The Little League brand name is synonymous with baseball through the 11-12 age bracket, whose elite teams daydream about journeying to the World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

That monopoly breaks up during the teenage years, when youth baseball is much more closely associated with the names of the sport’s most legendary slugger and its unchallenged iron man.

In response to that changing market, the Lewiston and Auburn city leagues primarily responsible for grooming baseball players in that junior high-to-junior varsity age bracket will make a significant change in their programming this spring and summer.

Auburn Suburban Little League and Elliot Avenue Little League of Lewiston are making the switch from Junior and Senior Little Leagues to the Cal Ripken Babe Ruth League.

“It puts us in line with other leagues in our district,” said Jeff Benson, past president and board member of Auburn Suburban. “We’re trying to develop baseball players. It just made sense for us to do this.”

Junior (age 13-14) and Senior (15-16) clubs will be combined into one Junior Babe Ruth league for ages 13-15.

The break with tradition is expected to help both leagues with scheduling and travel while also enhancing their tournament aspirations at the state level.

Due to declining participation, the two-year Little League age windows made it impossible for both leagues to play a round-robin schedule without lengthy road trips. Creating one, three-year bracket is expected to give Elliot and ASLL a full schedule of in-league and crossover games without leaving the Twin Cities.

Both leagues say they would not have made the switch unless the counterpart across the river followed suit.

“Even if we both end up with only five teams, heck, I’m going to be able to play 16 games before the playoffs,” Benson said. “That’s a pretty good schedule. And I’m not having to go to Cumberland, Gray and New Gloucester just to find games.”

Greater benefits potentially await the two leagues in the state tournament, where each will strive to represent District 3.

Thirteen leagues field teams for 11-and-12-year-olds in Elliot and Auburn’s Little League district, yet last summer they were the only two leagues fielding a 13-14 select team.

It made for an admittedly hollow best-of-three championship series that did little to prepare eventual winner Elliot for the next round.

“Our kids would play a best-of-three series against Auburn, and that was it. They got to the state tournament, and they just weren’t ready for that level of competition,” said Elliot player agent Terry Ricker. “They ran into a Bangor or Bucksport team that was already playing its 10th or 11th (postseason) game, and here it was our third game.”

Babe Ruth District 3 encompasses Androscoggin and Oxford counties.

Apple Valley, Tri-County and Norway are among the traditional teams that will vie with Auburn and Elliot for a state tournament berth.

“With Babe Ruth, these kids will be able to play a lot of baseball before they get to the state tournament,” Ricker said. “We’re hoping for seven or eight teams in our league, and I know Auburn is hoping for at least five or six. That will be a great combination.”

Benson, who is athletic director at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School and an American Legion baseball coach, believes that the Babe Ruth designation will give managers an opportunity to hone player skills over a longer time period.

“This allows a kid to stay with the same team until he’s 15,” he said. “You can develop a kid for three years.”

Babe Ruth does feature a Senior (16-18) division, but neither Auburn nor Elliot would have enough players to support one full team.

Each suited up seven 16-year-olds in 2007.

“And we had to go digging to find those. We ended up with four or five playing,” said Ricker.

Players phased out by the change aren’t without options, thanks to the growth spurt currently afoot with Maine American Legion baseball.

“Most (16-year-olds) are already playing Legion ball,” Ricker said, “and I’ve heard that (Lewiston High School coach) Todd Cifelli is planning to start a Junior Legion team in the area.”

Poland launched a Junior Legion team in a Greater Portland-based league last season.