Darien Youth Club Baseball

Our program was built by volunteer parents to provide baseball to the youth in our community. We have continued and will continue the tradition that was set with our founding of allowing all kids to play no matter their background. With that said, we will provide kids of all skill levels the opportunity to play a sport and be part of a team. We hope all kids get to learn teamwork, sportsmanship, and grow communication skills, as well as the fundamentals of baseball. Our members are the ones who will set examples for their kids, especially those who coach and volunteer.

DYC offers baseball for all kids ages 4-16, with 7 divisions, under the PONY baseball guidelines. Below is an age key for the 2023 season. Your child's age for the season will be determined by their age on April 30, as seen below. 

Baseball Divisions

DYC Offers 7 divisions for In-House baseball. All kids play no matter skill level or experience. Below is a brief overview of each level. DYC also offers a travel programs under the Darien Stars for baseball and Darien Knockouts for Softball.

T-Ball (Ages 4-6) 

For both boys and girls ages 4, 5 and some 6. T-ball focuses on learning teamwork and baseball fundamentals. Throwing, fielding and hitting basics will be taught. Batting will be done off a tee, with 50' bases. All kids play and have a full rotating batting order throughout the game. At the end of the season, DYC will host an Olympic Day for all participants to showcase their skills. The goal of t-ball is to have fun while learning the basics. Details of the season will be determined by the director. This division is for both boys and girls, although DYC also offers 6U Fundamentals of Softball for girls who wish to start in softball.

The T-ball season usually start at the late April or early May depending on the weather, with the season ending end of June to early July.    Teams will have 1 to 2 preseason practices before playing games.  Our philosophy is that these little ones learn best while playing games.   Schedule will consist of games once during the week and on Saturdays.    Once the season starts practices are up to the coach's and field availability and are not guaranteed.    Games are focused more on teaching and are not competitive.    Teams may also choose to introduce coaches pitch to their hitters throughout the season.  

All players play in the field every inning and rotate positions every inning in every game.  

Instructional (formerly Pinto 7u)

Instructional League is for children ages 5-7 to introduce more baseball concepts into the game. The focus is still on teaching and development of fundamental, along with building sportsmanship and responsibility, while introducing coach pitch to the game.  There are no strike outs and a Tee will be used after a set number of coach pitches.  The field will increase to 60' bases, with no stealing or bunting.    

Instructional baseball is the perfect way for young players to learn the basics of the game and develop important skills such as throwing, catching, and hitting.  This level is a great introduction to the basics of real baseball for most kids coming right out of tee ball. 

This division is recommended for 5 year olds who have played 1-2 seasons of T-Ball,  ALL 6 year olds and some 7 year olds.  7 year olds who have played at least 1 season of Coach Pitch would be better suited for Pinto 8u. 

All games and practices will be held at Mark DeLay School.    Game play will be 6 innings or 90-minutes whichever comes first.   

Season will conclude with Olympic Day. 

Pinto 8u

Pinto 8U is the next step in baseball development, by introducing kid pitch to the game. The game will be similar to that of 7U, with the exception of pitching. Pinto 8U uses modified kid pitch in which there are no walks and a coach pitches out after 4 balls are issued.  Bases remain at 60' with a pitching distance of 40'.   Games will be umpired by DYC official umpires. 

All games and practices will be held at Memorial Field at Mark DeLay School.

Game play will be 6 innings or 120-minutes whichever comes first.

Season will conclude with tournament style playoffs.  

Mustang 10U

For kids 9 and 10, they will play under more traditional baseball rules with the introduction of stealing. Bases stay at 60' with a pitching distance of 46'. At this age, the game will more closely resemble the game they see on TV. Every position is important, with teamwork being the most important factor.

All games and practices will be held at Lace School, Eisenhower Jr. High, and Westwood Park.

