Intermediate, Junior, Senior & Big League Baseball

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Intermediate, Junior, and Senior League Baseball
Little League logo.svg
Intermediate, Junior, and Senior League Baseball are divisions of Little League Baseball.
Sport Baseball
Founded1981
Founder Carl Stotz
TV partner(s) ABC, ESPN
Official website http://www.littleleague.org/

Intermediate, Junior, and Senior League Baseball are youth baseball divisions of Little League Baseball that are considered more advanced and difficult than younger Little League divisions due to more advanced rules, including the ability to lead-off and steal as the pitcher breaks, along with longer base paths and greater pitching distance. Junior League also includes the use of bats with 2+58-inch (6.7 cm) barrels rather than the transitional 2+14-inch (5.7 cm) barrels of Little League. Junior League also allows the use of metal spikes in cleats in addition to the molded or plastic spikes used in Little League. The Big League level was a former division for even older teens until it was discontinued for both baseball and softball after the 2016 Big League World Series due to low participation levels over the previous 15 years. [1]

Contents

Age divisions

Intermediate League

Intermediate League Baseball is for aged 11 to 13 years old.

Junior League

Junior League Baseball is for youth aged 12 to 14 years old. [2]

Senior League

Senior League Baseball is for youth aged 13 to 16 years old. [3]

Big League

Big League Baseball was for youth ages 16 to 18 years old. [4] It was discontinued after the 2016 Big League World Series.

Tournament venues

Intermediate League World Series

The tournament is held in Livermore, California.

Junior League World Series

The tournament is held in Taylor, Michigan's Heritage Park.

Senior League World Series

The tournament had been held in Bangor, Maine from 2002-2016, now held in Easley, South Carolina 2017-Present

Big League World Series

The Big League World Series was held from 1968 to 2016. The tournament's final host was Easley, South Carolina, from 2000 to the last tournament in 2016. The tournament had previously been in Charlotte, North Carolina from 1968 to 1970 and in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from 1970 to 1998. It was also held in Tucson, Arizona from 1999 to 2000.

Regions

Little League World Series regions

For the Little League baseball division, there are twenty regions, whose champions are divided into two brackets (U.S. and International). The ten U.S. regions are: New England, Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Metro, Midwest, Mountain, Southeast, Southwest, Northwest (including Alaska), and West (including Hawaii). The ten international regions are: Asia-Pacific, Australia, Canada, Caribbean (including Puerto Rico), Europe-Africa, Japan, Latin America (Central America and South America), Panama, Cuba, and Mexico. [5]

U.S. regions in the Intermediate, Junior, Senior, and Big League divisions

Note: The Big League division was discontinued after 2016.

For the Intermediate, Junior, and Senior League baseball divisions, there are only five U.S. regions:

International regions

The international regions differ in the Intermediate, Junior, Senior, and Big League divisions.

Intermediate League regions

Unlike the Little League World Series, the Intermediate League World Series has (1) only ten regions and (2) a host team. There are two pools: Pool A (U.S. regional champions and the host team) and Pool B (international regional champions).

The Intermediate League has five international regions:

  • Puerto Rico
  • Latin America (Little League Caribbean, Latin America, and Mexico regions combined, except that Puerto Rico is not included in the Caribbean Region)
  • Canada
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe-Africa

Junior League regions

Unlike the Little League World Series — which has sixteen regions (eight in the U.S. bracket and eight in the International bracket) — the Junior League World Series has only eleven regions, whose champions are divided into the United States Pool and the International Pool. [6]

The Junior League has six international regions:

  • Mexico / Puerto Rico (automatic berth in even and odd years, respectively) (region unique to Big League and Junior League)
  • Latin America (Little League Caribbean and Latin America regions combined, except that only Mexico or Puerto Rico is included in odd and even years, respectively)
  • Canada (same as Little League Canada region)
  • Australia (same as Little League Australia region)
  • Asia-Pacific (combination of Asia-Pacific countries in the Little League Asia-Pacific and Middle East region with Japan region)
  • EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) (combination of Little League Europe and Africa region, plus Middle Eastern countries)

Senior League regions

Unlike the Little League World Series — which has sixteen regions, divided into U.S. and International brackets — the Senior League World Series (1) has only nine regions, (2) has a host team (from a South Carolina district, starting in 2017; from Maine District 3 through 2016), and (3) the regional champions (plus the host team) are divided into two mixed pools (Group A and Group B) that combine U.S. and international regions. [7] Because of the mixed pools, the Senior League division does not have an international champion and a United States champion unlike the other three baseball divisions of Little League Baseball.

The Senior League has only four international regions:

  • Latin America (Little League Caribbean, Latin America, and Mexico regions combined)
  • Canada (same as Little League Canada region)
  • Asia-Pacific (Asia-Pacific countries from the Little League Asia-Pacific and Middle East region, plus Australia and Japan regions)
  • EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) (Little League Europe and Africa region, plus Middle Eastern countries)

Big League regions

The Big League World Series was held from 1968 to 2016. During its final years, it differed from the Little League World Series in that it (1) had only ten regions, divided into Pool A (U.S.) and Pool B (International), and (2) had a host team (South Carolina District 1), which played in the U.S. pool. [8]

The Big League had five international regions:

  • Mexico / Puerto Rico (automatic berth in even and odd years, respectively) (region unique to Big League and Junior League)
  • Latin America (Little League Caribbean and Latin America regions combined, except that only Mexico or Puerto Rico was included in odd or even years, respectively)
  • Canada (same as Little League Canada region)
  • Asia-Pacific (Asia-Pacific countries from the Little League Asia-Pacific and Middle East region, plus Australia and Japan regions)
  • EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) (Little League Europe and Africa region, plus Middle Eastern countries)

Playing field

The distance between the bases was 90 feet, the same as for regulation Major League Baseball fields. The distance between the pitcher's mound and home plate was 60.6 feet, also identical to that of MLB. The minimum outfield distance in the upper divisions was 300 feet, while the maximum for Big League was 425 feet.

