OVERVIEW
Wellesley’s Williamsport Team is selected annually to compete in the Little League World Series Tournament and is the flagship team representing our Little League Program. Our established process is intended to be thorough, considerate, objective, and transparent. To help educate our Little League community of the Williamsport process, below are some relevant details and expectations for the community’s understanding.
WILLIAMSPORT SELECTION COMMITTEE
- The Wellesley Youth Baseball & Softball (WYBS) League Co-Presidents oversee the entirety of the Williamsport process and are responsible for identifying members of the WYBS Board of Directors to serve on the Williamsport Selection Committee.
- The Williamsport Selection Committee shall NOT include any directors who have a Williamsport eligible player and is generally comprised of 3-5 Committee members.
- The Williamsport Selection Committee’s responsibilities include tabulating the player selection votes, as well as selecting the team’s head coach.
PLAYER NOMINATION PROCESS
- To be eligible for nomination, a player shall play in 60% of their spring season’s Majors games.
- Each Majors head coach is responsible for nominating as many players on their team they believe can play at the highest level of Little League competition.
- Once nominated, all players and families will be informed of their nomination and be required to review and sign the Williamsport Team nomination letter. The nomination letter informs the player and family of their required commitment and expectations for being on the team. Families are then required to decline or accept the nomination.
- Please note that a "nomination" is not the same as being selected. We ask that players and families agree to the commitment as a prerequisite to being eligible for the selection process. This ensures roster spots are not taken by players not willing to commit.
PLAYER SELECTION PROCESS
- The final list of players who have accepted their nomination will then be shared with all Majors head coaches.
- The Majors head coaches will meet and “present” their nominated players to the other head coaches and the Selection Committee. Each Majors head coach is expected to communicate each player’s strengths, areas of development, and why they were nominated for selection.
- Player Voting Process – Majors Head Coach Action:
- The player selection process officially begins after the Majors head coaches meeting. All head coaches are required to rank the nominated players from highest to lowest, excluding players on their own team, and send their nominations to the Selection Committee.
WILLIAMSPORT HEAD COACH SELECTION PROCESS
- All Majors spring season head and assistant coaches are eligible to be the head coach of the Williamsport team. All interested coaches are responsible for informing the Selection Committee that they would like to be considered for the Head Coach position and why.
- The Selection Committee will deliberate and appoint the Williamsport Head Coach that they believe is best suited to lead the team and represent our Town
PLAYER EXPECTAIONS
- Players formally selected to be part of the Williamsport Team are required to attend all team events (i.e. practices, games, team-organized activities). Unexcused absences will not be tolerated and may result in a dismissal from the team. Excused absences (i.e. illness, injury, school event) will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
- As a core value of our program, Players are expected to exhibit good sportsmanship to teammates, coaches, opponents and umpires.
- Players are responsible for being good teammates and must be prepared for all practices and games.
- Playing time, batting order, and defensive positions will be determined by the Williamsport coaches in harmony with Little League rules. Little League rules require all active players bat in a continuous batting order, but do not require playing time in the field.
PARENT/FAMILY EXPECTATIONS
- Parents/families are expected to support their player and the team. Parents/families/spectators shall exhibit good sportsmanship and decorum toward players, coaches, opponents, umpires and other spectators.
- The Williamsport Team represents Wellesley, and all are expected to set good examples of sportsmanship and fan support.
- There is no official registration fee for the Williamsport Team, but we expect several team-organized events to occur. A fee of ~$200-300 will be requested from each family to help support these events. Any remaining funds will be returned at the conclusion of the Williamsport Team’s season
TEAM EXPECTATIONS
- Wellesley is part of District 10, which is a highly competitive district.
- There are no result-oriented expectations for our Williamsport Team. First and foremost, we want our players to be prepared for competition, enjoy playing with their teammates, and take pride in representing Wellesley. If the team has on-field success, that is wonderful, but secondary to preparation and enjoyment.
TIMELINE
- The Williamsport Selection Process generally takes two to three weeks to complete.
- The process begins in May, and the team officially starts to practice around June 1.