It is with great excitement that Archer Lodge Community Center would like to announce a change in our baseball/softball affiliation from Tar Heel Baseball to Little League. The Archer Lodge Community Center, Corinth Holders Community Recreation Baseball Program and Clayton Little League have announced their intentions to form a partnership and work together beginning in the spring 2022 youth baseball season.
Little League baseball and softball has a rich history of providing baseball and softball opportunities for boys and girls around the global, dating back to 1939. Currently, Little League baseball and softball is played in approximately 6500 communities in approximately 80 countries around the world. Little League believes in the power of youth baseball and softball to teach life lessons that build stronger individuals and communities.
The partnership of these three programs will help ensure a more sustainable and valuable youth baseball/softball experience in Johnston County by increasing the pool of available players across the various age divisions and helping align players of similar talent and age. Partnering of the leagues also allows for a combination of resources (i.e., funds, volunteers, facilities, etc.) to better manage and grow youth recreational baseball/softball in Johnston County. Through the combination of resources and efforts, the new partnership will allow for greater opportunities in player development as well as opportunities to play nationally through the Little League World Series tournament in Williamsport, PA.
The league partnership will occur in phases, beginning this spring/summer. Baseball teams (ages 7-15) will be brought into the league for the 2022 spring/summer season. Girls’ softball will be brought under the Little League banner beginning in the fall season of 2022. T-Ball will be run independently by each organization.
The partnership will have little noticeable impact on about 85% percent of the players enrolled for the spring season; however, Little League uses a September 1st birthday cut-off rather than May 1st to determine the players “age for league play. For those players who fall into a different age division based on Little League guidelines, a separate email will be sent directing you to a spreadsheet to choose which league you would like your player to play in this season, the current age division or “playing up” in the Little League division. Please be looking for that email and please respond before March 5th so the player can be properly assigned on Draft Day. Please contact athletics@archerlodge.org if you have any questions.
It’s an exciting time for youth baseball and softball in Johnston County, thank you for supporting us!
Andy Knepper
Director of Baseball/Softball
