2026 SEASON

PRESIDENT’S MEETING

Introductions

PONY Field Directors

West Zone VP, Division Director & Guests

Your Name and league you represent

Welcome Message

2026 West Zone Challenge Coin

Vice President’s Report

ASIA-PACIFIC (1007)

CARIBBEAN (599)

EUROPE (118)

MEXICO (1072)

EAST ZONE (2006)

NORTH ZONE (1080)

SOUTH ZONE (3226)

2025 WORLDWIDE OVERALL TEAM COUNTS

WEST ZONE (5546)

ASIA-PACIFIC (706)

CARIBBEAN (578)

EUROPE (80)

MEXICO (840)

EAST ZONE (1749)

NORTH ZONE (753)

SOUTH ZONE (2338)

2025 WORLDWIDE BASEBALL TEAM COUNTS

WEST ZONE (5243)

EAST ZONE (2006)

NORTH ZONE (1080)

SOUTH ZONE (3226)

2025 DOMESTIC OVERALL TEAM COUNTS

WEST ZONE (5546)

ASIA-PACIFIC (261)

CARIBBEAN (21)

EUROPE (38)

MEXICO (210)

EAST ZONE (252)

NORTH ZONE (303)

SOUTH ZONE (872)

2025 WORLDWIDE SOFTBALL TEAM COUNTS

WEST ZONE (236)

ASIA-PACIFIC (40)

CARIBBEAN (0)

EUROPE (0)

MEXICO (22)

EAST ZONE (5)

NORTH ZONE (24)

SOUTH ZONE (16)

2025 WORLDWIDE CHAMPIONS TEAM COUNTS

WEST ZONE (67)

2025 Baseball World Series

Champions

2025 International World Series Leaderboard

Rank

Zone

Total

1

2

3

Caribbean

South Zone

West Zone

4

Asia-Pacific

3

2

0

2

2

1

3

1

5

2

3

4

T5

Mexico

0

1

1

T5

East Zone

0

1

1

Steve Workman

Steve Miller

Vice President

West Zone

Vice President

North Zone

Abe Key

PRESIDENT & CEO

Arnulfo Banda

Terry Faust

Vice President

South Zone

Vice President

East Zone

PONY Baseball & Softball Organization

Executive Committee

Rob Lindsey

Eva Arambula

Steve Workman

West Zone VP

Rhonda Dubski

Chris Goebel

West Zone Organization

Utah & Colorado

Northern California

Northwest

Southern California

Hawaii

Arizona

Gwen Earll Hawaii State

Elaine Magner North Region

Chris Goebel Southern Division Director

Bill Skelton East Region

Arizona State

Southern Division Organization

Mark Williams Central Region

Kevin Donoho Southeast Region

Eva Arambula Softball

Willie Lessier Southwest Region

Chris Goebel - Southern Division Director

Southern Division Report

Region Director:

Willie Lessier

Assistant Region Director:

Doug Fujikawa

Section Director:

Omar Castro

Field Directors:

Dareion Bell Steve Fredericks Wendy Garn Thomas Killingsworth Rick LeRoy Jennifer Norman Stephanie Ogilvie Rusty Pennock Marq Taylor Tyler Vargas Rick Ylagan

Southwest Region Organization

2025 Hosts for Section and Region Tournaments.

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Electronic scoring…GameChanger.

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Spring President’s Meeting (virtual) in preparation for All-Stars. **Thursday, April 16th at 7pm. Zoom invite link will be sent out in February**

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Code of Conduct… alcohol, parent behavior, umpires, etc.

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Register your umpires to comply with SB534.

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Be very careful with local rules.

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Region Updates

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Internal Revenue Service

https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/

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State of California Department of Justice / Registry of Charitable Trusts https://rct.doj.ca.gov/Verification/Web/Search.aspx?facility=Y

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California Secretary of State

https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/search/business

501(c)(3) status

• Review and Approve Bylaws regularly
• Code of Conduct Policy
• Follow discipline guidelines
• Treat everyone the same
• Review your insurance
• Cyber Liability
• SAM
• D&O
• Hold Open Meetings
• Transparency

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21

League Management

• Risk Management
• Livescan
• SB534
• Umpires
• Concussion and SCA protocols
• AED Bill coming soon

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League Management

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• No changes from previous year.

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• If there is a change to your league’s primary contact, email support@pony.org

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• PONY Corporate will send an online form to complete to update contact info BEFORE registering.

