Little League Lineup Excel Template

cycloner29

Well-Known Member
Dec 17, 2008
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Ames
What you really need are 2-3 coaches watching over those kids at all times! At 6 years old the attention span is about 5 minutes. We had kids mounding dirt in the infield, kids looking at birds in the outfield, kids chasing each other, squirting water at each other. This is probably the bigger issue than a spreadsheet, unless you plan on winning the LLWS!!
 

cloneu

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Jul 26, 2007
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I coach 5-6 year olds and I set up a manual template to rotate fielding positions and batting order each inning. It is a pretty short season so manually was pretty quick & easy. 60+% of the balls hit go to the P, 3B & SS kids so need to rotate them so everybody gets to see some balls during the games. Then let every kid play first once too.
 

Cycsk

Year-round tailgater
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Aug 17, 2009
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My kid might be the worst player on the team. This isn't about anything competitive. Luckily everybody plays every inning.

With 20 or so games though I want it to make it as equitable as possible between the infield and outfield. I honestly have a great group of kids and parents but I never want to make it seem like their is favoritism that's all. I tried just letting them run out and take positions last game but it was just too chaotic and we wasted too much time between innings.


My advice is more about how you respond to the inevitable criticism (or "suggestions") from parents. Just explain what you are doing, apologize if something didn't go quite right, and assure them you are committed to being fair to all kids on the team. Don't, and I repeat don't, make major changes as an over-reaction to the critique, especially in the middle of a game. Adjustments tend to screw things up more than they help, in my experience. Trust your intentions. Work your plan. Clearly, you are doing your best to be fair. If parents can't see and appreciate what you are trying to do, then it is unlikely that you can ever please them.
 

clonedmax

Active Member
Apr 19, 2006
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When I coached this age I, I put the kids in alphabetical order for their batting lineup. The next game the last batter would rotate to lead off, and everyone else would move down a slot.
For fielding I put them in the same order by position number 1-9 and then moved them up a position midway through each game and then the next game. Pitcher would go to catcher, right field would come to pitcher, etc. This generally worked pretty good, but you always had to improvise when players weren't there. Also had to watch pitcher and 1st base as mentioned to not get a kid hit by not paying attention.
 

CRcyclone6

Well-Known Member
Bookie
Dec 27, 2007
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843d6eb41b795e94deaa7b9876909156.jpg I helped coach my son's 8u team last year and 9u this year. We use this sheet, nothing too sophisticated, but helps keep track of positions and obviously not set in stone because things can happen thought the game. We use the Gamechanger app also. Pretty cool. Keeps track of stats and pitches, when you get to that level. Our lineup is just a random draw, or we just flip it from game to game for league. Tournaments is different lineup wise. Whoever said 2-3 coaches is correct! We have 3 and it's a handful even with 9u at times.
 

YeahBuddy

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Jul 11, 2016
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As a former coach of 4-6 year olds, the most important list to have is who is in charge of bringing snacks/refreshments after each game.

When there fails to be fruit snacks and a juice box waiting for them after the game, that is when **** hits the fan with the little guys/gals.

Mine didnt care where they played in the field. Our league we batted through the order and then the next inning you batting through in reverse order and kept flip flopping.
 

shochberg

New Member
Feb 10, 2021
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If anyone is still looking at this thread, we have a free tool for fair fielding rotations. Take a look at freeBaseballLineups.com .
 

cyfanatic13

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Dec 19, 2008
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If anyone is still looking at this thread, we have a free tool for fair fielding rotations. Take a look at freeBaseballLineups.com .
Four years late. We’ve weeded out the duds from the studs and don’t need to be fair anymore
 

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