JENKINS TWP. — Little League International is strongly considering adding a World Series on the 8-10-year-old level in the next year or two.
For now, the highest level girls that age can advance to is regionals, which bring together champions from multiple states.
Jenkins Township Little League is the site of one of those events, hosting the East Region Softball Tournament for the first time.
Teams arrived in the area Friday and the first round of games was scheduled to be played Saturday, following opening ceremonies. The tournament, which begins with round-robin play for four teams in the Mid Atlantic pool and five teams in the New England pool, continues through Friday’s championship.
“We were asked by the district to host the tournament early on, right before our season started” Jenkins Township Little League president Paul McGarry said. “We said we would host. It’s going to be a busy week for us, but also a fun week for our league and our kids.”
McGarry said there are challenges, in terms of available volunteers, in hosting a tournament that included midweek, weekday games. The league, however, does have experience to call upon from hosting a coach-pitch tournament each year.
Old Forge hosted the East Regional Tournament for several years in succession. When that run ended, Districts 16 and 31 were offered the chance to keep the tournament in northeastern Pennsylvania.
West Pittston hosted in 2015 and last year’s tournament was at Back Mountain.
Tournament director and District 16/31 official Phil Shoener said regional officials from Bristol, Conn. will be in town to observe Sunday’s game action and tournament banquet at The Woodlands. He said expectations are for the region tournament to remain within the two local districts.
“This is pretty intense already,” Shoener said. “ … But, I think it will be turned up a few notches if this is to go to the World Series.”
Shoener said the plan is to continue rotating regional hosting duties between sites in District 31 (west of Susquehanna River in Luzerne County) and District 16 (east of river).
There are two changes in the tournament field for this season.
A “host” team has been added. Mountain Top won District 16 and earned the right to serve in that role. With that spot secured, it chose not to continue into state competition.
Plymouth Whitemarsh, which defeated District 31 champion Back Mountain along the way, won the state title and the right to serve as the Pennsylvania representative.
Teams from Delaware won the last two titles, but the late withdrawal of the Delaware representative Thursday left the field with nine teams.
McGarry said at the start of the summer, the league had to be prepared to host up to an 11-team tournament.
Plymouth and Mountain Top will be in the Mid-Atlantic pool with Robbinsville from New Jersey and the Ozone Howard Bulldogs from New York.
The New England pool features Warwick North from Rhode Island, Scarborough from Maine, Missisquoi from Vermont, Fairfield from Connecticut and Westfield from Massachusetts. There is no New Hampshire representative.
Jenkins Township girls the same age as those in the regional tournament play in a combined Pittston Area league with players from the Duryea and Pittston Township leagues.
Pittston Area’s 9-11-year-olds began the state tournament for their age group in Fairchance, south of Pittsburgh, near the West Virginia border, Friday.
“I think the girls from the league will be around,” McGarry said. “The 11-year-old team is out in Pittsburgh, but they may be back toward the end of the tournament.
“It will be an exciting time for all those girls to see that level of play. With all the winners from the northeast states, they should be good games.”
Shoener said tournament officials have received positive feedback in recent years for the role The Woodlands in Plains Township plays as host hotel. The hotel hosts the tournament banquet, a dance party for the families, games and activities around the pool and an ice cream social.
JENKINS TWP.