League Registration

Enter your membership number, click search and then Save & Continue. If you don’t have your league’s membership number reach out to your PONY Director for assistance.

League Registration

Navigate through the top tabs by clicking Save & Continue.

League Registration

Coverages MGG Offers:

• Accidental Medical & General Liability
• Excess Liability Coverage
• Sports Equipment Coverage
• Directors & Officers Coverage - $450 Flat Fee

CHANGES

Foul Ball Coverage and Playing Field Coverage are now included

in the liability portion of the coverage.

General Liability

• General Aggregate - $2,000,000

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• Per Occurrence - $1,000,000

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• SAM - $100,000 per occ./$300,000 aggregate

• Higher limits are available upon request, and with underwriting approval.

Program Rates

Application Process w/ Example

Excess Liability Coverage

Sports Equipment Coverage

Directors & Officers Liability Coverage - (Flat Fee)

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Protection for your Board of Directors

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Responds to allegations including but not limited to:

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• Breach of contract

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• Wrongful interference with a contract

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• Unfair trade practices

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• Mismanagement and breach of fiduciary duty

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• Self-dealing and conflicts of interest

Additional Insured/Certificate Holders

• Application allows for 3 additional insureds to be listed

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• All additional insureds can be listed in an email to pony@mestmaker.com

• Electronic Payments
• Use our online enrollment system at: www.mestmaker.com/pony-insurance

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• Check Payments
• Use our online enrollment system at: www.mestmaker.com/pony-insurance

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• Email your completed application to pony@mestmaker.com

Ways to Submit General Liability and Accidental Medical Applications

Contacts

Courtney Riblett

Account Specialist

(661) 325-5999, ext. 1504

criblett@mestmaker.com

Edith Romero�Account Specialist�(661) 325-5999, ext. 1503

eromero@mestmaker.com

Jennifer Bower�Operations Supervisor�(661) 325-5999, ext. 1502

jbower@mestmaker.com

Included with $30 registration fee to PONY Baseball and Softball.

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• PONY Baseball/Softball rule book and Official Rules of Major League Baseball for those who register and mark as Baseball Umpires.
• Printable Official PONY Umpire ID wallet card.
• PONY Umpire emblem for the current season (required to be worn).
• Name included on the PONY Registry of Umpires.
• JDP Background check.

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*Required to officiate PONY tournaments. There are too many umpires out there that are not background checked. This puts players at risk and exposes leagues to liability.

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Umpire Registration and Background Check

Safe Sports Authorization Act

(US Senate Bill 534)

Background checks at a MINIMUM must be a search from the national sex offender database but additional checks such as ID Search and National Criminal Search are recommended

All organizations will be required to do background checks* on all officials, managers, coaches, umpires, volunteers and staff (or any other individuals that may come into contact with the minors of the organization)

(reference PONY Rules & Regulations 1-H)

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(*Also Required under SB534 - Safe Sports Authorization Act - 2017 signed into law 2/14/2018)

SB534 requires Background checks with Abuse Awareness training for adults or anyone with repeated contact or authority over players. This includes but is not limited to Board Members, Managers, Coaches, and Team Parents.

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Item Detail - Abuse Awareness for Adults (usabdevelops.com)

Background Checks

Base Package - Price: $4.35

• ID Search (Social Security Validation)
• JDP National Criminal Search
• National Sex Offender Search
• Registration Fee WAIVED

JDP Organization Background Checks

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This law requires fingerprint based background checks and child abuse and neglect reporting training for volunteers who are 18 years of age or older that are in direct contact with or supervision of children more than 16 hours a month or 32 hours a year. For leagues, this includes coaches, managers, board members, umpires, etc.

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Leagues must also do required training for volunteers for child abuse and neglect training. Utilization of the free California Department of Social Services - Child Abuse Mandated Reporter Training is recommended.

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California’s Youth Protection Law (AB506)

This law also mandates that organizations have policies in place to ensure that these regular volunteers for an organization are reporting suspected child abuse. This is described in Section 11165.9 and Section 11166.05 of the California Penal Code as well as requiring that at least two mandated reporters are there when interacting with youth players. Mandated reporters are described in Section 11165.7 of the California Penal Code.

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This law includes a background check as described in Section 11105.3 of the California Penal Code. This requires a volunteer to get a background check through a fingerprint scan at a Live Scan location (located all over California).

California’s Youth Protection Law (AB506)

League Responsibilities

Appoint a Board Member: Designate a board member to manage and track the AB506 background check process for compliance.

