Altoona Area Baseball Association, Altoona PA

History of Altoona Area Baseball Association

The Altoona Area Baseball Association began in 1948 as a four team league, without an official name, playing games on a field at Mansion Park.  In 1952, the league was chartered by Williamsport as the Altoona Little League and moved to a field on 17^th Street and Logan Avenue.  Here, the league leased property from Robert DiVentura for $1 a year.  Two founders of the league, Boots Emerick and Joe Riley, used their homes as collateral in order to borrow money for the fencing and other field improvements.  The league played from 1952 until 1983 at this site which became known as Joe Riley Field.

In 1983, the expansion of 17^th Street forced the league to find a new home and the current 9^th Street field was constructed.  In 1991, the league changed its name to the Altoona Area Baseball Association.  As the league prospered and the number of children interested in playing baseball increased, the 10^th Street field was constructed and opened for play during the 2006 season.

Today, the facility is named the Joseph M. Sheetz Youth Baseball Complex after a long-time league manager who was instrumental in the construction of the 9^th Street field.