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IM Program Overview

In conjunction with TYA's affiliation with Cal Ripken baseball, the TYA Intramural program is structured to accomplish the following:

provide a consistent program for the development of all players
as the players move through each division, prepare them for competitive play at the next level
prepare the older players for the transition to the full sized 90-foot diamonds. This will benefit both the TYA Connie Mack programs and the North Penn Middle School programs.

In addtion, TYA partners with surrounding communities for "inter-league" games. These games between the IM teams of each community provides the kids exposure to a variety of players and fields. Many of the players they face in these "inter-league" games may become their teammates in middle or high school.

A description of each intramural division follows:

Division	Age	Description
T-Ball	5-6	The T-Ball program is intended for FIRST YEAR PLAYERS, offering an easy and fun introduction to the game of baseball. In T-Ball, players hit off a batting tee for the first half of the season, and are exposed to coach-pitch after Memorial Day. This league is intended for first year players just learning the fundamentals of the game. This is a non-competitive division where the focus is on having fun, practicing, and learning.
Junior Midgets	6-8	The Junior Midgets division (formerly the midgets-7) continues to teach and reinforce the fundamental skills of the game. A pitching machine is used throughout the season. The use of the pitching machine will provide consistent pitches to the batters. The result of this is: batters can develop a more level swing and confidence at the plate the ball is consistently put into play. This results in the fielders having to make plays, the batters learning how to run the bases, as well as more exciting games. This is a non-competitive division where the focus is on having fun, practicing, and learning.
Senior Midgets	7-9	The Senior Midgets division (formerly midgets-8) continues to teach and reinforce the fundamental skills of the game. In addition, this division begins to focus on teaching the players how to pitch. As the season progresses, the pitching transitions from the use of the pitching machine to the players pitching. More focus begins to be put on skill development and competitive play. Throughout the season, standings and game results are not kept; however, a small end of the season tournament may be played. Overall, this division is intended to facilitate the transition from a coach-pitch/instructional level of baseball to fully competitive youth baseball.
Minors	8-10	The Minors division is essentially for boys entering their first year of competitive play. Players pitch to opposing teams, balls and strikes are called by volunteer umpires, and regulation youth baseball rules are enforced with minor variations (e.g. limits on steals, runs scored per inning, pitching innings). Game results and standings are maintained throughout the regular season with playoffs and a championship series as the the end of the season. An all-star game is also conducted during the season.
Majors	9-11	The Majors division is the natural progression from the minors. It is primarily for the most experienced and capable players on a standard 60-foot youth baseball infield. Regulation youth baseball rules are enforced with minor variations (e.g. runs scored per inning, pitching innings). Game results and standings are maintained throughout the regular season with playoffs and a championship series as the the end of the season. An all-star game is also conducted during the season.
Seniors	11-12	The Seniors division is primarily for 11 and 12 year-old plyers with several years of competitive experience who have demonstrated a significant level of skill and knowledge of the game. The Seniors division is being introduced to more successfully facilitate the transition to full-sized baseball fields, and is largely inspired by changes in the league-age determination guidelines which were established last year. Played on a transitional "50/70" field, the Seniors division follows regulation baseball rules (e.g. leads, balks, unlimited steals, and unlimited runs) along with a few minor TYA variations (e.g. pitching limits). Game results and standings are maintained throughout the regular season with playoffs and a championship series as the the end of the season. An all-star game is also conducted during the season.