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Complete the Application: The appointed board member must fill out the Application for Authorization Pursuant to Penal Code Section 11105.3 form.

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Submit Proof of Non-Profit Status: Your organization’s non-profilt status is required. Leagues that can’t provide this proof may be charged fees.

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Mail the Application: Send the completed application to the address listed on the form.

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Receive Your ORI Code: Once the application is processed, your league will receive an ORI code. This code links volunteers to your organization during the Live Scan fingerprinting process.

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Provide the ORI Code to Volunteers: It is crucial to give the ORI code to volunteers before they go to a Live Scan location for fingerprinting.

• Applicant Agency Justice Connection (AAJC) provides authorized applicant agencies a secure web-enabled environment to assist in managing the criminal history background check process. The AAJC tools allow authorized users to submit agency change requests, check the status of background checks, retrieve background check responses, and access information related to the fingerprint background check process.

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Authorized applicant agencies can also…

• Manage agency information.
• Electronically request to add or update agency contacts and Custodian of Records (COR).
• Electronically submit No Longer Interested (NLI) notifications.

DOJ Change requests and NLI notifications

Team Parents, Coaches, Managers, Board Members, Umpires, etc.

Step 1

Ask your league for their ORI number BEFORE continuing.

Step 2

Make sure you are using the correct ORI number for your league.

Step 3

Select a Live Scan location to do your fingerprinting.

Step 4

Complete the 8016 - Request for LiveScan Service form and bring it with you.

What an adult volunteer for a league needs to complete...

Volunteers will be required to go through the California Bill AB506 for any and all youth organizations they volunteer for. It is prohibited to share results of the Bill 506 background check with other youth organizations.

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Umpires: Included in registration

(Required under SB534 - Safe Sports Authorization Act - 2017 signed into law 2/14/2018)

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Leagues - Yearly for all adult volunteers

(Individual Leagues are responsible for compliance)

PONY Alumni Scholarship

• High School Seniors
• Played in a registered PONY League for at least 2 years
• Deadline is May 1, 2026
• Candidate responsible for paperwork
• $3000

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PONY Baseball and Softball is pleased to offer a scholarship for alumni of its leagues. To be considered, applicants must submit a complete application package by May 1st of the current year. This package should include the School & Community Activities Form, an essay on the designated topic, and an official high school transcript.

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Additionally, applicants must provide a copy of their letter of acceptance from the school they plan to attend, a notarized letter confirming their participation in a PONY-affiliated league, and two letters of recommendation.

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The Scholarship Committee will administer eight scholarships annually, one each to the four United States Zones (North, East, South, and West), Asia Pacific Zone, Caribbean Zone, Canada and Mexico.

Naveen Trivedi (Portola High School)

Academics: Scholar Certificate (National Society of HS Scholars), Scholar Athlete (CIF Varsity Recognition), AP Scholar Award (College Board)

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Athletics: Varsity Baseball & Umpire

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Activities: Volunteer (Stand Up To Trash & Portola Springs Elementary Carnival), Private Baseball Instructor, Class Council Member, Link Crew (Class Representative PHS), For Goodness Cakes Baking Events

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Attending: University of California at San Diego studying Engineering.

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Played for: Irvine PONY

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West Zone PONY Scholarship Recipient

Concussion/Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Concussion

Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Concussion

• https://cifstate.org/sports-medicine/concussions/index

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• https://www.cdc.gov/heads-up/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports/coach.html

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Sudden Cardiac Arrest

• https://cifstate.org/sports-medicine/sca/index

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• https://nfhslearn.com/courses/sudden-cardiac-arrest

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Certification must be completed annually.

Youth Sports Concussion and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Protocols (AB379)

PONY Baseball & Softball, Inc. has a policy of inclusion, ensuring that players with disabilities have equal opportunities to participate in their leagues. PONY does not limit participants based on disability, and all leagues are required to comply with this policy. PONY also provides for reasonable modifications to rules and practices to accommodate players with disabilities.

• All ADA inquiries begin with the Region Director and will be escalated through the following hierarchy:

Region Director > Division Director > Zone Vice-President > President/CEO Abe Key

• Nothing is too big or too small
• Leagues need to report issues as soon as possible

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Social Media

Keep it Fun and Positive

Protect Privacy (get permission)

Monitor/ Limit Access

SB534 Abuse Awareness Training

Watch for Bullying and Harassment

All communication to minors must be open, observable, and justifiable. Avoid one-on-one contact.

