Little League Baseball all-star teams on opposite sides of the Susquehanna River will no longer have to wait until Sectional play to potentially square off after realignment of Pennsylvania Districts 16 and 31 during the offseason.
The addition of teams from the Hazleton Area led a change from splitting the two Luzerne County-based districts east and west, using the river, to a north-south split.
Greater Pittston and Township teams are among those moving from the old District 16 to join West Pittston and Wyoming/West Wyoming/Exeter Little Leagues and others in District 31.
“The whole Eastern Region, from Maine to Maryland, redistricted over the last three years,” District 16 and 31 administrator Bob Bertoni said. “Pennsylvania was actually the last state to redistrict its state.”
A committee reorganized the entire state.
“Our goal was to get the districts more aligned with their communities,” Bertoni said.
Connecting the Hazleton area with the rest of Luzerne County rather than the eastern Poconos was one of the major changes.
“They were driving an hour and 40 minutes for sectional games when they could have driven 25 minutes to play them here or go to Mountaintop, which borders their district,” Bertoni said. “We wanted to get it more aligned with high schools where for example (PIAA) District 2 does have Hazleton.”
Bertoni said there is less travel for many districts except the spread-out areas in the middle of the state.
This will be a big year for the local districts, particularly Jenkins Township, which will host the Major Baseball state championships, the group of 10-12-year-old players trying to progress to the Little League World Series in Williamsport. That tournament is set for July 27-August 4.
Nanticoke will again host the Eastern Regional Junior Softball Tournament, for state champions from Vermont to Maryland, July 22-28.
District 31 tournament plans are set.
Major Division
Greater Wyoming Area will complete with Plains, Swoyersville/West Side and Back Mountain one pool while Greater Pittston Area will be with Kingston/Forty Fort and Wilkes-Barre in the other.
The top two from each pool play in the July 9 semifinals with the championship scheduled for Valley East July 12 at 2 p.m.
Tournament play opens July 1 with Kingston/Forty Fort at GPA and GWA at Swoyersville/West Side. GWA is home against Back Mountain July 3.
9-11-Year-Olds
GPA and GWA are part of four-team, round-robin play with Wilkes-Barre Area and Back Mountain and will face each other at GPA June 28 at 2 p.m.
GWA is home against Back Mountain June 30.
Round-robin play sets up the July 5 semifinals.
GWA will host the final July 8 at 7:45 p.m.
Minor Division
The 8-10-year-olds will have two pools.
GWA will join Harveys Lake and Kingston/Forty Fort in one while GPA plays with Plains, Swoyersville and Back Mountain in the other.
Action begins June 28 with Harveys Lake at GWA and GPA at Swoyersville.
Semifinals are July 5 and the final is part of a doubleheader at GWA, beginning July 8 at 5:45 p.m.
Junior Division
The four-team, double-elimination bracket tournament begins June 23 with Back Mountain at Township and Kingston/Forty Fort at Wilkes-Barre.
