Rules

Travel Baseball & Softball Age Charts (2026)

Your player's age group depends on which organization is asking. Travel baseball (USSSA, Perfect Game, PONY, Babe Ruth, AAU) uses a May 1 cutoff: age on April 30 of the season year. Little League baseball uses August 31. Nearly all travel softball uses August 31, except Alliance Fastpitch, which still uses December 31. The same kid can legitimately be 12U in one organization and 13U in another, in the same month.

Side-by-side age chart comparison for youth baseball and softball organizations

Every Cutoff on One Table (2026 Season)

Organization	Age determination date	A "12U" player was born
USSSA Baseball	April 30, 2026 (the "May 1 cutoff")	May 1, 2013 – Apr 30, 2014
Perfect Game	April 30, 2026 (grad-year at 14U+)	May 1, 2013 – Apr 30, 2014
PONY Baseball	April 30, 2026 (changed from Aug 31 in 2022)	May 1, 2013 – Apr 30, 2014
Babe Ruth / Cal Ripken	May 1, 2026	May 1, 2013 – Apr 30, 2014
AAU Baseball	April 30, 2026	May 1, 2013 – Apr 30, 2014
Little League Baseball	August 31, 2026	Sep 1, 2013 – Aug 31, 2014
American Legion	Birth-year windows (17U / 19U only)	n/a (13+ program)
Travel softball (USSSA, USA, PGF, PG, NCS)	August 31 (age at season start)	Sep 1, 2012 – Aug 31, 2013
Alliance Fastpitch	December 31 (the holdout)	Born 2013
Little League Softball	December 31 of the previous year	Born 2013

The pattern worth memorizing: travel baseball = May 1, Little League baseball = August 31, softball = August 31 except Alliance and Little League. Everything else is detail, and each linked chart has the full birthdate table by age group.

Why a Kid Can Be Two Different Ages

Take a boy born July 15, 2013. On April 30, 2026 he is 12, so he's 12U everywhere travel baseball plays all season, including the summer after he turns 13. But Little League checks his age on August 31, 2026, when he is 13: league age 13, aged out of Majors. Same summer, same kid, 12U at the USSSA tournament and 13 at his rec league. Neither is a mistake; they're different rulebooks.

Fall birthdays cut the other way. A girl born October 2, 2012 is 12U for the 2026 travel softball season under the August 31 rule (she was 12 on 8/31/2025), but Alliance Fastpitch checks December 31, where she's already 13: 14U in Alliance events. Softball families playing both circuits live this split every fall.

Ready to take your game to the next level?

Grad Year vs Birth Year (High School Ages)

At 14U and up, showcase baseball adds graduation year to the birthdate standard, and a player qualifies by either. Perfect Game's 2026 lines: 16U means born on or after May 1, 2009 OR class of 2028 or later; 17U means May 1, 2008 or the class of 2027. Other circuits draw the grad-year line differently (Five Tool's 16U uses the class of 2029), so a reclassified player's eligibility can change between circuits without a birthday changing. Check each event's posted classification rule; the Perfect Game age chart has the full dual-standard table.

When Age Charts Roll Over

Mark two dates. Travel baseball age groups roll over August 1 in USSSA (the new season year begins, and every player's "next year" age group takes effect for fall ball). Travel softball rolls over in August too, keyed to the season start. That's why every August the "what age group is my kid" searches spike, and why the charts on these pages carry a season label, not just a year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the age cutoff for travel baseball in 2026?

April 30, 2026. A player's age group is their age on that date: still 12 on April 30 means 12U for the entire 2026 season, across USSSA, Perfect Game, PONY, Babe Ruth, and AAU.

Why are baseball and softball cutoffs different?

They evolved separately. Travel baseball standardized on the May 1 school-year-ish split; softball's bodies aligned on August 31 (matching the school year) in recent seasons, with Alliance Fastpitch keeping December 31.

Can a player play up an age group?

Yes, in every major organization: players may play up, never down. Rosters get checked against the older division's cutoff, not the player's natural group.

Does Rizzler track age groups?

Rizzler's roster management stores each player's birthdate and league age so pitch limits and eligibility checks use the right numbers for whichever ruleset your game is under.

Want every player's age group, pitch limits, and eligibility handled from one roster?