|
Intermediate, Junior, Senior & Big League Baseball
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+5⁄8-inch (6.7 cm) barrels rather than the transitional 2+1⁄4-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] Age divisionsIntermediate LeagueIntermediate League Baseball is for aged 11 to 13 years old. Junior LeagueJunior League Baseball is for youth aged 12 to 14 years old.[2] Senior LeagueSenior League Baseball is for youth aged 13 to 16 years old.[3] Big LeagueBig League Baseball was for youth ages 16 to 18 years old.[4] It was discontinued after the 2016 Big League World Series. Tournament venuesIntermediate League World SeriesThe tournament is held in Livermore, California. Junior League World SeriesThe tournament is held in Taylor, Michigan's Heritage Park. Senior League World SeriesThe tournament had been held in Bangor, Maine from 2002-2016, now held in Easley, South Carolina 2017-Present Big League World SeriesThe 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. RegionsLittle League World Series regionsFor 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
For the Intermediate, Junior, and Senior League baseball divisions, there are only five U.S. regions:
International regionsThe international regions differ in the Intermediate, Junior, Senior, and Big League divisions. Intermediate League regionsUnlike 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:
Junior League regionsUnlike 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:
Senior League regionsUnlike 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:
Big League regionsThe 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:
Playing fieldThe 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 lengthA game consisted of seven innings (same as in high-school baseball) and was official if five innings had been completed. See also
References
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
