In 2024, Martha’s Vineyard Little League celebrated 45 years and re-introduced a girls softball program, back for the first time in more than ten years! Four Little League baseball levels & the Babe Ruth baseball program engaged over 220 players, aged 4 to 16 years-old, and their families. Each spring, we enthusiastically welcome baseball and softball season. The critical support from our small, local businesses is much appreciated as each dollar directly supports our players and families. Our fundraising exceeded expectations this year, so we were able to offer more registration scholarships to support our island families, and ensure the five community baseball and softball fields were properly maintained. We dedicated the 2024 season to five former MVLL players or coaches who had passed away much too soon (Joel Rebello, Waylon Sauer, Michael Brown, Cris Vought & Chris Sharkovitz). Families were invited to the mound to throw a first pitch. Penn Field, which was partially funded by MVYouth, was very active with Major league games, T-ball games, girls softball games, as well as our Memorial Day weekend local All-Star game, Awards and Championship Day. Additionally, several summer Little League World Series games for our 11 & 12 year-old teams were locally hosted. GrandSlam Baseball MV ran summer drop-in clinics and in the fall offered free sandlot pick-up games there as well. The volunteer coaches, families and players look forward to creating lasting memories. We continue to improve upon our long-running, community-based, youth sports program. At the end of 2024, MVLL’s Board made the difficult decision to move our national affiliation away from Little League, due to inconsistencies with qualifying dates for a player’s league age. The change to Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth affiliation will make summer tournament play easier for families and coaches, and provide consistent league matriculation for all of our players with summer birthdays. Due to the change in affiliation, we will have a new name in 2025 - MV Youth Baseball & Softball, but our mission and impact in the community will remain the same.