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Youth baseball players, coaches and organizers in the northern part of the San Ramon Valley are getting ready for opening day this weekend, the region’s first in its new era of Little League.
San Ramon Valley Little League absorbed the Tassajara Valley Little League last fall, a merger that widened SRVLL’s boundaries back to its original reach when founded in 1959 and expanded the 2026 participant pool to more than 1,000 players and coaches for a spring season with nearly 800 games scheduled between now and May, league officials said.
“This merger not only reunites two leagues, but two communities, and ensures a great future for youth baseball in the area under a refocused, unified mission: to create the most meaningful and memorable youth sports experience across the communities of Danville, Alamo, and Diablo,” SRVLL President Greg Isom and Nate Grimm, who would be the final president in TVLL history, said in a joint statement Nov. 7.
The two leagues, which came to be when TVLL formed in 1992 to separate youth baseball in that part of the Valley away from SRVLL, began working closely together coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic to host combined seasons.
“During this partnership, SRVLL flourished both in growth and on the field,” the presidents said in their announcement. “This would not have been possible without TVLL’s support; however, despite integrating more and more each year, the two leagues still operated independently, causing increased operational challenges and contrasting priorities due to our differing circumstances.”
Isom and Grimm said it became clear during 2024 that merging was the best path forward, and the two entities embarked on the lengthy review and approval process. After each league voted to support the deal, the proposal advanced through California District 57 and then Little League Baseball offices in Williamsport, Penn. – with final clearance coming Nov. 7.
“This united community was the San Ramon Valley Little League I remember as a kid, before TVLL became its own league in 1992,” Isom said in a follow-up “President’s Letter” on Dec. 23. “Games were played from Alamo to Blackhawk, and everywhere in-between. Downtown Danville restaurants were dotted with SRV hats every weekend after games. And orange and blue cladded players waved championship banners as they paraded down Hartz Ave. every Fourth of July.”
“For kids across the entire Valley, SRV gave meaning to their childhood and memories that lasted a lifetime,” Isom added. “And now, in 2026, that SRV is back … On paper, SRV has never been bigger.”
The excitement of the first season as a reunified SRVLL – under the slogan, “One League, One Valley” – is set to be on display this Saturday (March 7) at Los Cerros Middle School in Danville for the opening day festivities – or as Isom described it, “The best Little League Opening Day ceremony in Northern California, featuring prizes, games, and every team in action across the entire San Ramon Valley.”
Isom and other SRVLL leaders did not respond to email questions asking for additional context on the merger and preparations for the 2026 season and beyond.
