PONY Baseball, the national organization to which Santa Monica Pony Baseball belongs, uses a system that allows players of similar ages, maturity and physical development to play together.
The primary features that distinguish PONY Baseball are the use of a two-year age bracket system and scaled diamonds. Players will play on fields where the size of the diamonds are scaled to match the physical capabilities of the players in each division.
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.
Santa Monica Pony Baseball provides flexible rules and incremental levels of competitive play, which are specifically designed for the physical development and safety requirements of each age group. This page describes our divisions and helps you find the appropriate division for your child.
If you have further questions after reading through this, please contact the appropriate Division Commissioner or email
[email protected].
Finding the Right Division
Start by determining your player’s League Age. This is their chronological age on April 30, 2023. For example, if a player turns 10 on March 20, they would be considered league age 10, since they are 10 on April 30. If they turns 10 on May 15, they would be considered league age 9, since they are 9 on April 30.
Look in the row labeled “Age on April 30” to find the correct division.
Overview of Divisions
|
|
FOAL
|
SHETLAND
|
PINTO
|
MUSTANG
|
BRONCO
|
PONY
|
|
Age on
April 30
|
3 - 4 |
5 - 6
|
7 - 8
|
9 - 10
|
11 - 12
|
13 - 14
|
|
Base
Path
|
40 ft |
50 ft
|
60 ft
|
60 ft
|
70 ft
|
80 ft
|
|
Pitching Mound
|
Tee |
38 ft
|
40 ft
|
46 ft
|
50 ft
|
54 ft
|
|
Start of season
|
Tee
|
Machine Pitch/
Tee
|
Player
Pitch |
Player
Pitch
|
Player Pitch
|
Player Pitch
|
|
End of season
|
|
|
Teams Formed By
|
Commissioner |
Commissioner
|
Draft
|
Draft
|
Draft
|
Draft
|
|
Base Stealing
|
No |
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Leadoffs
|
No |
No
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Balk
|
No |
No
|
No
|
1 warning
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Dropped 3rd Strike
|
No |
N/A
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Practices Begin
|
February |
February
|
February
|
February
|
February
|
February
|
|