hard work when needed. More than that, we need to recruit passionate people and let them do their job; I will provide our volunteers with what they need – the financial and legal structure, guidelines, and empowerment to get their jobs done well. I will balance the day to day operations of NOLL/SOLL with a long-term vision for the organization in concert with the board.

I want to thank Mike Anglin, who for the past 3 years as president, and well over 10 years on the board has been a tireless worker for NOLL/SOLL. During the time Mike was President, we’ve increased the number of players by more than 25%, doubled the number of scholarships we provide annually and strengthened our relationships with the A’s, the City of Oakland and dozens of sponsors.

Our Fall 2015 season is coming to a close and the 2016 season is nearly upon us. Registration will open on Nov 4 and run thru Dec 21. Tryouts will happen in early January. Please join me in working together to provide a positive experience for our players. This is a job that takes all of our efforts to make it a memorable experience for these boys and girls – something they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

-Paul Rosky
president@nollsoll.com

Christopher Burnham WoodwardApril 16, 1949 – July 30, 2015

Chris passed away unexpectedly while on a business trip in Connecticut. In his usual routine, he went for a morning run, after which he passed away from a heart attack.

Chris, umpired for NOLL/SOLL with a long history
of volunteer service. He worked 15 games this year with his last game being a Seniors game on June 30, 2015 at Front Caldecott with his son Alex. All of us in NOLL/SOLL who had the pleasure of working with him knew him to be a fine umpire with a wonderful disposition – nothing could disturb him – he made his partners better umpires just by working with them.

We share our condolences with his family and remember with fondness his dedication and spirit to helping in our mission.

Bat regulations are always changing, but here are some simple guidelines… For Majors and below, players must use a 2.25″ bat (also called small barrel), with a 1.15 BPF logo on it. Composite bats have to be approved by LL.

Click here for the complete list of legal bats

Click here for the list of legal composite bats