The League

The League

In 1950, Poland played host to a Little League baseball program that featured four teams, giving birth to what now is the Poland Community Baseball Association. The Poland Fire Department acted as the sponsors of Poland’s first Little League team, according to the baseball league’s vice president Lloyd Peck. The league consisted of just four teams: The Poland Firemen, North Lima Crouse Mills, New Middleton Ohlin Brothers and New Springfield Merchants. The games were played on Fireman’s Field, located on Riverside Drive.

Since then, the league has seen a drastic expansion in participation. As well as baseball, the league now offers softball. There are 635 kids ages 5-18 on 60 teams signed up to play in the 2008 season — 492 boys are on rosters for the baseball league, and 143 girls are signed up for softball. Since the league has grown tremendously in size, additional facilities were needed to help keep the safe and fun environment for the children. The league now plays at two locations. There are two Little League fields at the Dobbins Elementary School complex, and another four located at the North Elementary School. Teams still utilize Fireman Field for practice.

The PCBA works in partnership with the schools in maintaining and keeping up the fields for the children to play on. For more than 50 years, the league has offered children a safe and exciting option for children and their parents for the early part of the summer.