As Little League All-Star teams from around the world battle in the Little League World Series, being seen this month on ESPN and ABC, at Hilltoppers, we're gearing up for our "second season," because it’s time for Winter Ball!

We must have players signed up by this Saturday, August 16. Come at at 9 a.m. to sign up and practice with a team. Cost is just $25. New players need to bring their birth certificate, but returning players do not need birth certificate or proof of residency for winter ball.

Games start on Sunday, September 7, and teams will practice about once a week until then. Any child who will be 7-years-old by April 30, 2008 and not yet 16-years-old by April 30, 2008 will be eligible in one of our divisions.

This fun season of approximately 10 games runs from September 7 to November 23. Games are played on Sunday afternoons, and with neighboring leagues in our district.

Generally players who participate in the winter ball program benefit greatly from the additional instruction and experience, especially if they may be moving up to a new division next spring.

Hilltoppers is hoping for Winter Ball teams in several divisions: Farm, Minors, Majors and Juniors. Whether or not we have teams in these divisions is entirely dependent on the number of registrations we receive.

If you have not yet signed up and are unable to attend this Saturday, please contact either Player Agent Linda Camus (858) 270-5408, Vice President Mike Van Cleave (858) 274-6420, or Ken Cicalo (858) 586-1861.

Cost for the season will be $25.00. This includes a t-shirt for each player, baseballs and insurance. If you have any questions or need additional information, please call one of the board members listed above.

After six days of great baseball and exciting finishes, Rancho San Diego Little League topped Ocean View Little League, 1-0 in seven innings, to take the 9- & 10-Year-Old Subdivision Tournament on Thursday, July 24.

Rancho San Diego, representing District 41 and Section 7, had defeated Ocean View Little League, representing District 62 and Section 10, 6-4 on Wednesday, July 23, to force the deciding game. Ocean View had entered Wednesday's matchup undefeated in tournament play. Rancho San Diego lost a close 4-1 decision to Ocean View on Monday, July 22 and then bounced back to defeat Victorville Ribbons 15-1 on Tuesday, July 22 to reach the finals.

The last of three 9- & 10-Year-Old All-Star tournaments hosted by Clairemont Hilltoppers this summer, the Subdivision kicked off Saturday, July 19. Five teams, representing five different Little League Sections in Southern California, began the competition for the Subdivision III Championship. Also featured in the tournament were the champions of Section 8, District 49 (Victorville Ribbons Little League); Section 9, District 28 (Temecula Valley National) and the champions of Section 6, District 31 (Encinitas National). Encinitas National won the Sectional tournament hosted by Hilltoppers.

As winners of the Subdivision III tournament, Rancho San Diego will now travel to Moorpark for the Southern California Division Finals, July 26-28. This is the ultimate tournament for 9- & 10-Year-Old All-Stars.

Congratulations to all teams who made it to the Subdivision level. This is a tremendous accomplishment, and we hope we gave you a great tournament experience.

After five days of intense competition, Encinitas National Little League was crowned as champion of the Section 6, 9- & 10-Year-Old All-Star Tournament, hosted by Clairemont Hilltoppers. In a dramatic victory, the kids from Encinitas (District 31) overcame a Vista National (District 70) team that had defeated them the evening before. The 9-7 final score was very indicative of just how close these two teams played.

Champions from four San Diego County Little League Districts converged on our fields Saturday, July 12, as the 9- & 10-Year-Old Section 6 All-Star Tournament got underway. Clairemont Hilltoppers has been given the honor of hosting three levels of All-Star tournaments this summer, all in the 9/10-Year-Old Division. Coronado Little League won the first of these three tournaments on Wednesday, July 9, defeating Point Loma Little League 2-1 in a hard-fought finale of the District 32 tournament.

Coronado thus advanced to the Sectional level, where they lost their first game on Saturday, July 12 to Vista National. They bounced back the next day to eliminate Mission Trails Little League, champions of District 33, setting up a rematch with Vista National on Monday, July 14. Despite a great effort from the Coronado kids, they fell short in this game and were eliminated, 11-6.

