NWFALL All Star Information and Process – Spring 2023

·         These guidelines are intended to bring transparency and confidence to all parents as it relates to the All Star selection process.

·         In the event that anything listed below is in conflict with the Little League rulebook, the Little League rulebook applies.

·         NWF wants to field as many competitive teams as possible in baseball and softball. 

·         All Star nomination and selection is an honor.  All players are expected to represent the league well.

·         All Star nomination and selection is intended to reward players who have excelled during the baseball season.  A nomination does NOT mean player will be selected for All Star team.

·         A player may be nominated or selected to an All Star team in a different division than he/she played in regular season.  For example, a 9 or 10 year old playing in Majors, may be selected to the Minors All Star team.  Likewise, an 8 year old playing AAA, could be selected to the 8U tournament team.  If a player is good enough to “play up” during regular season, but does not make that All Star team, NWF will not punish him/her by saying he/she can’t be selected to a younger/lower division All Star team in which he/she is otherwise eligible.

·         Regular season managers and coaches who are interested in All Stars will submit their interest to Division Director (see page 125 of rule book for criteria).  Board of directors will vote on All Star mangers from submitted names.  Once selected, All Star managers can choose assistant coaches from eligible coaches (asst coaches can be selected whether they applied to manage All Stars or not).

·         Managers will evaluate players based on the following: ability, hustle, versatility, sportsmanship, position need.  Children of board members, managers, and coaches are NOT given priority and will be considered in the same group with the same criteria as all other players.  The only possible exception to this is the “wild card” selection listed below, where a manager can select 2 players based on any criteria.

·         Division Director and all managers from respective division will meet to rank players (suggest up to 20 or however many kids apply) for possible nomination.  Division Director will turn in ranked list of players to the Player Agent who will confirm eligibility.  The board of directors will approve the number of teams and number of players per team, but will not nominate players as a board.  Managers, who also serve as board members, will be allowed to rank players for purposes of nomination, acting strictly in their role as manager.

·         Managers and Division Directors will supply a list of eligible/recommended players for younger/lower divisions to ensure all players are considered.  Example, a 10 year old that is ranked 20^th for Majors, may be ranked 3^rd for the Minors team.

·         Once list of nominated players is approved, Player Agent will contact nominated players in rank order to confirm their interest and availability. 

·         Once a player is nominated to the All Star team, the player/parent will need to confirm acceptance of the nomination within 24 hours.  It is desired that all players be at all practices, but this is not a requirement.  Should a player have summer plans that would cause him/her to miss a tournament game, the nomination should be declined.  Should a player have summer plans that would cause him/her to miss a significant number of practices, this should be discussed with the manager BEFORE being selected to the team.  Remember, nomination is NOT a guarantee of selection.  If the 14^th ranked player is going to miss several  practices and the 15^th ranked player can commit to all practices, the 15^th ranked player may be selected to the team.

·         For the sake of other players and integrity of the process, a nominated player’s nomination should remain private.  No All Star teams will be announced until June 1.  In some cases, the 18^th ranked player could be selected to the team because 4 higher ranked players were not able to commit.  In this case, the 18^th ranked player doesn’t need to know that he/she was an alternate.

·         NWF intends to field the following teams (final teams to be determined based upon registration numbers, availability of managers for All Star teams, availability of players for All Star teams and Board approval of number of teams): Majors (Little League division) , 9/10/11 division, Minors 8/9/10 division, 9U TOC, 8U TOC.  The league is allowed to field more than one TOC team per age.  If there are enough players to field a competitive team and enough coaches, the board will consider fielding a 2^nd team in 9U and 8U, to give more players the chance to play.  Juniors and Seniors will also be fielded assuming there are enough players available to field a competitive team.

·         The order of selection for teams will be determined once the board approves the number of teams the league will field.  The intention is to select players for Majors division first. 

·         All Star teams (including TOC) will have a minimum of 12 players, but the league recommends 14 players to give more players the opportunity to experience All Stars. 

·         The All Star manager (including TOC) will get 2 “wild card” selections.  The All Star manager can use any selection criteria desired to choose 2 “wild card” players.  For example, a manager may choose a lesser ability player who has shown great sportsmanship, or a very fast player simply to use as a pinch runner, or an average player who has a parent willing to help coach, or his/her son/daughter.  The wild card players may come from the list of ranked players, but this is not a requirement.  The only stipulation is the wild card player must be eligible, as confirmed by the Player Agent.

·         A player selected to the All Star is not guaranteed any playing time, other than what is listed in the Little League rule book (page 141).  A team with 13 or more players, the only requirement is all players bat at least one time.  A team with 12 or fewer players, all players must bat at least once and play 6 consecutive outs.  Remember, selection to the All Star team is an honor and an opportunity to play with and against other top players in the District (and hopefully beyond). 

·         A player selected to the All Star team is not guaranteed any specific position.  For example, a SS during regular season, may be used as a RF or Pinch Runner in All Star play.

·         Under no circumstances will the rank order of players be shared with players or parents.  If you have a question as to why your son/daughter was not selected, please reach out to your respective Division Director.