Liberty Youth Baseball (LYB) is the youth baseball program in Hillsboro, Oregon. We offer recreational and competitive spring leagues for kids ages 5 through 14, as well as a fall league. We are a volunteer-based organization, and a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit.

Recreational/Development Programs (Grade K-2)

T-Ball (Grades K-1)

The goals of our T-Ball level are to teach baseball basics, learn teamwork and sportsmanship, instill a sense of pride in the Liberty program, and of course have fun.  Players will be taught to hit pitches from the coach, but a batting tee will be used if a player cannot make contact with the ball.  The T-Ball season starts around mid-April and ends when the school year is over.  There will be two practices held during the week until games start.  Games are played on weekdays starting around mid-May, with two games per week.  All practices will end once games begin.  All games are played at local school fields in the Hillsboro area, and will typically include games against teams from other local leagues in the area.
 
T-Ball players are provided with a game shirt and hat.  They will need to bring their own baseball glove. Baseball pants are not provided and it is up to the team/coach’s discretion if they are required.  The coach will have bats and batting helmets for kids to use who do not have their own.  For questions regarding T-Ball, please contact our Recreational Coordinator.

Rookies (Grades 1-2)

The Rookie league (formerly called Junior Midget) is a developmental level designed for players with some previous baseball experience. It is designed to maximize their exposure to all of the variables of baseball and help prepare them for competitive play at the next level.  The goals of the Rookie league are for the players to further develop their baseball skills, sportsmanship and teamwork, and most importantly to have fun.  Players will rotate through positions - safety and ability being a priority - to develop and gain awareness of the baseball field from all the different positions.  This level introduces kid pitching, with coaches pitching only if the batter does not hit a kid pitch.  The Rookie season starts around mid-April and the season ends when the school year is over, typically with an end-of-season competitive tournament to close out the season.  There are two practices/games per week held on weekday evenings.  There are generally no weekend games (the exception being the end-of-season tournament or make-ups), but coaches may hold an additional practice on Saturday at the team’s discretion.  All games are played at local school fields in the Hillsboro area, and will typically include games against teams from other local leagues in the area.  Rookies are provided with a game shirt and hat, but they should provide their own baseball glove, baseball belt and baseball pants as specified by the coach.  Each coach will have bats and batting helmets for kids to use who do not have their own. For questions regarding the Rookies program, please contact our Recreational Coordinator.

Competitive Programs (Grades 3-8)

LYB offers nine levels of play under the Junior Baseball Organization (JBO) umbrella.
There are three major divisions, broken down generally as follows:

Midgets (3rd & 4th grade)
Juniors (5th & 6th grade)
Seniors (7th & 8th grade)

Within each of the three major divisions there are the following four skill levels where teams are assigned:
- International (developmental)
- National (average)
- American (above average)
- Federal (advanced)

While most players play in their grade-level divisions, age and grade in school are factors in which division your child is eligible to play for.  Players are grouped by skill level into four skills levels. Practice is 2-3 nights per week starting in late March. Games are played during the week. The night of play is determined by JBO and cannot be changed. Games will follow the same weeknight schedule as practice. Two league games per week. See below about weekend tournaments for competitive levels. If your child is exceptionally young or old for their grade level, contact [email protected] for guidance on selecting the right division.

FALL BALL:

LYB offers a fall baseball program for players and we play teams from other associations. All games are played in Sherwood.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

WHAT DOES MY REGISTRATION PAY FOR?
Uniforms: Jersey and hat for recreational leagues. Jersey, hat, pants and belt at competitive level.
Fields: LYB maintains the fields at West Union, Lenox, and Eastwood. We also pay for fields at The Washington County Fairgrounds. In addition to mowing needs (gas & mower maintenance), fields also require chalking for each game, spraying for weeds, a specialized field conditioner to help absorb the rain water, gravel for dugouts, etc.
Equipment: LYB supplies game balls, batting helmets, catchers' gear, practice balls, and score books at all levels.
Umpires: Umpires are required at all games at the Midget, Junior, and Senior levels. Liberty Youth Baseball is required to pay for umpires at all home games with Junior and Senior levels getting two umpires.

