Acton-Boxborough Summer Baseball
In addition to spring and fall seasons, during the summer ABYB typically fields multiple teams in four leagues:
13-16 year-olds sign up to play on A-B teams in the
Minuteman Baseball League (Note we have not had enough players to field teams in this league for the summers of 2022 or 2023.)
Information about each program is provided below. If you have questions or would like more information, please email the ABYB summer coordinator at: [email protected] for the 9-12 year old age group, or [email protected] for players 13 or older.
Bay State League
player ages 9-12
The Bay State League is a highly competitive summer league involving teams from towns in the Northeastern part of Massachusetts.
Typically, the season begins in late June or early July, and will run through mid-August. There will be 3-4 games per week.
Players and their parents should expect that half of the scheduled games will require travel to other towns.
Eligibility:
Bay State baseball is available to ABYB players who have been selected to play on the team following tryouts and who:
Played in either the ABYB Fall or Spring season if the player resides in Acton or Boxborough, and/or
Participated in the ABYB Little League program in the Spring season if the player does not reside in Acton or Boxborough.
*Bay State League A Division ("League Age" 11-12) on a 50/70 field
*Bay State League B Division ("League Age" 10-11) on a standard 46/60 Little League field
*Bay State League C Division ("League Age" 9-10) on a standard 46/60 Little League field
*Bay State League D Division ("Leage Age" 8-9) on a standard 46/60 Little League field
League Age:
A player’s league age is typically defined by his/her calendar age as of April 30 of the current season.
Each of our Bay State League teams will consist of 11-12 roster players and up to 8 additional alternate players.
The A, B, C and D divisions will normally play two qualifying rounds of games. Each round will last approximately 2-3 weeks and consist of 6-10 games, depending on the division, played on a combination of weeknights and weekends. For the first round, each team will usually be placed in a group with teams from other nearby towns. At the conclusion of the first round there will be a trophy weekend where the top two teams from each group will compete. After the first round is finished teams will be re-grouped according to their performance in the first round. The second round will again consist of 6-10 games played over a 2-3 week period, followed by a trophy weekend. Teams earn points for victories during each round and for their performance in a trophy weekend. The top 8 teams in each division, based on points earned, will advance to a double-elimination format Tournament of Champions to end the season in August. Games may be played at home in Acton, at the opposing team's field, or at a neutral site. For the most part, neutral site games would be played on a weekend.
Conflicts with other sports/activities: If a team does well and continues into the Tournament of Champions (ToC), there will be overlap between Bay State and pre-season practice of other sports over the last week or two of the baseball season in August. If your player is selected for Bay State, please consider that making the ToC is a significant accomplishment, and in fairness to that team it is expected that attendance at ToC games will take priority over other sports/activities.
Playing Time: According to the Bay State rules, players are guaranteed a minimum of three innings of play in the field and one at bat in each game. However, ABYB encourages coaches to play every player at least 4 innings (of a full 6-inning game) in each game and to rotate substitutions so that the same few kids do not sit out every game.
Travel: There are approximately 35 cities and towns that participate in Bay State. Travel to away games varies from 20 minutes to one hour. There also can be significant driving to and from road games, as far away as Boston and Marblehead, as an example, and as close as Sudbury or Westford. Game times for away games typically begin at 5:45pm. For home games, where we have lights at Veterans' Field, games often begin at 7:00pm.
Parental commitments: Bay State parents are asked to help with various things throughout the season, including field maintenance after games as well as helping with the various activities that go along with “hosting” a qualifying or tournament weekend. Activities include getting fields ready before and between games (there can be up to 16 games over that “host” weekend), staffing the food stand, keeping score, emptying the trash and generally committing to be at the field as a volunteer for 2-4 hours (and upwards, if desired).
Questions?
If you have questions or would like more information about the Bay State Summer program, please email the ABYB Summer coordinator at: [email protected].
For more information:
http://www.baystatebaseball.com
Little League World Series Tournament
player ages 9-12
Each Majors team must have played a minimum of 12 games, not counting playoffs.
A player needs to play in 8 of those games to be eligible.
Each player must provide an original birth certificate as proof of their league age.
Also, each player must provide school enrollment proof for the current academic year* OR 3 different proof of residency documents**.
* RECOMMENDED - Official/Certified school enrollment record dated prior to October 1 of current academic year OR a Little League issued school attendance form completed by the school administrator, principal or vice principal.
** We recommend drivers license, gas/electric bill, and Internet/cable bill. Residency documents must be dated within a year.
Who is eligible to play Little League World Series?
Little League World Series players must meet the following criteria:
Played in at least 60% of ABYB's most recent Spring Season Majors games (with all Majors teams having played at least 12 games not counting playoffs, and
Player must reside in Acton or Boxborough, and
Player is league age 11 or 12. Player must provide school enrollment proof for the current academic year OR 3 different proof of residency documents as described above in addition to their original birth certificate.
