Hi All, Tournament Time! District Tournaments Start TOMORROW! Woo Hoo! They are being held in Deer Park at the Sports Complex across from the high school. We look forward to seeing as many of you there that can attend. There are 3 baseball divisions playing and one softball, so we will have baseball or softball almost all week. Thanks to Tri-County Little League for hosting this year. Ashley, Jason and Rick are doing a bang-up job getting things organized. First game tomorrow is at 9:00 AM. There will be concessions, and great baseball for ALL. Come out and see the best youth baseball around. Winners in this tournament advance to state, who knows you might see your team on ESPN in August! Intermediate Division Also, I wanted to encourage all parents in all leagues to start thinking about talking to your local Little League board about the "Intermediate" division. This is a relatively new division in Little League that is designed to be played on a bigger field... called the "50/70" field. The Intermediate division is designed for more advanced or older players ages 11-13. This division allows for "Lead-off Steal" - so players can "lead off" of bases. It also has the "balk" (which is where a pitcher interrupts their delivery of pitch) and the penalty for that is runners are awarded a base! Pitch counts are higher and the field is different. The field has a 50' pitching mound, 70' base paths, and 225-250' fences. So it is far more competitive and plays more like "Big League" baseball. The reason I am bringing this up now is it gives those players aging out or wanting more "competitive" baseball a place to go and stay within their league, playing with and against their friends. If leagues start planning for Intermediate NOW, they can be ready in the Spring, or even fall-ball to get those Intermediate players in shape for the season. Leagues require resources like fields, managers, coaches, and more to make a division work, so also be ready to help your league get start and run an Intermediate division. Be a volunteer! Help out and make intermediate play possible in your league. On this same note, District 13 COULD BE the host for Intermediate STATE Tournament in 2027, which means any league that does start intermediate has a great chance of going to state and not having to travel out of the area to do it! League Expansion It's been a goal here in District 13 to expand the reach of Little League in our area. Our boards have done a great job, and we have seen steady growth in numbers of players since 2018, and I for one am proud of the work the District Staff and the Leagues have done in this time frame. We have crossed the 3000 player mark in our leagues, and are well on our way to 4000 players. Now we need to look at the towns where Little League is not established. We could use YOUR help in finding people that want to start leagues in towns that are in our District. To that end if you know anyone in Chewelah, Colville, Kettle Falls, Moses Lake, Ephrata, Omak, or other towns, east of the Cascades and North of I-90 we would like to help them get a Little League started in their town. Many of these towns have "Youth baseball", but the are not affiliated with Little League and do not have the playing, education, or interaction opportunities that Little League has. So, again, if you know of "baseball families" in these areas and can get them to contact us, please do! 509-769-3030 or email to dadist13@wadist13ll.org<mailto:dadist13@wadist13ll.org> we would love to have them get Little League started in their town. Thanks for a great year, I appreciate all you parents and what you do to keep your kids outdoors, playing sports, and being part of the Little League family! Sincerely, JP District Administrator (DA) Washington Little League - District 13 E: dadist13@wadist13ll.org<mailto:dadist13@wadist13ll.org> T:509-995-4200 http://www.wadist13ll.org Follow us on Facebook@wadist13ll [cid:image001.png@01DCFFC3.D73DA800][cid:image002.jpg@01DCFFC3.D73DA800]