Softball Report

This year's World Series was held in Hemet, CA. at Diamond Valley Sports Complex. Hosted by Valley Wide Recreation and Park District

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This year we had 37 teams for our World Series; 2 teams from the Philippines.

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2025 World Series Winners:

• High Desert 8U
• Beaumont 10U
• Beaumont 12U
• Indio 14U
• San Jacinto Elite 18U

Softball Report - 2025 Highlights

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Team Participation:

A couple of new league teams joined the competition this year. Overall tournament team count was slightly down compared to previous years. This year, we had the honor of hosting two international teams from the Philippines. A wonderful opportunity to showcase international softball talent and foster cross-cultural connections.

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Positive Outlook for the Future:

Despite the lower turnout, the event was a success. We're excited about growing the event in the coming years and encouraging more teams to join.

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Softball Report - 2025 Highlights

• Next years World Series will once again be held in Hemet hosted by Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District on July 28- August 2, 2026.

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• 14U – 16/18U – 23U Tournaments will continue as ‘OPEN’ division

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• Dual Franchising / Registration is OK

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• “International” World Series spots reserved for West Zone teams

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• Looking to get more leagues involved

Softball Report - 2026 News

Regular Season Play

Page 3: Pinto Coach Pitch

Changed Pitching distance for Pinto 8u Coach Pitch to 35'

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Page 4: League Regulation #3 Legal Players

Age Determination Date - Changed to August 31.

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Tournament Play

Page 75: Section 13- Umpires League Teams

Tournament Umpires must be 18 years of age or older and registereD with PONY Baseball and Softball

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Page 77: Section 6- Umpire Select/Travel

Tournament Umpires must be 18 years of age or older and registered with PONY Baseball and Softball

Softball Rule Changes for 2026

Champions Report

Rhonda Dubski

West Zone Champions Director

951-205-6503

Champions - 2025 Highlights

Second Annual Champions Spring Jamboree was held on April 5, 2025 at York Field in Whittier. Ten teams from Riverside, Los Angeles, and Orange County participated. It was a very successful event.

In 2025 the Southern California Champion Program had 67 teams. That is 20 additional teams from 2024.

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A Champion Program is a great way to bring the League and community together.

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No cost to register your Champion teams through PONY. 10 players = 1 team

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No special fields required. If a wheelchair can fit through your dugout you have the field requirements for a Champions team.

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Champions - 2025 World Series

Kicking off the 2025 All Star season was the 9th Annual Champions World Series which was held on May 31, 2025 in Moreno Valley. Ten teams from Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego participated.

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• Opening ceremonies included all teams parading around the field as the teams were announced.
• Team and group pictures were taken during the opening ceremonies and throughout the day.
• Teams were separated into 2 brackets, based on skill/abilities.
• Each team played 2 games (1 hour long).
• Teams were treated with a short break between games where they were served fresh watermelon and grapes.
• All players and team volunteers were served lunch compliments of Chick-fil-A, Day Street., Moreno Valley.
• Each player received a Champion "bling" ring.
• Everyone goes home happy with a BIG smile on their faces (players, coaching staff, volunteers, parents and grandparents).

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This event is the best way to kick off the All Star season!

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Champions - 2026 Events

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• The 2026 Champions Spring Jamboree will be April 11, 2026.
• 2026 Champions World Series will be held May 30th at Moreno Valley. The goal is to have 16 teams participating.

Any League or Organization interested in hosting Colt or Palomino tournaments should contact:

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Brandon Ponce (909) 534-6141

b.ponce@pony.org

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Website information: www.pony.org

Select West Zone

Baseball (SOCAL)

SOCAL COLT – PALOMINO LEAGUE

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Colt/Palomino/Thorobred

Contact Dana Robie for more information.

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d.robie@pony.org

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2024 Rule Changes for 2026

Rule 8-C. Single piece wooden, metal, graphite or ceramic bats manufactured for baseball play, which are round and not more than two and five eighths inches in diameter at the thickest part, not more than 42 inches in length, are acceptable. No bat shall be used if dented, cracked, modified or misshaped. The bat’s knob may be solid or hollowed to house an embedded metric sensor. If a sensor is used, it shall (1) not affect performance; (2) be secured by a locking mechanism and a back-up mechanism to keep it in place; and (3) have a distinguishing “off-line” mode to prevent data from being accessed during a game.

(1) Bats manufactured specifically for use in tee ball, shall not be used when the ball is pitched by a player, coach, or pitching machine, unless using a Level 5 or less safety ball.

