Welcome to Little League baseball! Established in 1954 as the New Hartford Lions Little League, New Hartford Little League (NHLL) is dedicated to promoting the game of baseball to the children in our community. The lessons learned from engaging in athletic competition can live with a person for the rest of their lives. Baseball, a game where individual efforts come together within the ultimate team environment, develops our youth by building character, developing courage, and inspiring loyalty.
NHLL enjoys a rich history of individual, team, and league success. Seven NHLL alumni have gone on to play professional baseball: Andy Van Slyke, Ron Evans, Steve Madden, Andy Madden, Andy Weimer, Steve Ellis, and Joey Carcone, with many others enjoying success at the high school or collegiate level. In tournament play, our league has earned 27 District 10 Championships and 4 Section 2 Titles, as well as made 3 top six finishes in New York State (2016, 2023, and 2024) and a 2nd place finish in 1994. We have won various championships at the minor league level as well.
While we are proud of the league's success and our ability to compete at high levels, we strive to ensure that NHLL is a safe, welcoming environment for children ages 4-12, regardless of their athletic talents.
NHLL begins its programs at the Tee-Ball level (ages 4-6). There is no pitching in Tee-Ball, no scores are kept, and no outs are recorded. Our Minor League program offers two (2) levels of play that are designed to teach the game in step with the development of young boys and girls.
Minor B is a coach pitch league where no score is kept, but outs are recorded. Minor A is a combined player/machine pitch league where scores are kept, players start to be put at positions where they have distinguished themselves, winning is introduced as a team goal, and a championship game is played. All of this culminates in our Little League Majors program where the efforts of the developmental leagues become evident as 9–12 year olds play quality, competitive baseball.
The primary season for NHLL is in the spring. Registration is open from October to March, with games played from late April through early June. Teams can generally expect to play 1-2 games during the week and 1 game on Saturday. Weekday games start at 5:30 or 6:00 PM and Saturday games are played throughout the day, typically between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Playoffs in the Majors division are held in mid-June as is the Minor A championship game. Games are not played on Sunday, except in the rare circumstance where weather has threatened the league's ability to wrap-up before school is dismissed for the summer.
All-Star Teams: Our charter is with Little League Baseball, Inc. and we are a member of New York District 10/Section 2. We generally have all-star teams spanning ages 8 to 12. The teams and age groups that participate are at the discretion of the Board of Directors and are reviewed on a yearly basis. All-star tournaments typically begin in mid-June and can run through late July if the teams are successful.
In the fall, we provide an extended season for 8-11 year olds wanting additional reps and instruction. Registration for this program typically runs from late July to late August, with games being played on Saturday afternoons from early September to mid-October.
We appreciate your interest in our league and encourage you to navigate our website for additional information. You can also follow us on Facebook for up-to-date scores and announcements. If you are interested in catching a game at the Little League field, you can visit our Livestream page, or better yet attend in person at 8 Bonnie Lane.
Let's play two!
Salvatore Paladino, President.