By John Hartsock

jhartsock@altoonamirror.com

In an effort to make the transition from Little League to teen-level competition smoother for young players, the George B. Kelley Federation has installed a baseball field with different dimensions for games that will be played in its league for 13-year-olds this summer.

The new Greenwood Park Field, which is located at 4500 Chief Logan Way, in the area near the former Logan Township Little League Field, is the site of the Kelley Federation’s first-ever games exclusively for 13-year-old players this season. The bases at the field will be 80 feet apart instead of the standard 90 feet, while the pitching mound will be 54 feet from home plate, instead of the standard 60 feet, 6 inches.

This year, the Kelley Federation has three leagues –the league for 13-year-olds, a 15U league for players ages 14 and 15, and a 19U league for players ages 16 to 19.

The new 54-80 dimensions at the Greenwood Park Field allow the 13-year-old players a good middle ground from Little League to the standard-dimension fields that exist for the older players.

“The 13-year-old league will permit a player to play on a baseball diamond that is tailored to his or her size or capability, rather than being moved to one with twice the playing area of a Little League field in a single year,” said George B. Kelley Federation president Jeremy Chaplain.

“With bases set 80 feet apart and pitchers throwing from around 54 feet, this league is designed for the player in those very formative early-teen transitional years,” Chaplain added. “We have found that many skillful players in the younger leagues find themselves unable to compete at the full-size diamond, but, at the same time, they have outgrown the dimensions of the smaller diamonds that are used in the leagues for players 12 years of age and younger. This league will allow those transitioning players to play the game of baseball as it was intended to be played, without the added stress to their bodies that comes from playing at a full-sized field.”

There was much public feedback that went into this decision, according to Chaplain.

“Every Little League in town was pushing us to get this started,” Chaplain said. “Our league hadn’t been competing with the Teener Leagues in the past for the 13-year-old players, and now our league is competing.

“It’s been years since baseball on a 54-80 dimension field has been played in this area, but a lot of people were pushing to get it back, we listened to those people, and people from our league put the work in to get this field done,” Chaplain said. “You’ve got to give people what they want – that’s how you stay active as a league.”

Last season, there was a league for players ages 13-14 in the Federation. This year, the 13-year-olds are playing in their own league, which includes six teams.

Work on the Greenwood Park field has been going on for a while, and has yet to be fully completed, but the field was playable for the 13-year-old league for the opening day of its season on Friday, May 24, Chaplain said.

“The league’s coaches, league members, and a lot of local volunteers have been working on the field for the past three or four months,” Chaplain said. “Before that, the field wasn’t even playable. It was constantly flooded when rain occurred – drainage was a big thing at the field.

“There was a lot of old clay on the surface of the field that was causing the field not to drain,” Chaplain said. “We brought in proper dirt, made (the playing surface) even, set the actual bases, set a home plate. We put a batting cage up, built dugouts, and generally expanded the field and made it playable. I’ve still got guys here every day working to improve the facility.”

League members donated more than $8,000 to invest in the field, and the league is currently selling sign sponsorships to area businesses that will be displayed on the field, and which will generate more money for the league.

Brian Farabaugh, who was formerly the president of the Altoona Area Baseball Association (Little League), is currently the manager of the Gority Brothers team in the 13U league, on which his son, Lucas, is a player.

Farabaugh was one of the people who had initially talked with Chaplin about starting the league with 54-80 field dimensions for the 13-year-old players.

“I think that it’s an awesome transition for the kids,” he said. “The field doesn’t look too big for them, and I feel that it’s a lot better for these players. I approached Jeremy about starting a 54-80 league for 13-year-olds, and although it was somewhat of a gamble, I appreciate the Federation for taking a chance on this.”