What determines a player’s LLWS age?
A player’s league age is typically defined by his/her calendar age as of August 30th of the current season. The league chart is located here: https://www.littleleague.org/downloads/2024-baseball-age-chart/
Selection process for Bay State/Little League World Series teams
The ABYB Board has formed a Selection Committee who will select the head coach for each divisional team. If the LLWS head coach is a member of the Selection Committee, they will be replaced by another individual, approved by the ABYB Board, for purposes of selecting the LLWS team roster. Along with input from other evaluators the roster will be determined following two tryout sessions. Bay State teams typically have 11-13 core players, as well as alternates who may or may not get called on to play. LLWS has a fixed roster of 12 players.
For Bay State Teams, the Selection Committee will select the first 10 players on each roster and the head coach may then select 1-3 full time rostered players and all alternates.
For LLWS, the Selection Committee will decide on unanimous selections of the LLWS team. All other spots remaining open after unanimous selection will be decided by the head coach to complete the 12 player roster. Assessments from Spring Majors coaches will be included in the selection process.
Each Bay State division normally has one ABYB team, though there can be more than one team per division.
The player fee is assessed only if the player is selected for a team following tryouts.
Once the player is selected, payment is required at that time. There is no fee simply for attending tryouts.
Coaches for each team will typically have coached in the ABYB program in Spring immediately prior to the Summer and/or will have coached several seasons in the ABYB program. They will be CORI-certified and approved by the ABYB Board.
Players selected for Bay State teams are asked to attend 75-80% or more of the games. If vacation schedules or other commitments would result in missing more than 20-25% of the games, players should ask to be considered as a Bay State “alternate” and/or play in the MIB league.
Players selected for Little League World Series team are expected to attend 100% of practices and games. If vacation schedules or other commitments would result in missing games, this needs to be discussed with Coach prior to tournament.
ABYB often participates in the Massachusetts Independent Baseball League (MIB).
MIB is considered a recreational league, and therefore there is no selection process/tryout required.
The summer season begins in early July and runs for 6 weeks into mid-August. Teams have two games per week scheduled, usually on weeknights. The league consists of teams from neighboring towns, so there will be some travel to games outside of Acton or Boxborough.
The MIB league has three divisions: an 8U division, a 10U division and a 12U division.
The number of teams we will field in each division will be determined by the number of players and coaches that register.
Eligibiltiy:
Players on these age-based teams will be placed on a first-come, first-served basis based on registration date. There are no ABYB participation requirements however there are residency requirements in Acton or Boxborough, unless ABYB can obtain a special waiver for an individual player.
A player’s league age is defined by his calendar age as of April 30 of the current season.
Players on these teams can miss up to roughly one third of the games due to vacation or other commitments. However, there will be no refund of registration fees.
Schedule:
Typically, games for these teams will begin after July 4 and continue for approximately five to six weeks. Teams usually play two games per week; most games are during the week (Monday through Thursday), usually beginning around 5:30-6:00pm. In the past, the 9-10 year old division has typically played games on Mondays and Wednesdays, while the 11-12 year-olds have played on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Playing Time:
Equal playing time will be required for each player at a game as long as the player has made the coach aware of prior absences in advance of missing a game or practice.
Travel:
Travel time to away game varies from 15 to 30 minutes. Other participating towns have included: Westford, Concord-Carlisle, Littleton, Groton, Bedford and Harvard.
Parental commitments: Team parents are encouraged to help with various tasks throughout the season, including field maintenance before or after games.
If you have questions or would like more information about the MIB Summer program, please email the ABYB Summer coordinator at: [email protected].
Senior League Summer Baseball
Senior League Summer baseball is available to players in Acton and Boxborough who have participated in AB Babe Ruth programs or organized baseball at the junior or senior high schools. There are two leagues:
player ages 13-18
Competitive League
Lou Tompkins baseball includes teams from Metro-West to Boston. Each team typically play at least 18 games during the season. The season starts in late June and ends in the first weeks of August. Players can expect to play two games each midweek and also play games every other weekend. Prospective players need to register with AB Youth Baseball prior to any potential tryout dates. Depending on the number of A-B players who register, tryout dates will be determined. Also, depending on the number of A-B players who register, players from other neighboring towns may be invited to register and try out for various teams.
For more information about Lou Tompkins:
https://ltasbaseball.com/about/
League Rules:
https://ltasbaseball.com/league-rules/
ages 13-16
Recreational League
A-B will attempt to field as many teams in this league as there is player interest and coach availability. We will need at least 13-14 players and a set of coaches to form each team.
For more information about Minuteman Baseball League:
http://www.mmbrl.com