In an effort to make a more competitive baseball environment for the 11- and 12-year-olds, the DeKalb County Little League will change from the traditional Little League format to an intermediate level.
The local program will not be leaving the Little League organization but rather will be implementing a new division.
Starting this season, the 11- and 12 -year-old division will move the pitcher's mound from 46 feet to 50 feet, while the baselines will also be longer, moving from 60 feet to 70 feet.
League President Jonathon Norris said, "It should lead to a truer form of baseball as they develop."
Base runners being able to lead-off and allowing the pitcher the ability to make a pick-off move could do just that.
Pitch counts will remain the same as will the six-inning game length.
However, this season there will be no All-Star team that will officially compete for a state championship.
"At the end of this season, we will be having tournaments in each age division, which are machine-pitch, minor league and the intermediate Little League," said Norris. "We will have a regular season champion then we will have the tournament champion," he added.
"All-Stars will remain the same for the machine-pitch and minor leagues but in the intermediate little league, we will pick a team and hopefully play a team from Lebanon or White County, since they too have begun this new division."
With its new size, the playing field will undergo several changes. From moving baselines to making the infield bigger, Norris will begin work this weekend.
The new field's lights are scheduled to be in place May 1, at which time the machine-pitch and the minor leagues will begin their season.
Each age group will have 15 games this season.
"Our numbers are higher this season, so we will have four machine-pitch teams, five in minor league and four in Little League," said Norris.
This season is slated to begin in the first week of May and will end in the second week of July.
When asked about the negative part of the move, Norris responded, "The biggest con will be the learning curve that the players and coaches will undergo, but we feel that the players will be better prepared going forward in the game of baseball."  
"It will give them a chance to excel in the middle school and at the high-school level," noted Norris.
Norris wanted to thank all the local sponsors for their support and wanted to invite the community to come out and support our local athletes.