Local Baseball: The Schuylkill County Teener League is expanding

Frackville poses as the 2024 Schuylkill County Teener League senior league champions with the inaugural John Chuma trophy, named after the late Frackville manager and former league President.

The Schuylkill County Teener League is expanding its playing age to include 17-year-old athletes.

The league received a majority vote from team representatives this past week to increase the age of participating athletes to include 17-year-old players, according to league President Teddy Smith.

The date of birth for eligible players must be on or after Aug. 1, 2008.

“Logistics will be worked out over the course of our offseason meetings,” Smith said. “For 17-year-old players who participate in multiple sports and are still interested in playing baseball, it’ll provide a local home for those players to compete. Same goes for athletes who don’t go the travel baseball route because of other sports or the price of it.”

While most athletes typically are working on offseason basketball or preparing for fall sports like football and soccer through the busy summer months, the expansion eliminates traveling long hours for a game or tournament.  

The Schuylkill County Teener League is constructed of two sub-leagues. The Junior League, or “B league,” is only for players ages 14 and under (born on or after Aug. 1), while the Senior League, or “A league,” is for older and more experienced players.

And while some baseball players may still hang up the cleats after their 16-year-old season or move on to another baseball program, the expansion also provides the ability for Senior League teams to have a larger pool of players, which may help teams navigate the vacation season.

The league encompasses teams located in the following school districts: Pottsville (Pottsville and Schuylkill Valley), Blue Mountain, Schuylkill Haven, Pine Grove, Tamaqua, North Schuylkill (Frackville), Shenandoah Valley, Minersville (Branch), Panther Valley (Lansford), Tri-Valley (Hegins) and Williams Valley.