WELCOME TO THE 2023 AA SEASON OVERVIEW

2023 AA Season:

General Info:  Raptors will play in the Arapahoe Youth League (AYL). AA teams will play in in one of two divisions (National-intermediate & American-advanced).

Important dates for the 2023 season:

Early Registration opens: October 15, 2023

Early Registration closes: December, 31, 2023

Regular Registration opens: January 1, 2023

Player Evaluations: January 20-22, 2023

Uniform fittings and orders start: January 30, 2023

Uniform orders close: February 12, 2023

Season Practice Start Date:  Starting the week of February 27, 2023

Regular Season Games Start Date:  April 1-2, 2023

Regular Season Games End Date:  June 4, 2023.

AYL Night at Coors Field: June 9, 2023

Playoffs start: June 10, 2023

Playoffs conclude: June 22, 2023

Ages Offered:  6U & 7U (Coach Pitch), 8U (Modified Coach Pitch), 9U, 10U, 11U, 12U & 13/14U.

Approx Number of Games in Season:  Fourteen - Twenty Two (14-22) including playoffs. Games will be overscheduled to allow for as many games as possible without creating the need to reschedule potential games lost due to weather related issues.  

Format for League Games:  AA Season starting in April for all ages, games (typically one (1) Saturday and one (1) Sunday per wk) will be played Friday through Sunday

Format for Championship:  Two (2) games/double elimination playoff with a single elimination championship game.

Number of Practices per Week:  Two (2) 90-minute practices per week within the town of Castle Rock from March - June. Optionally, teams are permitted to practice more than two (2) times per week if practice times are available. Below is our general guideline for when each age group will practice. 

5U - 8U 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

9U - 10U 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm unless earlier times are available

11U - 14U 8:00 pm - 9:30pm unless earlier times are available

Practice Locations: Practices are held on City and County fields within Castle Rock.

Primary fields are the Douglas County Fairgrounds (DCFG). We will use the fields at Metzler, Paintbrush, Butterfield Park, Centennial Park, Mitchell Gulch, Founder's Park and other upon availability.

Preseason practices in March will be held exclusively at DCFG and Metzler fields. Once the season starts we will use the other fields due to losing some field availability because of AAA game schedules and loss of permits for various reasons. Below is a guideline of where teams will practice throughout the season.

13U/14U – DCFG fields 1 and 2, Any Metzler or Paintbrush field

10U-12U – Any DCFG field, Any Metzler or Paintbrush field

8U-9U – (In March)Any DCFG field or/and Any Metzler, (April-June) Paintbrush, Butterfield Park, Centennial Park, Mitchell Gulch

6U and 7U – (In March)Any DCFG field or/and Any City field including Founder's Park (April-June)  

Age Determination Date:  Age as of May 1, 2023.

Cost to play for 2023 (6U-7UAA Coach Pitch):  $375 Early Bird (October 15 through December 31, 2023), $475 (January 1+). Second child discount of $20 dollars per player applies if registered at the same time.

Cost to play for 2023 (8U-13/14UAA Kid Pitch):  $400 Early Bird (October 15 through December 31, 2023), $500 (January 1+). Second child discount of $20 dollars per player applies if registered at the same time.

Refund requests:  All refund requests through 1/15/2023 will be issued minus $50 for administrative costs. After 1/15/2023, the registration fee is 100% non-refundable even in the event of (but not limited to) a delayed or cancelled season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Location of Games:  Local area and greater Denver area fields.

Returning Player Deadline:  December 31, 2022 (If you played Raptors AA baseball in 2022).

Registration Opens:  October 15, 2022.

Registration Deadline:  First come, first served and/or when teams are full. If registration fills, then a waitlist order will be provided. 

How to Register:  Interested players should register and pay online by clicking on the registration button on the home page of Raptors baseball.

PLEASE NOTE: Weekends that show no games does not mean it will not have games, weather does impact baseball and games will be loaded on available weekends for play.  

·        At the conclusion of the league game schedule, ALL TEAMS will be seeded for the double elimination playoffs. Teams will play until they have lost twice with the exception of the championship game. Playoff games will begin Mid June 2023 with the World Series played late June (6/24/2023).  

·        Please Note: All seeding is done by the AYL baseball board.

·        The above described season is subject to change at any time by the AYL Baseball BOD.

