Garden City Softball is a chartered member of Little League International. GCSLL integrates all girls' softball leagues in the Mount Jumbo, Mount Sentinel, and Westside Little League Districts.

GCSLL champions a Challenger division specifically for boys and girls between 4 and 18 with special needs.

Garden City Softball maintains five divisions of play to serve girls between 4 and 16 years of age.

GARDEN CIT SOFTBALL LITTLE LEAGUE DIVISIONS

PLEASE NOTE: All ages are determined as to how old the girl is as of December 31^st of the preceding year.

Farm B (Progressive T-BALL) (Ages 4, 5 & 6)

Garden City Softball’s T-ball Division is the first step in development for our youngest girls where they can practice and develop softball skills with maximum enjoyment. As beginners, the learning experience must be fun, with ample opportunity to practice all fundamentals of the sport: batting, throwing, fielding, and running. All players should be encouraged to do their best. T-Ball should be fun because, if it isn't fun, it isn't Little League. To this end, games will be of a non-competitive nature, with the results being measured by participation, skills development, and improvement of softball fundamentals. The first two weeks of the season, girls will only bat off the tee which will be set on home plate. The next two weeks, the coach will pitch to his/her own players. If the batter does not hit the ball after four (4) pitches, the player will then bat off the tee. For the last three weeks, players will be pitched to by their coach and, if a player strikes out after four (4) swings, the batter will be retired and the next batter takes her place at home plate. Implementation of the batting options provides time for the girls to develop their swing before having a live ball pitched to them. Advancing to levels provides a consistent learning opportunity on batting mechanics.

FARM A SOFTBALL (Ages 7 & 8)

Garden City’s Farm Division is the second step in our development of softball skills. The goal of this division is to continue introducing and improve core softball skills such as throwing, catching, hitting, fielding, teamwork, and an enthusiasm for the game. Farm Division games are completely coach-pitch, and scores are being recorded. Team records are not listed and there are no scheduled playoffs. Teams commit to practice at least twice each week leading up to the regular season, then perhaps once each week. Teams are scheduled to play two games per week, typically during the week with a possibility of some Saturday games. Players are primarily league age 7 and 8 years old. Farm Division players will be assigned to neighborhood school teams if possible.

Minors is the third level of softball and the first level of fairly competitive play. The Minor Division is also the first year of player-pitch. As such, great emphasis is placed on developing proper pitching skills. As a competitive division, games are scored and standings are kept resulting in end of season playoffs. Teams commit to practice twice per week on a weeknight in pre-season, and two games are scheduled for each week. Our goal is to have a post season City Tournament as well as all-star play for Minors (league ages 9 & 10). Players are primarily 9 and 10 years old, with some less skilled or inexperienced 11year old girls who are able to play in minors. Only league-age 9 and 10 are eligible for All Stars in the 9/10 division.

Little League Softball (Majors) is a high level of competitive play primarily for ages 11 and 12. Girls who are league age 10 may try-out for selection to teams that are filled through the annual player draft system. Teams commit to generally having two or more practices each week in the pre-season, with games being scheduled twice each week. Games will count in standings for seeding for the City Tournament following the season. As part of the Majors program, players are eligible for selection to participate on a Little League (Major) All-Star Team following regular season play. Girls age 10 are eligible to play in the 9/10 tournament division.

Senior is the highest and most competitive division of softball. Players are primarily 13 through 16 and typically hope to play high school or tournament team softball. We are excited to announce a new format for our Seniors Division (age 13-16) this year. Inspired by the sand lot concept, we will offer a more relaxed and flexible approach. Participants can attend and play as their schedules allow. Each session will commence with warm-up drills, followed by gameplay. Acknowledging the demanding schedules of this group, we aim to provide an environment where everyone can participate, regardless of their availability. By doing so, we hope to attract Missoula's highly competitive softball players while offering a better learning environment for developing players.  Teams at this level play "sandlot" games within the week. This formal allows for teams to be determined on a rotational basis on game night resulting in more games being played with balanced/competitive teams.