Game length

A game consisted of seven innings (same as in high-school baseball) and was official if five innings had been completed.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior League World Series (softball)</span> Softball tournament for girls between ages 12 and 14

The Junior League Softball World Series is a softball tournament for girls aged between 12 and 14. The tournament is administered by Little League Baseball, Inc. and is held annually in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior League World Series</span> Recurring baseball tournament for children ages 12-14 help in Taylor, Michigan

The Junior League World Series is a baseball tournament for children aged 12, 13, and 14 years old. The tournament is held annually at Heritage Park in Taylor, Michigan. It is patterned after the Little League World Series, which was named for the World Series in Major League Baseball.

The Big League World Series was a baseball tournament for youth aged 15 to 18 years old that began in 1968. On August 26, 2016, Little League International announced that it was eliminating the Big League Level of both baseball and softball, citing low participation levels over the previous 15 years. It was patterned after the Little League World Series, which was named for the World Series in Major League Baseball. Most recently, the tournament was held in Easley, South Carolina.

The Senior League World Series is a baseball tournament for adolescence aged 13 to 16 years old that began in 1961. In 2017, the tournament was moved from Bangor, Maine to Easley, South Carolina. It is patterned after the Little League World Series, which was named for the World Series in Major League Baseball since 2002.

The Latin America Region has competed in the Little League World Series since its creation in 1958. Until 2001, the Latin America Region included Mexico and the Caribbean. In 2001 – when the Little League World Series expanded to sixteen teams – Mexico and the Caribbean were given their own regions. The region is open to all countries on the Latin American mainland, but is typically contested by the teams from Panama and Venezuela. Since the 2001 split, the region has been represented by either Venezuela or Panama at the Little League World Series, as of 2019.

The Asia–Pacific and Middle East Region is a region that competes in the Little League World Series. Asian teams first competed in the LLWS in 1961, when Japanese teams competed in the original Pacific Region. In 1962, Japanese teams began competing in the newly created Far East Region.

The Big League World Series (BLWS) Asia–Pacific Region was one of five International regions that sent teams to the World Series. The Big League division was discontinued by Little League Baseball after the 2016 BLWS. The region's participation in the BLWS had dated back to 1968. It produced the most championships (18) of any region, all won by Taiwan.

The Big League World Series (BLWS) Latin America Region was one of four International regions that sent teams to the World Series. The region's participation in the BLWS had dated back to 1970. Little League Baseball and Softball terminated the Big League division after the 2016 World Series.

The Junior League World Series Asia–Pacific Region is one of six International regions that currently sends teams to the World Series in Taylor, Michigan. The region's participation in the JLWS dates back to 1999.

The Junior League World Series Latin America Region is one of six International regions that currently sends teams to the World Series in Taylor, Michigan. The region's participation in the JLWS dates back to 2000.

The Intermediate League World Series is a baseball tournament for children aged 11 to 13 years old that began in 2013. It is patterned after the Little League World Series, which was named for the World Series in Major League Baseball. The tournament is held in Livermore, California.

The Intermediate League World Series Asia–Pacific Region is one of six International regions that currently sends teams to the World Series in Livermore, California. The region's participation in the ILWS dates back to 2013.

The Intermediate League World Series (ILWS) Latin America Region and Puerto Rico Region are two of six international regions that currently send teams to the World Series in Livermore, California. The regions' participation in the ILWS dates back to 2013.

The Senior League World Series – Asia-Pacific Region is one of six international regions that currently send teams to the World Series in Easley, South Carolina. The region's participation in the Senior League World Series (SLWS) dates back to 1972.

The Senior League World Series Latin America Region is one of six International regions that currently sends teams to the World Series in Easley, South Carolina. The region's participation in the SLWS dates back to 1963.

The Far East East Region was one of four international regions that competed in the Little League World Series from 1962 to 2000. Far East qualifiers won a record 23 titles — 17 from Taiwan, four from Japan, and two from the Republic of Korea.

The Senior League World Series Caribbean Region is one of six International regions that currently sends teams to the World Series in Easley, South Carolina. The region's participation in the SLWS dates back to 2017. The region was the result of the Latin America region splitting in two.

References

  1. "Little League eliminates Big League division in both baseball and softball". 27 August 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  2. Junior League Baseball. Little League International. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
  3. Senior League Baseball. Little League International. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  4. Big League Baseball. Little League International. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  5. "Regions Realigned for 2013: Australia to Play in Little League Baseball World Series" (Press release). Little League Baseball. August 29, 2012. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  6. 2009 Junior League Baseball World Series pools and results Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine . Little League Baseball Incorporated. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  7. 2009 Senior League Baseball World Series pools and results Archived 2014-08-09 at the Wayback Machine . Little League Baseball Incorporated. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  8. 2009 Big League Baseball World Series pools and results. Little League Baseball Incorporated. Retrieved 2010-01-15.