The Needham Fall Development League is for boys and girls in 1st or 2nd grade who are still getting ready for competitive travel baseball. This program will prepare them for the next level of play by reinforcing critical skills such as fielding, throwing, and hitting in a fun and engaging way with practices, drills and games.

The season will consist of practice sessions on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays. Each practice session will last one hour and operate from approximately 4:00pm - 5:00pm or 5:15pm - 6:15pm.

Teams will play a series of coach-pitch games on Sunday afternoons from 4:00pm - 5:30pm.

The season will begin shortly after Labor Day and continue through mid-October. Teams will be divided primarily according to elementary school and both 1st and 2nd graders will populate each team.

9- to 12-Year-Old Fall Baseball

This year, Needham Baseball will be offering fall baseball at the Majors, AAA and AA levels that will offer instructional and competitive opportunities. Teams are balanced across each age group, according to the following guidelines:

Sharon Fall League: Teams will practice in Needham and play doubleheaders on Saturday in Sharon.

Majors – all players who played in the Majors Division of Needham Little League in the 2024 Spring and any rising 12-year olds will automatically be placed in Majors. Other rising 11-year olds players may be placed in Majors at the discretion of the Fall Director.

AAA – all players who played in the AAA Division of Needham Little League in the 2024 Spring Season and rising 11-year olds will automatically be placed in AAA. Other rising 10-year olds may be placed in AAA at the discretion of the Fall Director.

Needham Fall League: Teams will practice and play games in Needham.

AA – all players who are in either 3^rd or 4^th grade for the 2024-2025 school year and do NOT fall into one of the above categories will be placed in AA.

Teenage Fall Baseball

Intermediate League

13-year-old players will be introduced to Official Baseball Rules (leading, pickoffs, dropped 3rd strike, etc.) on an Intermediate-sized diamond, with 50' pitching and 70' basepaths. For the past two years, this has been conducted as a travel team against nearby towns also setting up this opportunity for those 13 years of age, primarily weekend games. (Occasional exceptions have been made to allow less experienced 14-year-olds play on the intermediate diamond in this league.)

Big Diamond League

14- and 15-year-old players will play in the Norwood Diamond Club league on full-sized diamonds. Traditionally, all games are Friday night, Saturday and/or Sunday, in Norwood, MA (approximately 20 minutes from Needham). Typically, each team plays two games per weekend for a total of 12 games. The games are developmental and designed to familiarize players with leading, stealing, balks and other facets of school baseball. Participating towns have included Norwood, Stoughton, Canton, Dedham, Walpole, Newton and other surrounding towns. Teams may practice during the week at fields in Needham. All games will be played in Norwood. 13-year-olds may be placed in Big Diamond at the discretion of the Fall Director.

If you have any questions, please contact the Fall Baseball League Directors, Jay Carter, at ajcarter4@gmail.com and Rob Murphy, at robert.murphy73@gmail.com.