The winner of the Sectional tournament advances to the Sub-Division level, and that tournament will also be hosted by Clairemont Hilltoppers, beginning on Saturday, July 19. The Sub-Division tournament will include five Section champions from all over Southern California, and promises to be some of the best 9- & 10-year-old baseball games you could hope for.

Volunteers are still needed to help with the innumerable tasks associated with hosting these tournaments. If you would like to help, please contact Ken Cicalo at 858-586-1861 or KenC1313@yahoo.com.

With a very dramatic finish, Coronado Little League has earned the championship of the Clairemont Hilltoppers-hosted 9 & 10-Year-Old District 32 All-Star Tournament.

Defeating an extremely competitive and scrappy team from Point Loma, 2-1 in the finals on Wednesday, July 9, Coronado advanced to the Sectional level tournament also being hosted at our fields, beginning on Saturday, July 12. Great defense, solid pitching and just enough timely hitting carried Coronado throughout the tournament, and the final game was no exception.

Beginning on June 26, the 13 leagues in our district competed for almost two weeks before Coronado emerged as undefeated champions. In addition to Point Loma, teams from Rancho Penasquitos North and University City also made dramatic runs through the tournament before falling just short of the top prize.

A big thank you to all the many volunteers who devoted so much time during the two weeks to help with announcing, scorekeeping, selling t-shirts, working the snack bar, maintaining our fields and selling raffle tickets. The tournament was clearly enjoyed by all the teams and our complex was the envy of many. You are the ones who made it possible for all these teams to have such a good experience.

Clairemont Hilltoppers has been given the honor of hosting three different levels of All-Star tournaments this summer. All are in the 9 & 10-year-old Division. The Sectional tournament, which begins on Saturday, will run through July 16. The winner of that tournament will then advance to the Sub-Division level tournament, which we will host from July 19-24. That tournament will match five champion teams from different Sections all over Southern California.

Good luck to Coronado as they represent District 32 in the next levels!

As District 32 wrapped up All-Star play, both our Juniors and Seniors teams reached the finals of their tournaments and finished as runners-up for the titles. The Seniors lost to Peninsula 3-0 on Wednesday, July 9, while the Juniors fell 11-6 to Coronado on the same night.

Congratulations to both of these teams for getting as far as they did in their competitions. Our Hilltoppers family is proud of your efforts and accomplishments. Here is how all of our All-Star teams have fared this postseason:

9- & 10-Year-Old All-Stars:
Tournament being played at Clairemont Hilltoppers
Thursday, June 26 - Lost to University City, 12-2
Sunday, June 29 - Won a very exciting matchup with Mission Bay, 14-13 in the bottom of the sixth inning
Wednesday, July 2 - Lost a very exciting game to Pt. Loma, 11-8 in the last inning (eliminated)

10- & 11-Year-Old All-Stars:
Tournament being played at Mira Mesa
Friday, June 27 - Lost to Coronado, 11-1
Sunday, June 29 - Won a nailbiter against Mira Mesa, 10-9 in extra innings
Monday, June 30 - Lost to Clairemont Mesa, 14-8 (eliminated)

11- & 12-Year-Old All-Stars:
Tournament being played at University City
Friday, June 27 - Lost to Rancho Penasquitos North, 11-1
Sunday, June 29 - Beat Mira Mesa, 11-10, with a last-inning rally
Monday, June 30 - Lost to Mission Bay, 6-2 (eliminated)

Juniors All-Stars:
Tournament being played at Mira Mesa
Saturday, June 28 - Defeated Peninsula, 5-4, coming from behind in the last two innings
Tuesday, July 1 - Defeated Mira Mesa, 12-2
Sunday, July 6 - After leading for most of the game, fell 5-2 to Coronado
Tuesday, July 8 - Broke open a close game in the last inning, to defeat Presidio, 12-3
Wednesday, July 9 - Lost to Coronado, 11-6 (finish as District runners-up)

Seniors All-Stars:
Tournament being played at Mission Bay
Saturday, July 5 - Won a close one, 4-3, against Mission Bay
Sunday, July 6 - Pulled out another nailbiter, edging Peninsula, 8-7
Tuesday, July 8 - Lost to Peninsula, 8-2
Wednesday, July 9 - Lost to Peninsula, 3-0 (finish as District runners-up)

Congratulations to our 9/10, 10/11 and 11/12 teams, also. All three teams represented Clairemont Hilltoppers extremely well, and we are proud to have had you named as All-Stars. And thank you to the fans who came out to support all of our teams. You helped to make the experience special for our kids.

