OLD TOWN, Maine — Baseball season is notoriously brief in Maine compared to many other parts of the country.
The Old Town Recreation Department is working to extend that season for interested youth players.
The Eastern Maine Fall Baseball League is being organized for the second straight year for youngsters between ages 8 and 12. It is set up to help introduce younger players to kid-pitch baseball while giving older participants the opportunity to hone their skills throughout the nearly two-month season.
“Some of the Minor League or Farm League teams for the younger players are designed for coaches to pitch,” said Adam Mahaney, program coordinator for the Old Town Recreation Department. “This league allows those kids to get the experience of having another child pitch to them and also will help those kids develop into pitchers who may not have had that chance before.
“It’s all designed for kids who are looking to play baseball and want to fine-tune their skills to become a better baseball player,” he said.
The seven-week, 14-game regular season starts Aug. 23, followed by a double-elimination tournament that concludes with a championship game on Oct. 18.
Games will be played on Sundays on the home fields of participating teams.
“Typically, a town would be a host site for a Sunday, and two teams would go there and they would play two games each,” said Mahaney. “We’re also looking at it as a good way for other towns to capitalize on a fundraising need for their baseball programs [through concession sales] or just to increase the awareness of baseball.”
Teams from Bangor, Dover-Foxcroft, Machias, Old Town and Waldoboro competed in the six-team league last year, with Old Town fielding two teams. Machias defeated Dover-Foxcroft in the championship round.
“We’re really looking to expand,” said Mahaney. “I’m constantly getting calls from area towns that are looking to put teams in, and we just really want to grow this league up to bigger proportions and make it something teams want to come to.
“Another thing a lot of the parents and the kids liked about this league last year was that the kids were going places to play baseball that they normally wouldn’t go to. That was one of the big draws for the kids,” he added.
The Eastern Maine Fall Baseball League is open to both team and individual registration by Aug. 17. To register or for more information, visit www.oldtownrec.com.
