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Which league should an 8th grader register for?

UpdatedFriday November 22, 2019 byPaul Bolejack.

There are a couple of reasons that AGSA allows 8th graders to register to play in either the Diamond (middle school) League or the High School League:

  1. Arlington County allows 8th graders to tryout for JV teams at the HS they are zoned to attend.
  2. AGSA's Spirit/Summer All Star Program fields teams that play in tournaments run by USSSA. USSSA's tournament age brackets for MS/HS kids are 12U and 15U (based on age as of Jan 1)*, putting 8th, 9th & 10th graders on the 15U team.

For these reasons, we offer the following recommendations:

  • If you are relatively new to softball or have middle school friends playing in the Diamond League you may want to register for the Diamond League, especially for the fall season.
  • If you are serious about improving your skills and are interested in trying out for a HS JV or Varsity team in the spring, you should register for the High School League's fall season.
  • If you are serious about improving your skills, are trying out for a HS JV or Varsity team in the spring or are interested in the Summer All Star Program, you should register for the High School League's spring season.

*If you are 7th grader with a fall birthday, you are likely 13 by USSSA rules. If you are interested in trying out for a Summer All Star team, you may contact the Summer All Star and High School League Commissioners about the possibility of playing in the High School League.