In my county, 8th graders compete to play for their future high school's JV team.
In Williamsport, they could play on a field designed for pre-pubescent 6th graders.
According to Williamsport, this was all done in respnse to alleged requests from local leagues and districts "to provide a better transition for younger players," as well as to match the international standards. I don't know how anyone thinks this is better. I seriously doubt anyone asking for something "better" meant for this to happen.