(2) Coach-pitch bats with the USA Baseball mark will only be used in coach-pitch using a safety ball. Penalty: removal of the bat only. (Not subject to rule 18-E-7(a), (b) and (c).

(3) With the exception of the -3 bat (BBCOR certified), all bats must be certified with the USA Baseball mark on the bat in order to be used for league and tournament play. This would include 2 piece wood bats, composite wood bats, bamboo bats, etc.

(4) 2-¾” barrel bats are prohibited in all divisions of PONY Baseball.

(5) COLT 16U™ and PALOMINO 19U™ are only allowed to use 2-⅝″ -3 BBCOR certified bats.

(6) THOROBRED 23U™ League must use wooden bats only as specified by Major League Baseball.

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2024 Rule Changes for 2026

Rule 8-J. Jewelry Rule- Rule is removed from the rulebook.

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Rule 8-K modified to read.

Players may not use cell phones, pagers, or any other types of communications devices wearable or handheld cannot be used on the field of play with the exception of medical devices. The field of play includes bullpens, dugouts, coaches’ boxes and other such areas where the coaches, players, and umpires have access.

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2025 Rule Changes for 2027

Rule 9E. Add new paragraph to end of rule to read: “There will be no intentional walks in Foal, Shetland and Pinto. Exception is Pinto Player Pitch.”

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Rule 9F. Pinto 8U, remove the words “or a foul tip”. Last sentence will now read: “A batter is not out on a foul ball even if it is the 6th pitch.”

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Rule T-15-A. Add new sentence at end: “The Vice President may adjust the length of games, below the Zone Tournament level, within their respective Zone.”

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**Rule 9E will be added to 2026 West Zone Supplemental Rules for Foal, Shetland, and Pinto.**

July 9-14, 2026

July 9-14, 2026

West Covina, CA

Moreno Valley, CA

SHETLAND

PINTO PLAYER PITCH

MUSTANG-9

MUSTANG

BRONCO-11

Southern California Super Region Dates/Locations

BRONCO

PONY-13

July 9-12, 2026

Camarillo, CA

July 9-14, 2026*

Corona, CA

PONY

COLT

PALOMINO

July 9-14, 2026

July 16-21, 2026

July 9-14, 2026

July 23-28, 2026

July 9-14, 2026

July 16-20, 2026

Escondido, CA

Corona, CA

Long Beach, CA and Heartwell, CA

West Covina, CA and Covina, CA

Norwalk, CA

Norwalk, CA

TBD

PINTO 7 PLAYER PITCH

July 2-6, 2026

July 16-19, 2026

July 16-19, 2026

Walnut, CA

Placentia, CA

MUSTANG-9

MUSTANG

BRONCO-11

BRONCO

PONY-13

2026 WZ Zone Tournaments

PONY

COLT

July 16-19, 2026*

Walnut, CA

July 23-26, 2026

Moreno Valley, CA

PALOMINO

July 23-26, 2026

July 30-August 2, 2026

July 16-19, 2026*

July 23-27, 2026

Westhills, CA

West Covina, CA

Covina, CA

Norwalk, CA

*denotes one-time change for 2026

June 25-29, 2026

July 16-21, 2026

West Covina, CA

Camarillo, CA

FOAL

SHETLAND-5

SHETLAND

PINTO-7 MACHINE PITCH

PINTO-7 PLAYER PITCH

2026 West Zone Finals

PINTO MACHINE PITCH

PINTO PLAYER PITCH

June 25-29, 2026

Simi Valley, CA

July 16-20, 2026

Moreno Valley, CA

July 9-13, 2026

July 16-21, 2026

July 16-19, 2026

Camarillo, CA

Moreno Valley, CA

Rodeo, CA

July 24-27, 2026

July 24-27, 2026

TBD

Youngsville, LA

MUSTANG-9

MUSTANG

BRONCO-11

BRONCO

PONY-13

2026 World Series Dates/Locations

PONY

COLT

July 24-27, 2026

Chesterfield, VA

July 31- August 3, 2026

Laredo, TX

PALOMINO

July 31- August 3, 2026

August 7-12, 2026

July 31- August 4, 2026

July 31- August 3, 2026

Carlsbad, CA

Washington, PA

Marion, IL

Laredo, TX

July 23

July 23

July 23

July 30

July 30

August 6

July 30

July 30

Dates

Report Date

Location

questions? comments?

Thank you for attending.

Have a great season! Safe travels home.