Our champion teams in the Minors, Majors and Juniors each well represented our league in Tournament of Champions play, which matched first-place teams from each league in our 13-league District 32.

Our Majors division champion Angels kicked off the postseason with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over University City in the first round of the TOC on Wednesday, June 18. They jumped out to an early lead in their next game, on Saturday, June 21. Unfortunately, they couldn't quite hang on in the end, and dropped a dramatic 4-3 decision to Mira Mesa West.

Our Minors division champion Cardinals were eliminated in their opening round game against Pt. Loma, on Thursday, June 19 at Mission Bay Little League.

Finally, our Juniors division champion White Sox lost a nailbiter, 5-4 vs. Presidio on June 19, in their tournament game at Mira Mesa Little League.

Congratulations to these three teams, who each earned their berths in the TOC through hard-fought triumphs in our league playoffs.

Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League is proud to announce the selection of teams to represent our league in All-Star competition, which begins in late June. These teams were selected in a combination of player votes and manager selections. Here are the teams:

9/10-Year-Old Division, which will play tournament games at our field, beginning on Thursday, June 26:
Morgan Albers
Ken Castillo
Alex Fields
Devin Fife
Aaron Granfors
Justin Holder
Hunter Isbell
Elijah Leeper
Josh Pizzo
Ricky Reed
Grant Ruthenberg
Alex Stigers
Ken Waldichuk

10/11-Year-Old Division, which will play tournament games at Mira Mesa Little League, beginning on Friday, June 27:
Christian Arroyo
Kyle Ballard
David Brown
Michael Cortez
Jake Dalton
Trent Kuczon
Matthew Larsen
Brendan Michie
Kristi Thomas
Joey Toczylowski
Tyler Wyatt

11/12-Year-Old Division , which will play tournament games at University City Little League, beginning on Friday, June 27:
Dylan Campana
David Camus
Joe Gebhard-Pizzo
Jeremy Granfors
Michael Larsen
Bosque Leanio
Kyle LeBlanc
Danny Owen
Brian Ruthenberg
Jeremy Soniga

Juniors Division, which will play tournament games at Mira Mesa Little League, beginning on Saturday, June 28:
Cody Bermudes
Mark Bial
Chris Bonner
Ryan Bullas
Austin Farmer
Jeb Faudoa
Kyle Holder
Alex Leigh-Pink
George Marvin
Casey Michie
Jordan Souza
Jordan Stigers
Justin Waney

Good luck to all these kids, and be sure to come out and support our Hilltoppers teams!

A team of 7- and 8-year-olds from Clairemont Hilltoppers had a great season-ending weekend, as they participated in the third annual Mission Bay Little League "Little Stars" tournament on June 14 and 15.

Our kids showed great hustle, desire and talent all weekend, as they captured three of the four games they played during the event. Competing against teams from Mission Bay, Coronado, Peninsula, Pt. Loma and University City Little Leagues, the team played back-to-back games on Saturday afternoon, then came back and played two more games on Sunday morning and evening.

The kids had great support from parents and coaches, and many thanks to manager Pat Kinshofer and his MANY coaches, who worked so tirelessly with the team both before and during the tournament.

This has become a great season-ending highlight for the 7- and 8-year-olds from our league, as they get a chance to play against new kids and at a different ballfield in a weekend full of baseball. We look forward to sending a team again in 2009!

Thanks also to Robin Bechtel for some great tourney photos.

What an exciting couple of weeks it was in our Farm, Minors, Majors and Juniors divisions.

