General

Who maintains the facilities at Hobgood Park?
Hobgood Baseball, Inc. maintains the park and its facilities. All park improvements and general maintenance are the burden of the association. The association bears the burden and expense related to the upkeep, maintenance and improvement of Hobgood Park.

How many fields are at Hobgood Park?
Hobgood has a total of 10 fields. There are 9 fields at our main facility in Towne Lake. Our 10th field is on the Carmel Elementary School property. This field, “The Carmel Field,” is used primarily for practices and games are not routinely scheduled on this field.

My child has no baseball experience, but wants to play baseball. Can they play at Hobgood?
Hobgood is open to players of all skill level and ability. In every age group there are players at all levels of play. The team selection process is setup to distribute the talent pool across all teams.

How many players play at Hobgood Park?
During our spring season, we have approximately 850 recreation players.

How does Hobgood Park treat personal information regarding players or parents?
This information is considered “privileged” and may not be disclosed to outside parties.  Any individual found releasing “privileged” information may be banned from Hobgood Park and/or face legal action.  Refer to the Hobgood Park's Non-Disclosure Policy. 

Are animals allowed at the park? 
Unfortunately, domestic animals are not allowed inside of the park.  At the Baseball fields, all NON SERVICE animals are not allowed past the parking lot.  At the Softball fields, they are not allowed past the walking track.  All other park regulations are found at this link.  Park Rules

Registration

Why is registration so expensive?
Registration fees cover expenses incurred for items such as lights, water, fertilizer, field maintenance, fencing, uniforms, umpires and general up keep and repair. The Baseball program is funded and run by Hobgood Baseball, Inc. Registration fees cover the vast majority of the expenses associated with running the park. The county does not provide us with any financial assistance for day to day expenses. The county may from time to time assist with special projects.

What is a founding member?
When the park was created the concept of a Founding Member was incorporated in the by-laws of the park. This membership was offered to raise the needed funds to build the program and offered Members several privileges.
     The benefits to founder membership include:
          - Guaranteed slot to play in our rec program provided registration is completed by the deadline.
          - Voting privileges for electing the Board of Directors.
To become a founder, please complete the Hobgood Founder Application.pdf and send to [email protected]. 

How old does my child have to be to play baseball at Hobgood?
Our youngest age group is T-Ball league. Players who are 3 on or before April 30 of the coming year play in this league.

Can I register my daughter to play baseball at Hobgood?
Girls are allowed to play baseball at Hobgood.

If I register by the registration date, can my child play? 
We have a limited number of slots in each league. Only Founder Members are guaranteed slots provided they register by the registration deadline. All other slots are on a first-come first-serve basis.

The registration date has passed, can I still register?
It may be possible for a player to register after the registration deadline. We will continue to register players provided we have open slots. There is an additional $25 per player charged for all late registrants.

I have two children, can they play on the same team?
Provided the players are playing in age appropriate divisions, they will be placed or drafted on the same team.

If I paid $50 non-volunteer fee, what does this cover?
The $50 non-volunteer fee alleviates the family from volunteering their time to the park as a team parent, coach, or other volunteer (e.g., dugout duty, score bookkeeper, carnival helper).  It does not alleviate them from any financial requests from the team.  Since the park is a non-profit organization and relies on volunteer labor to keep our fees low while providing great programs and facilities for families, we ask for this fee in lieu of volunteering to cover any expenses we might incur by having to hire labor to cover those volunteer hours.  

When do the seasons start and end?
For specific dates see the web-site.

Spring registration starts in early December and ends in mid-January. Teams are selected towards the end of January and games begin the first weekend in March. The final games will be played just before school is out for the summer.

All-Stars begin play immediately after the rec season (This is subject to change). Dates vary based on age, and generally go to the middle or end of July.

Fall registration begins in June. Games begin in September or October and are completed around the second week in November.

What programs are offered at the park?
We offer recreational baseball (which includes All-Star baseball).

Recreational Baseball, rec baseball, is open to anyone who registers to play and is offered to players of all skill level and ability. During our Spring season, Tball and Rookie leagues will play 8-10 games.  All other leagues will play 12 games and end the season with a single-elimination tournament. All-Stars, players participating in the spring rec ball season are eligible for all-stars. We field all-star teams from all leagues starting in the 6/7 league. Depending on the league there may be multiple teams. All-Stars is a more competitive environment, and the purpose is to put together the best team(s) possible from the pool of players in the rec league. More details regarding the All-Star selection process can be found on the website.

How are coaches selected?
Our League Directors select coaches from the pool of parents who volunteer to coach. League Directors use several factors including: coaching experience, number of years coaching at Hobgood and prior experience in the league.

How are teams selected?
For the TBall and Rookie leagues, players are assigned onto teams by their League Director. The League Director makes every attempt possible to place players with requested coaches or on the same team as another requested player.
For 6/7 league and Above - Coaches have the option of freezing up to three players; their own and two assistant coaches. All remaining players are put into a draft pool and selected using the rules of the draft. All players are selected from the pool until all coaches have their max number of players or the player pool is exhausted.

How are All-Star players selected?
For information on All-Stars, please see the All-Star selection process document.

How many players are on a team?

For tball and rookie leagues, our goal is is 8-9 players with a max of 10 players per team.

For 6/7 and 7/8 leagues, our target number is 11 and max at 12 per team.

For 9/10 and 11/12 leagues, our target number and max are 11 players per team.

For 13/15 league, counts will vary depending on the number of registered players and number of teams. We make every attempt to limit the number or players 12 players or less per team.

How many games are played in a season?
Spring Season
TBall and Rookie – depending on the number of weeks available 8-10 games.
6/7 and Above – 12 season games plus a single elimination tournament

We registered for t-ball, why are the coaches pitching to the players?
For a player, one of the most exciting aspects of the game is hitting the baseball. At the tball league,we encourage hitting the baseball off of a tee. If coaches and players have worked on hitting a coach pitched baseball, we make provisions for this to happen during their games. Emphasis at this age is placed on introducing each player to the sport, learning very basic skills and having fun. We feel this can be accomplished hitting the ball off of a tee or the ball being thrown by a coach.

I want my child to play with my neighbor’s son so we can carpool, does Hobgood accommodate?
For TBall and Rookie leagues, you will need to make a request to the League Director and/or note on your registration your request. The League Directors e-mail is listed on the website on the League home page.  For all other ages the best course of action is to identify a coach and request that they try and draft both of the players. We do not make special accommodations and with the draft there are no guarantees that players will be able to play or be selected by a particular coach.

How are the games structured at the different ages?
Information regarding each league is available on the League page. 

I have a problem with my child’s coach, what should I do?
Please make every attempt to resolve the issue directly with the coach. Please address your concerns with him first prior to speaking with anyone else. If you are not able to resolve the issue with you coach, please contact your League Director.

I have a problem with an umpire, what should I do?
Refer to the "Umpire Complaint" policy.

My coach asked me for money to teach my player to pitch.  What is the policy for giving my coach additional funds for instructions regarding baseball?
Refer to Hobgood Policy “Solicitation of funds from Hobgood Family and Players,” coaches are not allowed to request, directly or indirectly, for money that will benefit a coach (i.e., paying a coach for his instruction to a player for pitching/hitting lessons, fielding instructions, etc.).  The policy does not exclude the coach from securing batting cage rental for extra hitting lessons or obtaining extra instructions for the team. Please note that this extra instruction strictly voluntary.