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District 16 and 31 Little League will decide by June 3 whether the season will be played or canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
District 16/31 administrator Bob Bertoni held an online meeting Monday night with the presidents of the 18 leagues which comprise Districts 16 and 31. Little League Baseball and Softball has advised all leagues to suspend all activities until May 11, but that doesn’t mean local leagues can start then.
“Everything is on hold now until we go green,” Bertoni said. “It all depends on the time frame. We’re hoping to have a time frame (by June 3) saying this is when we’re hoping to start. We’re waiting from guidance from the state on when they think we will be going into the green.
“We can’t start anything until we’re in the green. That means practice or anything.”
The state is opening regions based on the severity COVID-19. Regions will go from red to yellow, which will open some businesses and activities, and then to green. Luzerne County has one of the higher concentrations of COVID-19 cases and is in red. The northwest and north central parts of the state will move from red to yellow on Friday.
District 16 and 31 tournaments remain a possibility, but they will depend on a vote of league presidents if local leagues are able to play.
“Parents need closure,” Bertoni said. “We can’t be keeping them at bay because they have to figure out what they’re going to do.”
Bertoni also took part in a meeting of state administrators on Saturday, and it was unanimous to cancel the state and sectional playoffs. Township Little League, which is comprised of the Jenkins Township and Pittston Township leagues, was scheduled to host the 9-11 baseball state tournament. Instead, it will host that age group in 2021.
“It’s impossible because, first of all, the time frame would never allow us to do it,” Bertoni said. “We just couldn’t get it done. Plus, the host sites will be on a different schedule and aren’t sure whether they can host. Some of our games are played at schools, so that wouldn’t be possible, especially our junior leagues and senior league.”
Regional tournaments and the six World Series tournaments were canceled by Little League on April 30. Those cancellations along with the elimination of the sectional and state tournaments could allow Little Leagues to play their regular seasons past any previously set deadlines.