Summer Baseball and Softball FAQs
Q: What opportunities are there for Summer Baseball / Softball after the spring season ends?
A: Summer tournament team opportunities are available for baseball players ages 8 and up and softball players ages 10 and up. For baseball, Hopkinton participates in the Sizzler Tournament hosted by Hopkinton, the Tondorf Tournament hosted by Medway, and the 8U Sparkler Tournament hosted by Ashland. Softball players in the 10U and 12U age groups participate in a tournament hosted by the Twin Valley League (TVL). Starting in 2021, HLL has also offered a summer skills clinic for our younger softball players and will continue this clinic going forward.
Q: Who is eligible to participate in summer tournament play?
A: Any player who participates in 80% of spring season games is eligible for consideration. This does not guarantee that the player will be selected or placed on a summer team, only that the player is eligible. Games missed due to conflicts with other sports or club baseball teams are not excused and will count against this requirement. Games missed do to illness or injury will be reviewed on a case by case basis by the HLL board.
Q: Are the Summer teams open registration similar to the Spring?
A: No, the summer teams are by invitation and players are invited through a league summer selection process.
Q: How does the summer player selection process work?
A: Information on summer ball selection process can be found here: Summer Team Selection Process.
Q: Why are there no tryouts for the summer tournament teams?
A: The HLL board of directors have considered multiple methods of making summer team selections. Utilizing a players performance over the course of the entire spring season was the evaluation method selected felt to be the best fit for our league.
Q: Are the fall evaluation results considered for summer league selection?
A: No, fall evaluation data is not used in the summer selection process. Summer selection is based on the individual player performance during the spring season.
Q: How does the team placement differ from the Spring season?
A: Summer teams are formed based on the players little league age and not the level / division the player participated in the spring. For example, a 10U team would be comprised of players who are little league age 10 or younger. HLL will always attempt to keep the age groups consistent however on occasion a player from a younger age may be asked to play at a higher age to balance out team numbers.
Q: How many teams will participate in each age group?
A: For baseball, HLL will send one team from each age group 9U through 12U to the Tondorf Tournament and one team from the 8U age group to the Sparkler Tournament. For Sizzler, Hopkinton will typically send one team from each age group, 8U – 12U; however, if a particular age group is large enough to support two competitive teams, then two teams will be entered in that division.
For Softball, depending on interest HLL will enter up to two teams in each division of the 10U and 12U age groups.
Q: Why is there no 8U division in Sizzler some seasons?
A: HLL has tried to host an 8U division many times but has only been able to do so on occasion over the many seasons this tournament has been run. The interest both in-town and from other towns is not consistently high enough to support a tournament for this age group. If the 8U sizzler division is not held in a particular year, HLL strives to provide other opportunities for this age group to expand play.
Q: What is the schedule for the Summer Tournaments?
A: Tournaments for both baseball and softball start immediately after the spring season ends and conclude in Mid-July. Typically, no games or practices are scheduled around the 4th of July.
Q: Where are the summer tournament games played?
A: Sparkler games are all played in Ashland, Tondorf games are all played in Medway, and Sizzler games are all played in Hopkinton. TVL Softball home games are played in Hopkinton but away games will be located in towns such as Hopedale, Westborough, Hudson, Uxbridge, and Oxford, to name a few.
Q: What level of commitment is expected for participation on a summer team?
A: Players who are selected and choose to participate are expected to miss no more than two games, including playoffs. Due to the nature of how the teams are selected, a player who is not committed to fully participate is taking away a roster spot for a player who would. For that reason, HLL asks all families to strongly consider their schedules prior to committing to play on a summer tournament team.
Q: Besides tournaments, are there any other opportunities for summer play?
A: There are many other camps and clinics in the area that are not affiliated with HLL. Each year these opportunities change, however HLL will share information for camps and clinics which may run through Hopkinton Parks and Rec or any of the various club teams in the area.
Q: My player was not selected to participate on a summer team. Who can I talk to about this?
A: Questions about summer team selection or any other parent concerns can be sent to the HLL player agent at
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Q: My player was selected to participate on a summer team but we feel they were placed on an incorrect team. Who can I talk to about this?
A: Questions about summer team placement or any other parent concerns can be sent to the HLL player agent at
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Q. My question wasn’t answered here. Who should I contact?
A. General questions may be sent to
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