About our League
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Our league is comprised of players ages 4-18 who live predominantly in the Town of Poughkeepsie. We typically have about 400 players in divisions listed below. New York State is organized into 4 Districts - South District, Central District, North District and the West District. We are part of the South District which includes teams from Beacon, Beekman, East Fishkill, Kent, Clarkstown, New Windsor, Marlboro, New Paltz and Sullivan County.
Since the 4-12 age division (Ripken) and the 13-15 division (Babe Ruth) are very different due to the ages, skill levels and parental involvement, we are fortunate to have dedicated leaders in each division at a District level. Tony Fragomeni is the Division leader for Cal Ripken (ages 4-12), Mike Chaszczewski for Babe Ruth (ages 13-15) and Mike Gatusso for the Senior (ages 16-18). For Senior League only there is a separate league which we charter teams in - the Mid-Hudson Senior Babe Ruth League, and the President is Mike Gatusso. All our other teams are chartered as part of our own league (Poughkeepsie Mid-Hudson Babe Ruth) For 13-15 Babe Ruth, depending on how many teams we have, we may play totally in-house. If we do not play in-house, we will also play teams from Beacon and Beekman.
The spring season usually starts with Opening Day on the 3rd Saturday of April, and continues through June 30. For most of the divisions, shortly after June 15th, All Star tournament teams are formed to play against other leagues in our District. Depending on how successful each team is, they could continue to play through July into August. Our fall season starts in mid-August for players 8-15 years of age. New teams are formed, with greater emphasis on instruction and learning. Games are played until the end of October.
We have the following divisions of play:
T-Ball (4/5/6): most of the season is spent on instruction. Team rosters are small, usually consisting of 10 or 11 players. No real games are played, and there are no umpires involved. No standings or scores are kept. Kids usually hit from a tee to start, and depending on progress, may end up hitting against live (adult) pitching. Some basics of the game are taught.
7/8 (Rookie) level: a good part of the season is also focused on instruction, and some games are played. Team rosters are small, usually consisting of 10-11 players. In this division, our intent is to teach the game by running infield/outfield drills, teaching proper batting stances, base running, etc., all in small groups. Our goal is to keep your child moving and learning, for the full time he/she is on the field. The adults pitch, and some of the more advanced players are allowed to pitch later in the season. Another goal is to prepare your child for the next division, where games are played with umpires under official rules. Focus is placed on teaching pitching so that kids are ready to enter the next division, where only kids pitch.
Major/Minor divisions: at these two levels each team plays approximately 14 six-inning games, and our goal is to have your child play as many of the innings as possible when he/she comes to a game. Teams are re-drafted every year, where in the past, your child would stay on the same team for two years. A player evaluation committee will evaluate all the players. Teams are formed based on guidance from the committee to assure competitive balance. Typically the older, more skilled players will play in the Major division. Both divisions use teen and adult umpires, who are trained by our league umpire-in-chief. When the regular season ends, players 8 years of age and above can be selected to play on "All Star teams".
15U (15 and under) and 18U (18 and under) divisions: these divisions typically play 16 seven-inning games during the season, and play on a Major League sized field. Depending on enrollment, our teams may play teams in other leagues. We contract with the Hudson Valley Umpires Association for umpires to officiate these games. Both of these divisions have All Star tournament teams as well.
