Each year Little League International holds the Little League Baseball World Series tournament. It features teams from around the world that compete for a World Series title in Williamsport, Pa., in August.

It all starts with local leagues, such as BHLL, sending their "All-Stars" to compete against other area towns in a "District" tournament (often referred to as "Districts"). There are tournaments based on U10, U11 and U12 age groups. District tournament winners for each group then go on to compete for a State title, and the "Majors" (U12) division State tournament winners continue on to the National and World Series tournaments.

It is an honor for a player to be selected to a District All-Star team. All-Stars will represent their town against the best players from other towns, trying to win a District Title, and ultimately continue on to higher levels. District tournament baseball games are fun and extremely exciting. They are also very competitive, and for this reason they differ from the local league's "regular season" games in the spring. Some of the differences are:

• Eligibility Requirements: player age documentation and player proof of residency must follow strict guidelines as establish by Little League International. All "T'"s must be crossed and "I's" must be dotted!
• All-Star Selections: not all interested players will make a District All-Star team. Each local league has their own selection process, which may involve a tryout, using statistics from the regular season, coaches' input, or some combination of these or other analysis methods. 
• Increased Commitment Level: those selected to be All-Stars are expected to commit to the coach's practice and game schedule. Coaches have a limited time to get the players to work together as a team, sometimes with only a week or two between the end of the regular season and the start of the tournament to prepare. Therefore, each practice is important.
• Different Game Rules: slightly different rules are used for tournament play. One important change is playing time: tournament rules require that each player need only to play one defensive inning and have one at-bat during a game. Regular season rules state each player must play at least 2 defensive innings (BHLL regular season rules increase this to 3 defensive innings per game). It is important to understand that during tournament play, coaches are expected to field the best team possible, and therefore will use the players best suited for each position/situation during each inning. It is likely that all players will not play equally, and some may play the minimum amount of time (one inning) allowed by tournament rules.

The Little League Baseball World Series tournament, including the local District tournament, provides an opportunity for competitive players in BHLL to compete against other All-Star teams. BHLL has had great tournament success in recent years, including two State Championships. Regardless of the success of any team in any year, the games are well played and exciting. Check the BHLL web site for our All-Star teams' tournament schedules this summer so you can attend a game and cheer for your team!