What is AABA?

AABA stands for Alexandria Area Baseball Association.  AABA Baseball is a competitive baseball program for players from 3rd grade to 9th grade.  The season runs from early May  to  early August.  A eight member board oversees the AABA program.  Volunteer parents coach each team through approximately 16  season games and 2 - 3 playoff games.  Scores and standing are kept and updated nightly from this website.  The season begins with a evaluation day.  Any new player must attend this event.  Players returning to their teams automatically are assigned to that team.  The purpose of evaluations is to get a general idea of the ability of each new incoming player.  A draft is held a couple of weeks after this event.  The coaches will draft players to fill their teams.  Coaches will then notify each player and set a practice schedule before the regular season begins.

What nights do we play?

The Beetle League is made up of this year's third and fourth graders.  They play on Monday and Wednesday nights.  Minor League consists of this year's fifth and sixth graders.  These teams will play on Tuesday and Thursday nights.  Major League (7th-9th) can play on any of these night.  Teams normally play two games a week.  Games can start at 5:00 pm or 7 pm.

Why are there tryouts?  Tryout Information (Click here)  We are now using the term "evaluations".

The word "tryouts" makes it sound like some players will be selected to teams and some will not.  This is not true.  All players will be placed on teams.  We just can't find a better word to use.

Tryouts are meant to get a general idea of the playing ability of your child.  Each player will be asked to go through a series of baseball activities: pitching, hitting, fielding, and running.  At each station they will be evaluated.  We try our best to seek volunteers that are not coaches, fathers, or board members.  We want these evaluations to be as non-biased as possible.  The players scores are then forwarded to the coaches for draft purposes.  We ask that this information remain confidential.  

Again, the tryouts our meant to get a general idea of the players abilities.  The tryouts are meant to be quick and non-threatening.  Your child will not see these numbers and shouldn't worry about them.  

My child has signed up  to play baseball this summer.  Does he/she need to be evaluated?

Returning Beetle League players will return to their team and they do not need to be evaluated.  For example, if J.T. was a 3rd grader last year and signs up to play baseball this summer he would continue to play in the Beetle League on the same team.  The Minor League and Major League teams are redrafted each year, therefore players in those leagues will need to be evaluated.

What is the draft?

The purpose of the draft is to create equal teams in each league.  There are a number of draft rules that try to assure this.  Coaches select players based on their knowledge of the players or the results of the evaluations.  All players are placed on a team.  We do not place players on teams because of friends requests or ridesharing.

The draft is held in late April.  Coaches will notify their drafted players shortly after the draft.

My 3rd grade son is interested in playing baseball this summer.  Should I sign up for AABA or LAR?

LAR offers programming for a non-competitive experience.  It provides a baseball experience for players who are just starting to learn the game or for players needing more time to develop skills before facing "live" pitching from fellow players.  Our Beetle League is also a combination of 3rd and 4th grade players.  The decision of which league to register for is a parental decision.  If you are unsure, talk to someone you know that has children in our programming or call a board member.

I've heard that some teams will practice every week, some teams practice before each game, and some teams practice very little.  Why is this?

AABA uses volunteer coaches.  The practice schedule is determined by each coach.  Which means some teams will differ greatly in how they are run, not only in the practice schedule but also in many other areas.  We do require that each team have at least two practices before the season begins and we do schedule pre-season games, to give more coaching opportunities.  We also require that coaches follow the rules of each league.  The rules will guarantee that each player will bat and play at a minimum every other inning.

Can my child play both Junior High baseball and AABA?

Yes, we encourage players to do both.  The major league season begins after the Junior High season ends.  We do not allow any practices or games until the Junior High season is done.  

How can my child have their photo on the website?

The 2010 Season had a link to the Select Digital Memories website.  SDM takes photos for the league and offers a variety of packages for sale.

If you have any other questions, please email me and I will post them here with the answer.