ASHLAND — Ashland youth baseball needs a boost and area league officials say going to Junior League and Senior League divisions next year may do it.

Ashland’s struggling Babe Ruth League was having dwindling rosters and would have struggled to field four teams, according to Tim Royalty, the outgoing president of Babe Ruth, which will dissolve its charter after 52 years.

“I think it’s the only option,” Royalty said. “What people have to realize is were doing away with Ashland Babe Ruth but still providing baseball for the youth of Ashland.”

The Junior League and Senior League are under the arm of Little League Baseball. The Junior League is for players 13 and 14 and the Senior League is for players 15 and 16.

“Actually we’re expanding baseball because we’re adding 16-year-olds to it,” Royalty said. Babe Ruth is for players age 13 to 15.

The Junior and Senior League will be under Ashland National Little League’s direction with John Vincent at the helm.

Vincent said this has never been a Little League vs. Babe Ruth battle, even though some in Ashland may have thought it was.

“This is not, nor has it ever been, an adversarial deal between two organizations,” he said. “It’s about trying to do what’s best for continuation of youth baseball as a whole in our community. We want to make sure it continues and thrives.”

The advantage to playing in the Junior League and Senior League is the opportunity to inter-league with leagues in northeastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio.

Also, Junior League and Senior League All-Star teams will have the chance to compete in area and district tournaments, just like Little League. Each division has a state tournament and teams can advance to a World Series.

“As the numbers in our community go down, which they are in a lot of different programs, you have to have the ability to maintain league play,” Vincent said. “If you only have four teams, it’s a rather repetitive exercise. Going to Little League allows us to interleague with all of the other leagues.”

Babe Ruth baseball used to have several area leagues. But Russell dropped its charter and joined Little League last year, leaving only Ashland and Boyd County.

Ashland’s Babe Ruth League was started in 1957 and has a rich tradition, including a berth in the Babe Ruth World Series in 1994. But interest in the league has declined the past few years to the point where it was difficult to field full teams. There have been many factors as to why, including AAU basketball’s spring season, summer high school football passing leagues and summer high school basketball.

“This is happening to Babe Ruth all over the state of Kentucky,” Royalty said. “Everybody is having problems fielding teams. Babe Ruth has gotten weaker and weaker statewide, in my opinion.

“I think this is the best thing for youth baseball for Ashland.”

Ashland National is taking on the Junior League and Senior League. The registration fee will be $35 per player. Last year, Ashland Babe Ruth charged $100 per player to offset the cost for uniforms.

The Junior League and Senior League district for Ashland National will include students in the Ashland and Fairview school systems. Vincent said they want to help prepare players for high school baseball.

The rules for the Junior/Senior League are the same as Babe Ruth, except for a pitch count. Other than that, it’s regular baseball, Vincent said.

Vincent also noted that Babe Ruth baseball served the community well for many years and it won’t be forgotten.

“Babe Ruth has had such a great tradition and we’ll continue to honor those teams and those anniversaries,” Vincent said. “Those are Ashland and Fairview kids and coaches who did that and accomplished all those things. We’re all part of the same history.”

Royalty said the charter will remain active until the Junior and Senior Leagues become official. “We’re still going to have baseball for kids,” he said. “That’s the message people need to know.”

Vincent said Babe Ruth coaches Mike Johnson and Gary Robinson will be coming over and some of the board members will be involved with the new Junior/Senior League board that will manage the new organization.

“Our baseball community needs to be united on the same page,” Vincent said. “This is one large step in trying to do that.”

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.