Rules

Little League Age Eligibility

Little League uses "league age," not a player's current calendar age, to determine division eligibility. For baseball, a player's league age is their age as of August 31 of the current year. For softball, it is their age as of December 31 of the previous year. This means a baseball player who turns 13 in September still plays the entire 2026 season as a league age 12, All-Stars included.

Age Determination Dates

Sport	Age Determination Date
Baseball	August 31 of the current year (August 31, 2026 for the 2026 season)
Softball	December 31 of the previous year (December 31, 2025 for the 2026 season)

Example (Baseball): A player born on September 15, 2013 has a league age of 12 for the entire 2026 season. They won't turn 13 until after August 31, 2026.

Example (Baseball): A player born on July 1, 2013 has a league age of 13 for 2026. They turn 13 before the August 31 cutoff.

Example (Softball): A player born on any date in 2013 has a league age of 12 for the 2026 season, because she was 12 on December 31, 2025. Softball league ages track the birth year cleanly; baseball's split the year at September 1.

League Age Calculator

Enter a birthday to see the player's league age or age division for every major governing body in the selected season.

Player's birthdaySeason

Enter a birthday to see league ages for every body.

High school age (14U-18U): graduation year rule

Perfect Game and USSSA accept graduation year as an alternative to birthdate at 14U and up: 18U is the class of the season year, 17U the next class, and so on. A player qualifies if either the birthdate rule or the grad-year rule fits.

High school graduation year

Convenience only. Each body's published age chart is binding, and local leagues and individual tournaments can adopt stricter rules. Softball bodies on the Aug 31 rule use a Sept 1 to Aug 31 season, so the "2026 season" is the one ending Aug 31, 2026. Alliance Fastpitch national events use a Dec 31 rule; confirm on the event listing.

Little League Baseball Age Chart for 2026

Find the birthdate range, read off the league age. This mirrors the official 2026 baseball age chart:

Born between	League Age for 2026
Sep 1, 2021 – Aug 31, 2022	4
Sep 1, 2020 – Aug 31, 2021	5
Sep 1, 2019 – Aug 31, 2020	6
Sep 1, 2018 – Aug 31, 2019	7
Sep 1, 2017 – Aug 31, 2018	8
Sep 1, 2016 – Aug 31, 2017	9
Sep 1, 2015 – Aug 31, 2016	10
Sep 1, 2014 – Aug 31, 2015	11
Sep 1, 2013 – Aug 31, 2014	12
Sep 1, 2012 – Aug 31, 2013	13
Sep 1, 2011 – Aug 31, 2012	14
Sep 1, 2010 – Aug 31, 2011	15
Sep 1, 2009 – Aug 31, 2010	16

For softball, subtract the birth year from 2025: born 2014 = league age 11, born 2013 = league age 12, and so on, regardless of birth month. Always confirm edge cases against the official age chart PDFs at littleleague.org, which remain the binding reference.

Division Age Ranges

These are typical local-league division structures. Local leagues have flexibility in how they group ages, so confirm the exact ranges with your league.

Division	Typical League Ages
Tee Ball	4-6
Minor League (Coach Pitch / Machine Pitch)	5-8
Minor League (Player Pitch)	7-11
Major League	9-12
Intermediate (50/70)	11-13
Juniors	12-14
Seniors	13-16

Note that age ranges overlap across divisions. A league-age 11 player could play in Minor League, Major League, or Intermediate depending on their skill level and the local league's placement decisions.

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Why League Age Matters for Coaches

League age directly drives three rule sets, and getting it wrong cascades through all of them:

Pitch counts. A league age 10 pitcher has a 75-pitch daily limit; league age 11 raises it to 85. The pitch count limits follow league age, never birthday age, so a "12-year-old" who is league age 13 actually has the 95-pitch limit.

Pitching eligibility by division. A player who has attained league age 12 is not eligible to pitch in the Minor League at all, and league age 12 players who play up in Junior or Senior divisions may never pitch in two games in a day.

Draft and All-Stars placement. All-Stars eligibility follows the same league age determination as the regular season, so a September birthday can mean a full extra All-Stars run at the same age level.

Rizzler's roster management stores each player's league age and automatically applies the correct pitch count and rest day thresholds.

How Little League's Cutoff Compares to Travel Ball

Little League's August 31 baseball date is one of several cutoffs a family can encounter in the same year. USSSA and Perfect Game use May 1 for baseball age divisions, and most travel softball organizations use August 31. A player can legitimately be "12U" in one organization and league age 13 in another at the same time. If your players split time between Little League and travel ball, track which age applies where before assuming eligibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is my child's league age for the 2026 baseball season?

Their age on August 31, 2026. Born September 1, 2013 through August 31, 2014 means league age 12; born earlier in 2013 means league age 13. The chart above covers every league age from 4 to 16.

Can a player play up a division?

Yes, with local league approval. A league-age 10 player can play in the Major League division if the local league determines they're ready. However, pitch count limits still follow the player's actual league age, and division-specific pitching restrictions (like the Minor League ban on league age 12 pitchers) always apply.

What documents prove a player's age?

Little League requires an original or government-issued birth certificate, a certified hospital birth record, or a valid passport. Copies are typically acceptable for local registration, but originals may be required for tournament play.

What league age applies during fall ball?

It depends on how your league runs its fall program. Many leagues play fall ball at the league age players will hold for the following spring season, treating fall as a preview of next year's division. Others keep the current season's league age. Confirm with your local league before registering.

How does league age affect All-Stars eligibility?

All-Stars eligibility follows the same league age determination (the August 31 cutoff for baseball, December 31 of the previous year for softball). A player's league age determines which All-Stars division they're eligible for.

Why are baseball and softball cutoffs different?

They evolved separately. Baseball moved its determination date to August 31 (effective with players born after 2005) to align league age with the school year; softball kept a calendar-year model tied to December 31 of the prior year. The practical effect: baseball ages split siblings born in different halves of the year, softball ages don't.

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