History & 2021 League Update

CGLL History & 2021 Update

The Beginning…

College Glen Little League was founded in 1974. Prior to that, we were part of American River Little League. In the fall of 1974, we received our charter from Williamsport, PA, home of Little League Baseball, Inc. College Glen Little League serves the area bound by Howe Avenue to the west, the American River to the north, Bradshaw Road to the east and Folsom Boulevard to the south.

Under the direction of our first president, Merle Shields, we developed our complex on land belonging to the Sacramento Unified School District. On December 1, 1974, we obtained a lease on the land, which is now owned by the Sacramento City Parks and Recreation Department. Until our complex and diamonds were completed in 1975, the first of our inaugural season games were played on local school fields.

The Sacramento City Parks and Recreation Department gave us permission to use the fields for Farm and Pee Wee Division play and allowed us to alter the fields for better playing conditions. A scorekeeper booth and bleachers were added to the Farm field and benches for the players were added to the Pee Wee field.

Fast Forward...

As the 2021 season gets underway, the most notable improvement has been on the new Farm Division field. The construction of this field has given us additional flexibility (and spacing) for practices this pre-season. On our two Field Work Days, we were able to complete the backstop fencing. CGLL continues to do its part in Little League’s Five-Year Plan, rallied around a player-centered approach in every aspect of the program. The CGLL Board of Directors is exploring new and innovative fundraising opportunities to offset our operating costs, which includes metered water (one of the downsides to having full control over our complex). However, there are many benefits, as evident by being the first league in District 5 to begin games in 2021. Some leagues have yet to draft teams because they have been unable to get on their fields due to issues with securing their parks or getting on school grounds. While Opening Day will not look the same this season and we know the Surf & Turf Feed has already been canceled, our Home Run Derby, Fireworks Booth and other fundraising events are still being planned for this year. Here’s to bringing baseball back to the community after too long of a haitus!

We look forward to an amazing season of baseball and will be ready to cheer on our CGLL teams that move into the TOC and All-Star tournaments. Let’s support them and bring home the banners.

The 2019 season brings some exiting new things to the league. The first phase of the family bricks has been installed! These bricks are an amazing way to seal yourself into the history and pave the way for future players of CGLL. The biggest focus for the league this year is the construction of the new Farm Division field. During the fall and winter, the Board of Directors was able to secure a new lease with the City of Sacramento, which included an additional field located behind the Major Field, where we installed fencing around the perimeter. Using the proceeds from brick and candy bar sales we will be able to construct the field for use in the very near future.

2018 was a banner year for College Glen Little League. Thanks to the help of Councilmember Eric Guerra and the City of Sacramento, we are parking on a newly designed, freshly paved and professionally constructed parking lot. Councilmember Eric Guerra was a key cog in the plan and implementation of this massive project as well as a CGLL Team Sponsor for the 2018 season. Without his efforts, this amazing upgrade would not have been possible.

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