Interest and participation was dwindling in local little league baseball when Mike Messina stepped up to the plate a few years ago.

Messina, president of the Wareham-based Gateway Babe Ruth League, said expanding competition to other South Coast, Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard teams has reinvigorated the league.

“Everyone is looking for the next best thing,” the Wareham resident said. “Babe Ruth has been around forever and it’s getting respect now down this way.”

Part of the problem was a lack of competitors.

“The kids got tired of playing the same two or three teams over and over again,” Messina said.

After asking Bourne’s Babe Ruth League to compete in 2009, other teams followed.

Now, there are 34 teams in the league, including ones from Fairhaven and Acushnet that recently joined.

Teams are made up of 13-, 14- and 15-year-old players. The league is split into two divisions so players with equal skill sets can match up against each other.

Highly skilled players face off in what could be considered a varsity division and players who need more practice play in a recreational division.

The higher level of play caters to kids who had been lured away by Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) teams. Those teams play statewide, but are more expensive then Babe Ruth leagues.

“We’ve lost kids to AAU, but they spend $1,500 to $4,000 playing in that league and have to travel everywhere,” Messina said. “In Babe Ruth, they can play for a few hundred bucks and don’t have to travel all over the state to play a variety of teams.”

Throughout the summer, several tournaments are held where the league’s best teams come together and compete.

Last weekend, the Gateway Babe Ruth 13-year-old All Star team won the South East Regional’s All Star Tournament against Lower Cape, Martha’s Vineyard and Dennis.

“The quality of the players in my league has increased the past three years since we expanded,” Messina said. “Parents want the best baseball for their kids and we’re offering that to them at a cheaper price.”

Area high schools are benefiting, too.

With a year-round schedule, players are getting a lot of practice in before joining school teams.

“We feed the schools players almost like we’re a farm league. They get up there and they’re ready to go,” said Messina.

Messina, a former ball player, said his two sons, who are now 21 and 18, noticed the difference in the league since their playing days.

“They see how it’s evolved and wished it had been at this level back then,” he said.

Looking ahead, Messina said the league may soon reach 40 teams and might consider a name change to reflect the expansion.

“We might soon be the Southeast Regional League,” he said.

Registration for fall ball are now open on the league’s website. For more information on the Gateway Babe Ruth League, visit www.gatewaybaberuth.com.