Raptors AA - Basic Information

Practice Commitment:

• Teams practice twice a week for one hour locally in or around the Castle Rock area.  ​
• Please arrive to practice on time as teams move on and off the field on the field to keep from having overlapping practices.
• ​Practice schedule is updated weekly and sent to the head coach and designated assistant coaches for communication. 
• Canceled practices due to weather or game related make-ups will not be rescheduled.
• Practice schedule will change when permit availability changes in late spring.
• We do our best to ensure that team practice slots are consistent; however, there are times where you may be switching fields and times that were different from the prior week/month.
• There is no trespassing on any field that is locked
• If weather is inclement, please call the appropriate (douglas county or Town of Castle Rock) weather line for updates

Game Commitment:

• There are two games per weekend and can be scheduled on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Most teams will have one game on Saturday and one game on Sunday per weekend during the season
• Games are held around the south Denver metro area
• Raptors teams plays against other club member teams in the AYL, including other Raptors teams
• Raptors home game fields are the Douglas County Fairgrounds fields and Metzler Ranch
• Most coaches ask and athletes are expected to arrive one hour prior to game time to warm up
• AYL will reschedule weather related cancelations pending schedule optimization and will post through League Athletics site
•   AYL Baseball is committed to the experience of the season and will cancel games at it's discretion with weather related issues.
• All game changes are updated and posted in League Athletics
• All teams in AA will participate in the season end double elimination tournament. This is not optional, and it is expected that the athlete will be available to play with their team through the end of June 2022.
• ​It is expected that any summer vacations will not be taken until the conclusion of the baseball season.

Returning players who are registered and paid in full by December 31st of the current year will automatically be granted higher priority over new players to Raptors and will generally be assigned to the same team they played on the previous season. The jersey number used by that returning player is also maintained for that player as long as the registration is completed by December 31st of the current year. Should a returning player fail to register by the December 31st cutoff, they will be placed on a team in the same manner and in the same priority as any new player. Should a returning player wish to change teams for any reason please contact one of the Raptors baseball representatives as soon as possible so we can advise and assist you in making the requested change. Please understand that a returning player that wishes to change teams must still register by December 31st of the current year to retain priority of their jersey number. If registered prior to December 31st, the returning player requesting to change teams will be given priority over any new players requesting that same team. Priority for placement for the returning player requesting to change teams is based on the date registered online.

• Returning head coaches are granted returning players to their team
  • Returning Head Coaches will receive a discount on their season fees for graciously volunteering to coach
  • Head Coaches will pay for season in full and will receive a refund of their fees once the season has concluded and all equipment loaned to them is returned.
• New head coaches interested are required to fill out coaching documents including application and subject to background check
  • New Head coaches will receive a discount on their season fees for graciously volunteering to coach
  • Coach receives immediate access to roster to begin communications
  • Team roster is filled based on registration questionnaire and
  • Once a team/s for a particular age group are full, interested athletes will be rostered on a wait list

​Levels of Competition:

·        AA National(Intermediate): At minimum, athlete has previously played at the recreational level and has more than a beginner knowledge base of the game. Athlete must have an advanced beginner skill set and is looking to become part of a more competitive and committed team.  This is the next level up from recreation baseball. If your athlete has not played recreation baseball, that is most likely where they should start. The exception to this is brand new players at the 6U-8U levels with no prior experience. After the 8U year, we reserve the right to evaluate the athlete and suggest recreation baseball as we have seen players without a beginner knowledge base and skill set struggle to perform in our 9U-14U national league levels. Raptors will not cut anyone from the program, but we will make suggestions based on those evaluations and we want it to be very clear that AA baseball is not usually the best starting point for true beginning players in 9U and older. Again, we will not cut any player but will do everything within our power to make sure the experience meets the expectations. All AA National teams who win their respective world series will be moved to AA American the next year

·        AA American(Advanced): Athlete is experienced with at least one prior season playing in AYL, or coming from a higher competitive level league such as USA Little League or another non-recreational league. The athlete must possess a higher-than-average skill set and have advanced awareness, knowledge and understanding of the game.  Athletes wanting to move up to AA American will participate in a mandatory evaluation to make sure their skill set corresponds with this level of play. Returning AA American athletes will not be subject to evaluations. ​8U - 14U AA American teams will also play in at least one CABA sanctioned tournament per year (Memorial Day weekend) with an additional $30 cost per player for the tournament fee to be billed once the team roster is finalized. All AA American teams who win their respective world series will be moved to AAA the next year