WHAT IS FALL BALL?
McCormick Ranch Little League offers two seasons of baseball in the fall and spring. Spring is our official LL season, complete with playoffs for upper divisions + All-Stars in the summer. Fall Ball keeps it simple with practices beginning in late August, followed by 6-7 weeks of games that wrap just before Thanksgiving (with the exception of our Majors division, which participates in a weekend-long Fall Stars tournament). Fall Ball affords our players the opportunity to enjoy baseball in a more year-round capacity and keep up with skill-building during the off-season.
During the spring season, boundary requirements are strictly upheld. For the fall season, however, we open registration to other leagues in District 6. Fall Ball is a smaller program, so we invite participation from other D6 leagues that do not offer their own fall programs.
Once registration closes, rosters are assembled and the practice and game schedules are created. There are no evaluations for Minors and most Majors players in the fall, so those players are assigned to teams just like Tee Ball and Farm.
NEW THIS SEASON: We are requiring evaluations for MRLL players that are new to the Majors division ONLY; this helps us to ensure competitive balance between teams. Everyone is placed on a team! Majors players from other leagues in D6 do not have to participate in evaluations.
In all divisions, we do our best to accommodate teammate and coach requests--including placing players with teammates from their spring home league--although these are not guaranteed.
In determining which division to register your child for, you will use his/her LL age for the upcoming spring season. For example, if your child will be an LL age 7 in Spring 2027, they are considered an LL 7 for Fall 2026 as well. This helps prepare our players for the spring season, especially those who will be entering a new division.
There is no residency and age verification in the fall. Parents simply need to print and fill out the Medical Release form. They will hand this form to their child's coach at the first practice of the season. All coaches will keep their players' Medical Release forms on file in the event of an emergency.
Practices will commence in late august and games will start in late September, wrapping up the weekend before Thanksgiving (except for majors). The game and practice schedules will be built after rosters are complete. Games will take place at Cochise Elementary School, Cocopah Middle School, and Chaparral Park; we may have Laguna Elementary School and Scottsdale Ranch Park for a handful of games as well. Typically, Tee Ball/Farm plays Tuesdays and Saturday mornings, and Minors/Majors plays Wednesday or Thursday evenings + Saturday evenings. In all divisions, practices may fall on any day of the week except Sundays.
Finally, one exciting feature that makes our fall season different from the spring is our uniforms! We are the first and only LL to license AZ Fall League logos for our jerseys and hats. Players that participate in Fall Ball with MRLL represent the MLB pros! And to celebrate, the Rafters host a LL night in our honor at Salt River Fields where players are able to throw out the first pitch, announce an inning, snag autographs, and more.
MRLL's Fall Ball is a one-of-a-kind youth baseball program in the state of AZ. We hope you will join us!