Teams in these divisions participated in our playoffs during the first two weeks of June. With great plays and exciting games in every division, the results are as follows:

FARM DIVISION:
Friday, June 6th
Twins defeated Phillies
Orioles defeated Mets

Saturday, June 7
Winners of June 4 games played top two teams
Orioles defeated Rockies
Marlins defeated Twins

Wednesday, June 11
Marlins defeated Orioles for Championship

MINORS DIVISION:
Tuesday, June 3
A's defeated Rangers

Thursday, June 5
Braves defeated Giants

Saturday, June 7
Winners of June 3 & 5 games played top two teams
A's defeated Yankees
Cardinals defeated Braves

Tuesday, June 10
Game One - Cardinals 11, A's 10

Thursday, June 12
Game Two - Cardinals 6, A's 3
Cardinals are Minors Division champion and will represent CHLL in Tournament of Champions

Saturday, June 14, 12 noon
Final game of "Best Two of Three" playoff (if necessary)

MAJORS DIVISION:
Padres and Angels played "Best Two of Three" playoff
Tuesday, June 3 – Game One - Angels 3, Padres 2 in extra innings
Saturday, June 7 – Game Two - Angels 1, Padres 0
Angels are Majors Division champion and will represent CHLL in Tournament of Champions

JUNIORS DIVISION:
Red Sox and White Sox will play "Best Two of Three" playoff
Tuesday, June 3 – Game One - Red Sox 6, White Sox 5
Saturday, June 7 – Game Two - White Sox 9, Red Sox 4
Tuesday, June 10 – Game Three - White Sox 6, Red Sox 3
White Sox are Juniors Division champion and will represent CHLL in Tournament of Champions

Thanks to everyone for supporting our great teams!

Records were broken at our annual “Never on Mother’s Day” Adult Coed Softball Tournament this year, with 10 teams entered and 18 games played in a single day.

The tournament started bright and early on Sunday, May 4, with games at 8 a.m. on all three of our fields. It finally ended at 6:15 p.m., when a rag-tag team of has-beens and never-weres named Whitey Wietelmann eked out a one-run victory in extra innings over Team Armenta for the championship.

In between those times, almost 200 Hilltoppers parents, coaches, friends and neighbors competed in the day-long, double-elimination event. Tournament veteran teams The Mighty Woodchucks and The Three Amigos, also had impressive runs through the tournament, with each showing great talent and perserverance.

Every team played at least two games, and some teams several more than that. Reports from Clairemont-area stores confirm quite a run on ice, ibuprofen and ace bandages Sunday evening.

It was a great chance for kids from our league to come out and see the parents and coaches who have been giving them "advice" all year, try to live up to those standards. The fun and camaraderie are what make this annual event a highlight every year. Final tallies are not in yet, but with our snack bar open all that day, Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League stands to benefit by several hundred dollars from the event, as well.

If you didn't get a chance to join a team this year, be sure to plan for it in 2009. You don't want to miss a chance to be part of this great Hilltoppers tradition!

Despite record-breaking heat and a disappointing 2-1 loss, well over 450 Hilltoppers players, families and friends enjoyed Little League Day at Petco Park on Sunday, April 27.

Several of our teams participated in the pre-game parade, getting a chance to be down on the field prior to the game. League coaches Troy Keltner and Ken Cicalo also got to be on the field before the game, as they were selected to hit infield to a dozen Little Leaguers from leagues around the County.

The Padres got the usual great pitching effort from Jake Peavy, but their bats were unable to come up with enough clutch hits to pull out a win. Nevertheless, Hilltoppers fans had a great time cheering, hanging out with friends, and visiting the concession stands.

If you missed the chance to attend this year's Little League Day, be sure to plan around it next year. Where else could you have a better time with 400 or so of your closest friends?

One of the highlights of this year's Opening Day ceremonies, was the announcement that longtime coach Steve Conner has been added to the Clairemont Hilltoppers Hall of Fame.

Originated as part of the 50th Anniversary celebration two years ago, the Hilltoppers Hall of Fame recognizes those who have made tremendous contributions to our Little League program. In his well over 20 years of involvement at Clairemont Hilltoppers, Steve has not only coached multiple generations of young ballplayers, but played other vital roles as a volunteer in fundraising, on the board of directors, and in leading the 50th anniversary committee.

As the 18th member inducted into the Hall of Fame, Steve's name now joins the charter members on our permanent plaque in the scorebooth building. There at Opening Day to welcome him into the Hilltoppers Hall of Fame were current members Bill Salonius, Dave Pursel, Ron Conkle, Jim Gerstenslager and Mike Van Cleave.

