Mississauga Men's Slo-Pitch League

HISTORY

The Mississauga Men's Slo-Pitch League began in 1973 and consisted of 4 teams playing out of the Huron Park Recreational Centre. During the early first years the League expanded to the maximum number of teams that Huron Park could accommodate. In the early 1980's, as interest in Slo-Pitch increased and as more ball diamonds became available, the League expanded to the point where it is now the largest men's slo-pitch league in Mississauga. 

In the mid 1980's, to accommodate the increased number of teams and provide them ample playing time, the League adopted a double header format with four games being played each night by four teams. A few years later the league adopted a two person umpire system and has subsequently formed its own Umpire Association.   We are exploring whether to go back to one umpire per game for the 2023 season.

In 1989 the League created its first Masters division for players over 35 years of age. In 1997, a four team division for players over 50 years of age was created. In 2002 there were eight teams in this particular division.

LEAGUE STRUCTURE

Teams are assigned to divisions based on their level of skill. Teams finishing first advance to higher skilled divisions and teams finishing last are relegated to lower skilled divisions. Other advancement or relegation of teams may be done to improve the overall competitiveness among teams.

The league caters to most levels of play including C, D and E (Recreational). In the Masters category, there are two divisions (Intermediate) for players over 35 years of age and one division (Recreational) for players over 50 years of age.

All teams in the League play double headers each week. All games are seven innings in length. The regular season starts around the beginning of May and ends in mid August. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams in each division progress through two playoff rounds using a best 3 out of 5 format. Divisions that have 8 teams have the bottom four teams play through a consolation playoff. There is no interdivisional play and each division declares a regular season champion and a playoff champion.

STARTING A SLO-PITCH TEAM

Many people wonder how to form a slo-pitch team from scratch. The most important principle to realize is that all players must have a commitment to the team. The second most important thing to recognize is that the work should be spread among a number of players, not just one or two.

The way to ensure the player commitment is to have them financially attached to the team. It's fine to obtain a team sponsor, however the individual players must also contribute financially, otherwise lack of interest and its subsequent defaults may occur, especially if the team level of play is not too competitive.

During the first year of a new team's existence, one or two players will do most of the work. Thereafter, different duties should be identified and assumed by appropriate members of the team. Examples follow:

1. Team Manager - Responsible for ensuring delegated tasks are completed
2. Coach - Responsible for game lineups, game substitutions and defensive alignments
3. Team League Representative - Responsible for all liaison with the League
4. Equipment Manager - Responsible for bringing the bases and balls
5. Treasurer - Responsible for all team finances
6. Team Secretary - Responsible for keeping notes of team meetings

On a team of 12 to 15 players, most of the above duties may be shared by two players which will help to provide backup to cover situations that arise such as vacations or injuries. Also, it is not necessary that the various duties be distribute as widely as shown above. It is important, however, that all the work does not fall on the shoulders of one or two players.

UMPIRE ASSOCIATION

To handle the increased number of teams and to have more control over Umpire scheduling, the League created its own Umpire Association.  Most of these umpires also play in the League or are ex-players. The League, through its umpire association, also provides umpiring services to several other leagues in the Mississauga area. If your League has a need for Umpiring services or if you are interested in umpiring slo-pitch, please contact us.

LEAGUE SCHEDULE

Teams should follow the instructions given in their Scorebooks concerning games that have been rained out of cancelled for other reasons.

Teams that have games cancelled should decide quickly when they want to make the games up. Then contact the Umpire-in-Chief promptly to let him know what your plan is so that Umpires may be assigned. Both teams must agree to play at that time.