Williamsport Overview

Each year Little League Baseball’s (LL) Needham Baseball & Softball (NB&S) affiliate seeks to field teams from each of its leagues (Needham American and Needham National) in the town of Needham Massachusetts to participate in the Little League-sponsored baseball tournaments. There are tournaments in three age categories: 12-year-olds; 11-year-olds; and 10-year-olds. Needham’s teams compete in the Massachusetts District 11 tournament held at a handful of complexes in various towns beginning in late June/early July. There are a total of 16 districts in Massachusetts. As of 2023, District 11 includes teams from Needham, Ashland, Canton, Dedham, Dover-Sherborn, Framingham, Hopkinton, Medfield, Norwood, Sharon, Westwood and Walpole. The District 11 tournament typically begins in late June and takes about two weeks to complete.

 

Needham teams that have won Little League tournament championship banners:

·         2022 Needham National 12s (District 11 Champion)

·         2021 Needham National 12s (District 11 and Section 3 Champion), Needham National 10s (District 11 Champion)

·         2019 – Needham National 10s (District 11, Section 3 – beat Brookline in sectional final game; Mass. State Champions – beat Mansfield in state final; participated in the Eastern Regional Tournament in Cranston, RI, finishing with a 2-2 record and victories over the Vermont and Maine state champions)

·         2018 – Needham American 12s (District 11), Needham National 11s (District 11), Needham National 10s (District 11)

·         2017 – Needham National 10s (District 11)

·         2016 – Needham American 10s (District 11)

·         1993 - Needham West 12s (District 11)

·         1975 - Needham East 12s (District 11)

·         1973 – Needham West 12s (Mass. State Champions - beat Northampton East 16-14 in the state title game)

·         1968 - Needham West 12s (District 11)

·         1954 - Needham 12s (Mass. State Champions and invitation to Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.)

 

Williamsport Team Selection

Not everyone makes the team.  NB&S has a multi-tiered process for Williamsport Tournament team selection that includes:

(1) player voting,

(2) team manager voting, and

(3) team manager selection. The entire process is overseen by NB&S’s Williamsport Tournament Team Committee.

 

Coaches

Coaches currently coaching a spring NB&S baseball team who are interested in coaching a Williamsport tournament team must also register.  Per Little League rules, all coaches are required to take the Little League Diamond Leader Training Program. Coaches must complete to be considered to be a coach.

Training can be found here: https://www.littleleague.org/diamondleader/

Please notify the Williamsport Director upon completion of the training.

Expectations of Players Selected

Players who are selected are expected to commit to the team, which means participating in all practices, games and other team activities for the duration of a team’s progression throughout the tournament.  In other words, if player is scheduled to go to overnight camp or will otherwise be away from June 20-July 15, that player would not be eligible for selection.