WHAT IS FIELD DAY & WHY MUST I PARTICIPATE?
Each year before the season officially begins, LYB holds a field day or two to prepare the fields for the upcoming game season.  With the size of the program and the amount of fields that we maintain, this cannot be accomplished without the help of everyone involved.  Each team (or group of teams) will be assigned a day, time and field location to work on.  All teams and their families are asked to spend time working at their assigned fields.  Usually this will include weeding, raking, filling holes, removing rocks from the playing surface, adding new dirt to infields, adding rock to dugout/bench areas, etc.  After a long winter of non-use, this can be a very large task.  However, when all families are there helping out, this makes the job much more manageable.  LYB will pay for the rental of larger machinery needed in the field work, but families are encouraged to bring any shovels, rakes, gloves, etc. If enough people do not contribute their time and energy to make the fields playable, LYB may be forced to hire others to do the work.  If this occurs, the only way to fund that would be to raise registration costs to offset the fee.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE PLAYER EVALUATIONS?
LYB’s player evaluations are intended to provide a means to place kids on teams that are consistent with each player’s individual skill level.                                       

WHEN ARE THE PLAYER EVALUATIONS?
Evaluations are held in late February or early March at different times depending on your child’s age and grade in school. Check the LYB website for the latest information on dates and times.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
WHO EVALUATES MY CHILD'S SKILL LEVEL?
To the best of our ability, we try to find knowledgeable baseball people in the area that do not have any affiliation with the LYB program to evaluate players. Typically we partner with the high-school program to help run our evaluations. Prospective head coaches also participate in the evaluations, but their scores and notes are for their personal use only and are not used by LYB for team or skill-level assignment.

WHAT IF MY CHILD CANNOT ATTEND THE PLAYER EVALUATIONS ON THE SCHEDULED DATE?
A registered player who cannot attend the scheduled evaluations will be placed at the lowest skill level. In the event of exceptional circumstances, that prevents a player from attending evaluations, please contact [email protected] to discuss options.

CAN PLAYERS IN GRADES LOWER THAN 3rd TRY OUT FOR A COMPETITIVE TEAM?
Yes, if you feel your younger player is physically and emotionally ready, and has previous experience playing baseball, they may tryout for a competitive team.  If they do not make a competitive team they may be moved down and play on a Rookies rec level team.  You will be reimbursed for the difference in registration costs between the levels of play. 

WHEN CAN I EXPECT TO HEAR AT WHAT LEVEL MY CHILD WILL PLAY ?
No later than a week after tryouts are completed.                                                                                                                                                                                                        
HOW MANY TEAMS ARE AT EACH LEVEL?
It depends on the total number of teams we have, which varies from year to year.  JBO defines the number of teams at each level based on the number of total teams within a club’s age division.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
WHEN WILL I FIND OUT WHO MY CHILD'S COACH IS?
About a week after tryouts.                              

WHEN DO PRACTICES START?
Generally, practices begin the week after spring break. Some teams may elect to start prior to spring break.
                                                   
WHEN DO GAMES START?
League games are on weekdays, beginning late April or early May, depending on level.

ARE THERE WEEKEND GAMES?
Yes. Weekend tournaments are scheduled throughout the season for the Midget, Junior, and Senior teams.

ARE THERE EXTRA COSTS FOR WEEKEND TOURNAMENTS?   
Competitive teams are required to participate in a minimum of two tournaments. LYB pays for one of the tournaments with your registration fee. Costs for all other weekend tournaments are the responsibility of the participating team. Tournaments cost $300-$450 depending on level of play. Head coaches will determine what tournaments to participate in via online registration. Tournaments may begin prior to league play.   
                                                                                            
WHERE ARE THE LEAGUE GAMES?
LYB participates in the Westside Youth Baseball district. Away games may involve teams at any or all Westside associations.
                                                                     
WHEN DOES THE SEASON END?
Regular season games end by late June or early July.  Depending on team performance, advancement to district and/or state tournaments may extend the season until late July.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
WHAT ARE THE GOVERNING RULES FOR LYB?
As a club, we operate under established bylaws and have an operating manual.  These documents are available on the LYB website.  All baseball play is governed by National Federation of State High School Association rules, with JBO-specific modifications.  JBO rules can be found on the JBO website.
                         
WHO DO I TALK TO IF I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT PLAYER EVALUATIONS?
Send an email to the [email protected] for your child’s level.

DOES LIBERTY REQUIRE FUNDRAISING?
Yes, each player will be required to participate in fundraising.  Fundraising projects may vary from year to year.  Contact the Fundraising Coordinator at [email protected] with any questions.

                                                       

WHO MAINTAINS THE FIELDS?
This is a volunteer youth program. We do have a field coordinator, however it is one person and there are seven fields that we use. We need everyone's help to maintain the fields by mowing, raking infields, chalking before games, putting out bases, pulling weeds, etc. When everyone does a little, the burden does not fall to just a select few. The bottom line is that we need, and greatly appreciate, everyone's help throughout the season to make the fields the best that they can be.