- What are the field dimensions for
Bronco and Pony ?
- How are teams formed ?
- Who Runs the League ?
- How Can I Find Out More
Information On PONY
- Is PONY Popular in Orange County
?
- What Makes PONY Different ?
- Is PONY International ?
- How 'Far' Do PONY All Stars
Go ?
Bronco plays on 70' base paths and a 48' pitching
distance. Pony plays on 80' base paths and 54' pitching
distance.
The PONY organization firmly believes in field dimensions
that grow with the players - not behind and not ahead.
Many years of experimentation and research are behind the
dimensions used in PONY Baseball today. The dimensions
that grow with the player allow real baseball to be played with
a good balance of successes for both offense and defense.
Adding the dropped third strike and lead offs elements to the
game provide for a more exciting interactive game between
fielders and base runners.
In contrast to Little League Juniors, the Pony League plays
at 80' base paths and 54' pitching. This has been highly
recommended by our El Toro High School liaison, Russ
Jensen. This distance is healthy and makes for a
good competitive baseball experience. Throws from one base
to another can be made efficiently, pitchers can work on
mechanics and strategies without over-straining their arms,
etc. The health of the youth and developing good solid
fundamentals are high priorities in our league.
This is perhaps why Saddleback Valley PONY has a reputation
for providing good solid players to the local High Schools.
Teams are formed by a traditional serpentine draft
method. During winterball, players are drafted without
benefit of a tryout. During spring a full tryout is held
and then the teams are drafted. Beginning with the 2007
season, the board has approved the registration of club teams
(pre-formed teams). The board and El Toro High School
representatives recommend a mixed league with tryout and draft,
however, to accommodate the desires of the community (a
foundation of PONY baseball), club teams will be
accepted. The board will determine the level of
involvement of the club teams on a case by case, season by
season basis. All decisions will be based on what is good
for the entire league. The win loss records of the formed
vs drafted teams for our first season are as follows:
| Team |
Wins |
Losses |
Drafted / Pre-Formed |
| Utes |
16 |
7 |
Drafted |
| Wildcats |
13 |
10 |
Drafted |
| Volcanoes |
13 |
8 |
Club |
| Titans |
3 |
18 |
Pre-Formed from Winterball |
| Aztecs |
0 |
19 |
Pre-Formed from Winterball |
While some of the teams were 'pre-formed', the distribution
of winning teams is very similar to a fully drafted
league. Every year there are one or two teams that win
most of their games and one or two that win very few games even
with a full draft. Allowing the pre-formed teams gives the
players options and allows them to play with friends.
Should a pre-formed team appear 'stacked', the team would likely
play only interleague games. The board will review the
composition of teams every year and make the appropriate
decision.
Saddleback Valley PONY Baseball League is a non-profit
volunteer organization run by all volunteers. We currently
(as of 2007) have a board of six members. We are always
looking for more individuals that wish to get
involved.
Many of the decisions are based on input from the community
of players and parents. Holding a large amount of
influence is our Chief Umpire and High School Liaison, Russ
Jensen. As our goal is to develop and prepare players for
high school play, the expectations of the high school staff are
important to our decision making process.
All input is considered and no hesitation should be made in
providing feedback and suggestions to the board.
The PONY Incorporated website can be found at www.PONY.org
Emphatically YES! Almost every City in OC has a PONY
organization. They take various forms, some use the PONY
name and others don't although they are associated with PONY
Inc.
PONY is growing every year in part due to the growth of
travel ball. Players are learning that playing real
baseball can be real fun.
Some Leagues host only the Pony League level (ages 13-14);
others host more age groups such as Bronco (ages 11-12); while
some host Leagues from starting with Shetland (ages 6 and
under).
Ages 6 and Under |
Ages 7 and 8 |
Ages 9 and 10 |
Ages 11 and 12 |
Ages 13 and 14 |
Ages 15 and 16 |
|
Ages 17 and 18 |
There are several aspects to the PONY program that make it
different and better:
1) The two year age brackets keep peers playing with
peers. In Little League you can have some divisions with
ages spanning 3 years. Little League often uses the
division structure to push less talented players down with
younger players. This stagnates development of players and
is a blow to self-esteem. PONY has the ability to keep age
groups together and provide for both a recreational and
competitive structure using the American and National (regular
and plus) leagues, while keeping same age players together.
2) The field grows with the player. Little League uses
the same field dimensions through age 12 (46' pitching; 60' base
paths) then jumps to a full size diamond (60'6" pitching;
90' bases). That is a 14'6" increase in pitching and
30' increase in base path in ONE YEAR.
The game of baseball cannot be played as it was intended to
be played if the physical capability of the players does not
match the physical achievements required for the game.
PONY Baseball, on the other
hand, scales the size of their diamonds to match the physical
capabilities of the players within each division.
The base and pitching dimensions for PONY Baseball are:
50-foot
bases for Shetland (5-6 year-olds)
50-foot
bases and 38-foot pitching for Pinto (7-8 year-olds)
60-foot
bases and 44-foot pitching for Mustang (9-10 year-olds)
70-foot
bases and 48-foot pitching for Bronco (11-12 year-olds) -
Currently offered by SV PONY
80-foot
bases and 54-foot pitching for Pony (13-14 year-olds) - Currently
offered by SV PONY
90-foot
bases and 60-1/2-foot pitching for Colt/Palamino (15-16, and
17-18 year-olds)
These base dimensions are the result of extensive
experimentation to determine the size on which players of each
age group can properly play the game of baseball. Pitching
distance is also scaled to the ability of the player in
proportion to the size of the diamond.
The scaled down diamonds allow the players to make the plays
made by the major leaguers. Home runs become a possibility.
Outfielders can play in a position proportionately equal to that
played by a major leaguer. The double play, squeeze play, and
various strategy tactics, difficult for adults and nearly
impossible for youngsters on a full size diamond, become a
probability rather than an impossibility.
3) Local Rules - SV PONY believes kids should be
playing not sitting on the bench. Bronco has an equal
playtime rule and PONY has a minimum of 3 innings of defensive
play. Both Leagues bat the entire roster, not just the
nine players on the field.
4) Flexibility in forming teams. Players like to
play with friends. This makes the game more
enjoyable.
5) Listening to the members. With the flexibility
of the PONY structure, we can listen to the needs and desires of
our membership and make adjustments to accommodate most
needs/wants. Our goal is to develop talented, happy, and
well adjusted players.
YES! PONY has Leagues in many countries and is growing
every year. The latest news article on the PONY website
states the rule book is now being translated in to Chinese.
PONY Mustang, Bronco and Pony Leagues have an International
World Series All Star Tournament. Teams succeeding at the
local level (Area/District) advance to Section, then Region,
then Zone and finally to the World Series. The Shetland
and Pinto Leagues form all star teams and compete locally only.
In 2006, our PONY-14 team advanced all the way to the Region
level.
The PONY organization allows us to form our teams in any way
we deem appropriate (our policies can be found in the All Star
Section of this website) and allows us to send as many teams as
we deem appropriate. This gives more players the
opportunity to experience all stars and allows us to send a
competitive team.
In addition, PONY allows and encourages pre-all star
tournaments. While Little League is often 2-3 games and
done, in a typical PONY all star 'season' the team can get in
anywhere from 6 to 16 games if desired with several trophy
opportunities.