Congratulations Steve on a well-deserved honor.

Our Farm Division has some rules that are unique to their level of play. Managers from each Farm Division team have met and agreed to the attached rules for the 2008 season of play.

Pitch count regulationss have been modified by Little League Baseball for the 2008 season. Last year, for the first time, pitchers in all divisions of Little League, from age 7 to 18, had specific pitch limits for each game, based on their age. The number of pitches delivered in a game determined the amount of rest the player had to have before pitching again.

For all of Little League Baseball’s history, and for the history of amateur youth baseball in general, pitching regulations used innings pitched to determine pitcher eligibility. Recently, researchers and medical professionals in the field of sports medicine have been suggesting the actual number of pitches thrown (i.e., pitch count) is a safer way to regulate pitching in youth baseball.

Little League is the first national youth baseball organization to institute a pitch count. The Little League International Board of Directors approved the measure in August 2006.

The number of pitches allowable under the new regulation is based on the pitcher’s age. Specific rest periods are in place when a pitcher reaches certain thresholds of pitches delivered in a day. The table below gives an overview of the number of pitches that will be allowed for each age group during the 2008 regular season.

League Age Pitches allowed per day

17-18 …105
13-16 …95
11-12 …85
9-10 …75
7-8 …50

The rest periods required during the 2008 regular season are listed below.

Pitchers league ages 7 through 16 must adhere to the following rest requirements:
• If a player pitches 61 or more pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 41 - 60 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 21 - 40 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar day of rest must beobserved.
• If a player pitches 1-20 pitches in a day, no calendar day of rest is required before pitching again.
• If a player pitches more than 41 pitches in a game, they must also have ONE GAME OF REST, regardless of how many days since their previous pitching.

• Any player removed as a pitcher is not allowed to play the position of catcher for the remainder of that game. This is designed to further prevent overuse injuries.

• "Automatic" intentional walks are no longer allowed. If a pitcher wishes to intentionally walk a batter, he/she must do so by throwing four pitches, which will count in determining pitch count.

Regulations for tournament play (all-stars) will be similar, but with some modifications. Those regulations will be released soon.

If you are one of our esteemed existing sponsors and you need the forms to renew for this year, are a first timer or it's been a while since you have taken advantage of the sponsorship opportunities, the forms are located here for your convenience. Simply download and print the forms and fax or mail them in.

If you have any questions, Please contact Troy Keltner, the sponsorship coordinator at 858.273.1949.

Thank you for over 50 years of support to Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League. 

One of the highlights of our 50th Anniversary celebration in 2006 was the announcement of a brand new Clairemont Hilltoppers Hall of Fame.

Named as Charter Members were 17 individuals whose achievements, contributions and leadership will forever be recognized with this honor. A permanent plaque listing the names of all current and future Hall of Famers hangs in our scorebooth building.

Following are the Inductees along with year named:

• Frank Adams (2006)
• Ron Conkle (2006)
• Ken Henderson (2006)
• Tom Franklin (2006)
• John Adams (2006)
• Link Lincavage (2006)
• Harold McCoy (2006)
• Jim Gerstenslager (2006)
• Dave Stephenson (2006)
• Mike Winters (2006)
• Dave Bermudes (2006)
• George Kovacevich (2006)
• Bill Salonius (2006)
• Jeanne Morrow (2006)
• Cesar Carmona (2006)
• Dave Pursel (2006)
• Mike Van Cleave (2006)
• Steve Conner (2008)

These members were recognized for their contributions in one or more of these four categories: Inspirational, Leadership, Volunteer and Special Recognition. Future members will be selected by a committee of current and former Hilltoppers.

Congratulations to all of these Hall of Famers, and many thanks for all you have meant to Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League.

During our Opening Day ceremonies, General Membership voted on and approved revisions to our league Constitution and By-Laws. Per Little League regulations, the Constitution and By-Laws must be re-approved every two years.

On the attached document, revisions are noted in underlined, purple and italics.

If you have any questions about the Constitution or this process, please contact any board member.