Bronco 12U

For kids 11 and 12, they will now play with full baseball rules, as laid out by PONY baseball rules. Kids will learn lead-offs, pick-offs, balks, and other more advanced baseball concepts. Bases will be placed at 70' with a pitching distance of 50'.  

Games and practices will be held at Eisenhower Jr High, with possibility of away games at nearby towns.    Teams may be entered into the GDPBA (Greater DuPage Pony Baseball Association) league.

Pony 14U

For kids 13 and 14, they will play with full baseball rules under PONY baseball. The field will have 80' bases and a pitching distance of 54', which is almost a full size field. This division will prepare the kids for the transition to high school for those who wish to play, and allow a fun and competitive setting to play.

Games and practices will be held at Eisenhower Jr High, with possibility of away games at nearby towns.  Teams may be entered into the GDPBA (Greater DuPage Pony Baseball Association) league.

Colt/Palomino 15U-18U 

For kids 15 through 18, this season is held after the high school season to accommodate those who play on a high school team. We play with full baseball rules under PONY Baseball. The field is now full size, with bases at 90', and a pitching distance of 60' 6". This is not a win at all cost division. All kids will play regardless of skill level.

Home games and practices will be held at Hinsdale South High School, with away games in nearby towns.

Season Overview

Season Timing - The baseball season typically starts mid April for all divisions excluding T-ball and Colt, which begin late April and Late May respectively. The Colt season will be determined by the high school season, which may run longer in 2024.  All seasons except for Colt usually end at the early to mid July concluding with playoffs and "All-Star" games depending on division. 

Each in season schedule will be determined by the Commissioner of Baseball and the Directors at each level. Typically, all divisions will have 2 games per week, one weekday and one weekend with practices held the first two weeks of the season without games. Weekday games will be usually be held at with start times between 5:30PM and 6 PM and weekend games between 9 AM and 6 PM. Coaches may hold practices throughout the season at their discretion. 

Pinto and Mustang will typically play 10-12 games in a regular season plus more for playoffs. Bronco and above may play up to 18 games plus playoffs.

Game and Practice Locations - DYC baseball will utilize fields in the Darien area, with fields at Mark DeLay, Lace, and Eisenhower Jr High Schools, operated by DYC, and Darien Park District Fields at Hinsbrook, Westwood and Darien Community Park. All locations can be found on the DYC Field status page. Away games for Bronco and above will be played in surrounding towns.

Equipment - DYC will provide the following equipment.
- Jersey
- Hat
- Socks
- Game Balls for coaches
- Catchers Gear

The following equipment must be supplied by the player.
- Batting Helmet
- Fielding Glove
- Bat (must comply with PONY baseball rules except for T-ball) USA bats only.  There will be no use of USSSA bats Pinto through Mustang.
- Baseball Pants
- Cleats (must be molded/rubber for all levels except Pony and above)

Rules of Play - Rules will be determined by league directors.

Team Formation - We will attempt to create all teams equal, although it may not be perfect. Team formation will be determined by the Commissioner of Baseball and its designated director. Typically, Pinto and below will be formed from school affiliation and parent requests. In Mustang and above, players will go through an evaluation process and be drafted to each team. Each team will be led by a volunteer head coach and assistant.   If you would like to coach, please select the option during registration, or contact your division director. Request to play on a specific team will be considered on a case by case basis.

Division Directors

Umpires - All games in Pinto 8 and above will have at least 1 umpire per game, with up to 2 at Mustang and above. Games for Pinto and Mustang will be officiated by young adult umpires, ages 12+, and games for Bronco and up will include at least 1 patched adult umpire. We offer an umpire training program for kids 12 and up to start their umpiring career. pleas contact our umpire director if you are interested.

End of Season Events - At the end of the season, T-ball and Instructional will host an Olympic Day for all participants to showcase their newly learned skills. Pinto and Mustang will have playoffs and All-Star games determined by the director. Bronco and Pony may also have All-Star games against other towns.  End of Year party TBD.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out. We appreciate all feedback to improve our program.