For players in grades 3-8, we offer a competitive league option (JBO). There will be 12-18 league games, weeknights from April to Late-June. Post-season play can extend into early July if your team qualifies for the County and State Tournaments. League standings are tracked with post season births on the line for the top teams in each league. About half of the games are played in Keizer and the other half in neighboring areas like Mt. Angel, Newburg, Estacada, and Canby.
*Player must be within the designated age group as defined in the 2026 Spring Baseball Age Chart.
*Players wishing to play on a JBO team will need to go through an evaluation to determine appropriate level of competition. The evaluation process is used as a try-out for our JBO teams. Players wishing to play JBO are not guaranteed a spot and will have the option to play baseball through Keizer Little League if not chosen for one of our teams.
What is JBO??
The Junior Baseball Organization started many years ago in the Portland area and has evolved over the years but exists to offer a more competitive, regional baseball program for families that want something more but may not want to make the jump to “tournament ball”. Within JBO, there are three difficulty levels at each age group, with Federal being the highest. Also, the state is broken up into smaller districts which is the “regional” part of the program. We are part of the Clackamas County JBA District whose teams are from Keizer up to Oregon City and Estacada and between.
JBO games are played according to the rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) with some modifications to tailor the rules to the grade and skill level of the players. For example, JBO base lengths and pitching distances are reduced from the High School level to accommodate younger players, but increase progressively with the grade of the players. The goal is to provide players the opportunity to play the complete game of baseball (leading off, stealing, etc.) but to progressively increase playing distances as the grade and skill of players increase.
As with other kid pitch leagues, both games and practices are during with week but your away games may be as far away as Estacada, although not usually that far. CCJBA tries to make sub groupings of teams close together as best it can within each age bracket and skill level. In 2025, MYB played the following teams: Canby, Mt. Angel, Mollala, Colton, Oregon City, Gladstone, Estacada, North Marion, Tualatin, Country Christian, Centennial, Putnam, Lake Oswego, and Nelson.
What are the major differences between other youth baseball leagues and Junior Baseball?
The primary difference is that JBO plays by amended high school rules, as opposed to most of the other youth league rules. Probably one of the most prominent rule differences is about base stealing. In the other traditional leagues, a player cannot steal a base on a pitched ball until the ball crosses home plate. In JBO, a player may take a lead off the base and steal at any time during the pitch. As the kids get older and more experienced, the "base stealing" rule makes for some very exciting baseball. The rule also teaches the kids smart base running techniques. They will need these techniques if they continue playing baseball as they get older. Another major difference is the size of the field. In other youth leagues, the field size remains the same through the age of 12 (46’ pitching and 60’ bases). In JBO, the field size grows as the kids grow: 3rd/4th graders play on a field with 45’ pitching mound and 60’ bases, 5th/6th graders play on a field with 50’ pitching mound and 70’ bases, 7th/8th graders play on a field with 60' 6" pitching mounds and 90’ bases. Because of the progressive field size, pitching does not dominate across the JBO footprint.
JBO Levels:
Federal: A highly competitive tier, comparable to advanced tournament-level play.
American: A strongly competitive tier for experienced players.
National: A developmental yet competitive tier, similar in skill level to typical local community teams.
Grade Breakdown:
Minors: 3rd & 4th Grade
Juniors: 5th & 6th Grade
Seniors: 7th & 8th Grade
Game & Practice Schedules:
Games: Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs (Coach's Discretion)
Practices: Two Per Week. Non-Game Weeknights. (Coach's Discretion)
Game Times: Usually 6pm But Warm-Ups Start Around 5pm.
Tryouts / Team Placement Process
Try-outs will be held during January and February with dates communicated through this website, email, and social media. Each player MUST attend at least one try-out in order to be considered for an MYB team. These try-outs generally last about 90 minutes and will consist of rotating groups of players through different skill events. Coaches and Assistants will be observing and scoring each player. The scores from all observers are then added up and averaged out. While evaluation scores are important in the team draft, they are NOT the only factor in picking a player for a particular team. Many variables go into player selection. The coaches will be looking for overall player skill level, coachability/attitude, positional skills needed (pitcher, catcher, short-stop, etc), and more.
A typical team is made up of 12 players.
JBO team selections are based primarily to create the best team we can make at each skill level. Our goal is to place all players at a level where they can excel – at a level with players of similar ages, skill, and emotional maturity. Our decisions are intended to improve the overall growth and success of our players and we strive to deliver the best experience for our players and families as possible. Because of this, coach and player requests are not offered or guaranteed.
Team invitations will be sent out the week of February 16th. Prompt responses are appreciated as all teams need to be finalized no later than February 20th. Please keep in mind that there will be no refunds after accepting a position on a team.
All kids will have the opportunity to play baseball. If you are not invited to play on an MYB team, you will still have the opportunity to play baseball with Keizer Little League. We strongly believe that every kid that wants to play, should play, if possible, so we are partnering with Keizer Little League to make that happen.
What Happens After I Accept A Team Invitation?
Once teams are finalized, the coach will reach out with more specifics about the season and their expectations. While official practices don't begin until the week of March 30th, the coach might begin optional practices and workouts earlier in March after the basketball season concludes.
For a list of expected equipment, visit our buying guide page here.
JBO teams can also choose to play in weekend tournaments. Tournaments are entirely up to each individual team’s discretion. Tournament games do not count towards league standings but are an excellent venue for players to blossom by playing lots of innings over a short period of time and allows for kids to pitch who may not be ready for league game pitching duties.
JBO has very strong rules in place regarding player safety including strict pitch count limits to ensure pitchers will not be overworked in any given game or week.
We expect to have JBO teams for each age level: Minor, Junior, and Senior. The number of Federal, American and National teams will be determined based on evaluation scores and tryout results at each age group.
More Questions?
If you have any other questions about the JBO program, contact Jim Shier at [email protected].