How can I get involved with the CTAA?
Come to meetings that are held every second Sunday of the month except July. Meetings begin at 7 PM and are held at the Cranberry Municipal building during cold weather months. During the months of April through September they are held at the Cranberry Park.
To see a list of the various committees, jobs, and other opportunities to help out please take a look at our volunteer page.
What determines the age groupings for baseball and softball?
Ages for baseball are based on the Pony Baseball guidelines. April 30 of the year the child participates is the cut off date to determine the age for the purpose of eligibility and placement in leagues. For example, if your child turns 9 on or before April 30 then he will play in Mustang 9 for that season.
In softball the Association follows the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) guidelines. These state that December 31 of the year prior to when the child participates as the cutoff date for the purpose of eligibility and placement in leagues. The only exception is for girls turning 7 years old in the year they play. In those cases April 30 is used as the cutoff date, which allows girls to go into Farm Softball without having to play 3 years of Shetland T-Ball.
Do I need to provide a birth certificate?
First time players will be asked for a birth certificate. If you participated as a member of the CTAA during any spring season since 2000 (Fall Ball does not apply) then you don't need to bring/supply it again. Remember, falsification of players ages or address are grounds for expulsion from the CTAA.
I'm not a resident of Cranberry Township, is my child eligible to play in the CTAA?
Starting in the year 2000, all Cranberry/Seven Fields residents who sign up during our walk in registration had to be placed on a roster prior to any new non-Cranberry/Seven Fields participants being registered. Any non-Cranberry/Seven Fields family who had a child in the organization prior to the 2000 season is grand fathered in and are treated as a Cranberry/Seven Fields resident as far as their rights as a CTAA member are concerned. If they happen to skip a year with the CTAA then they are treated as non-members again. After all Cranberry/Seven Fields applicants are placed then any non-Cranberry/Seven Fields child can be placed if positions are still available in the league they are applying for. Non-Cranberry/Seven Fields players who apply during the walk in registration are told they can fill out a form, but no money is taken until all Cranberry/Seven Fields who came to walk in registration are placed. After the Cranberry/Seven Fields walk in registrants are registred in their leagues then the new non-Cranberry/Seven Fields walk in registrants are then called and told if space is available. At that point they can decide if they are still interested. At this point late registration begins. Late registration is "first come, first serve", regardless of residence, and continues until all the leagues are filled. Please note, these guidelines apply to Spring Baseball only, Fall Ball is open to everyone at this time.
My child is advanced for their age, can they play up into a higher league? If not, why?
The age guidelines set forth by the CTAA are as described above. Children do have the opportunity to play up to an upper league as a call up. For example; if child is 10 years old they can have the opportunity to play up to the next level of league when a team from the upper league does not have enough players to field a team for any given game. This is true for any league where children are 8 years or older. There are only 2 exceptions to this rule, both in softball. First, in fast pitch leagues, if after registration, there are not enough girls signed up in a particular age group, girls can be moved up from a lower age group in order to allow a team to be formed. The other involves 8 year old girls moving from Farm to Junior Slow pitch. Because of the difference between the birthday cutoff for the two leagues it is possible for a girl to spend 3 years in Farm. Because this leads to a girl who is essentially 9 years old for the season, a girl can move from Farm to Junior as an 8 year old provided that she has played 2 seasons in the CTAA sponsored Farm league, participation in other associations does not qualify. The step between these two leagues is the only one where this adjustment will be made.
When does practice begin and how long is season?
Practices for the spring start for most age groups during the last week of March. The older age groups may start later since their season usually starts later than the younger age groups. Pinto and Farm Softball start around the first of April. Shetland 5 and 6 start toward the end of April. The season for most of the age groups begins around the end of April and runs to around the third weekend of June. In house leagues Mustang to Pony in baseball, and Junior to Major in slow pitch softball will then have a playoff season with championship games played on July 4th.
In Fall Ball baseball practices start around end of August. Games begin after Labor Day and continue into mid-to late October (weather permitting). For fast pitch softball practices start around mid-August and season starts around Labor Day and continues to end of October.
What is fall ball?
Fall ball is an opportunity for girls and boys ages 8 to 17 to play additional baseball and softball during the months of August, September and October. The main emphasis of fall ball is as an instructional league. Children are given the opportunity to play in the age group they will be moving to in the spring. Some travel is involved. Signups start in mid-June.
When do all stars begin?
Evaluations for all stars begin near the start of the regular season. You will be asked to fill out a form asking if you want your child to be evaluated for all stars. Teams are picked by June 1st and practices start at that time. The all-star season usually runs from just after July 4th to end of July or beginning of August.
Why do I have to work in the Concession stand?
For the first time starting in 2007 the CTAA will not be requiring parents to work in the concession stand during their child's game. Of course we do need people to be concession stand managers. If you have some time please consider volunteering to be one. The CTAA will pay for teenagers to work in the stand during all hours of operation. If you have a son or daughter 14 years of age or older and he/she is interested in working in the stand, please signup as a Teenage Worker Volunteer during the registration process. There are no concession stand requirements for fall ball.
What is the relationship between the CTAA and Cranberry Township?
The CTAA is an independent youth sports organization that is run strictly by volunteers. There is no connection with the township as far as the day-to-day operations of the organization. All workers and managers in the concession stand as well as individuals who work on the fields are volunteers.