Town 'N Country Baseball is a PONY Baseball league.  There are several other brands of youth baseball in America.  'Little League' is probably the most well known, with other smaller brands that include 'Dixie' and 'Cal Ripken'. 

Pony Baseball is different then other youth baseball leagues in many ways. The rules of play are designed to maximize player development and minimize chance of injury. Players 5-14 years old are placed in division strictly by age at two-year intervals so that kids are competing with others their same age.

Field dimension (base paths and pitching distance) are gradually expanded with each division to match the growth and development of young players. This ensures that all players will compete on a field that matches their abilities and improves safety concerns that can occur when older players are on fields that are too small (i.e. Little League).

Most importantly, young players are introduced to more advanced rules at younger ages, so that they are challenged with new baseball concepts as they grow.  Pitching, stealing bases, and other "complete game" elements are introduced at a younger age than in other youth baseball brands.

Overall, it is our view that Pony Baseball offers the best opportunity for development, while also being safer than some other programs.  It is our belief that there is a better chance to play at a higher level (whether that is travel, high school, or even beyond) by getting a start in Pony Baseball.

How does PONY different from Little League?



Below is a summary of the differences between PONY Baseball and Little League.

	PONY Baseball	Little League
Two Year Age Groups	Yes	No
Scaled Age-Appropriate Diamonds	Yes	No
Scaled Age-Appropriate Pitching Distances	Yes	No
Play by MLB Rules Earlier	Yes	No
Mix of Softball and Baseball Rules	No	Yes
Competitive Baseball Starting at Age 7	Yes	No
Teaches Base Stealing Earlier	Yes	No
Teaches Pitching Earlier	Yes	No
Teaches Lead-offs Earlier	Yes	No
Prepares Kids for High School Baseball Rules	Yes	No

Two Year Age Groups
Little League player's age can differ by as much as 3 years within a division. PONY Baseball uses a 2 year age bracket system to limit the age difference between players in each division to 1 year. This fosters teams that are more evenly matched throughout their days playing youth baseball, longer-lasting confidence, and better friendships.

Scaled Age-Appropriate Diamonds
PONY Baseball varies the distance between the bases as well as the distance between the pitcher’s mound and home plate as the players’ move through the 2 year age bracket divisions with increasing size and skill level over time. This keeps the field at a relative scale to what you see in the Major Leagues. As the kids get older, bigger, faster, and stronger, the field size changes to accommodate the kids. By contrast, Little League fields stay at the same size throughout a child’s experience up to age 12.

Base and Pitching Distance for PONY Baseball

• 50ft bases for Shetland 5 & 6 year olds
• 60ft bases and 38ft pitching for Pinto 7 & 8 year olds
• 65ft bases and 44ft pitching for Mustang 9 & 10 year olds
• 70ft bases and 48ft pitching for Bronco 11 & 12 year olds
• 80ft bases and 54ft pitching for Pony 13 & 14 year olds

So why choose PONY Baseball?

PONY is an acronym, which stands for Protect Our Nation's Youth. PONY Baseball and Softball is dedicated to creating a safety first/ fundamentally sound and challenging game for children of all ages and skill levels. With field sizes and dimensions best suited to appropriate age play and rules designed to allow each charter their own ability to create the best style of baseball and softball tailored to your own community's needs. PONY also takes it a step further requiring children to participate in divisions with kids of the same age. For example, 9 year olds won't have to fear playing against 12 year olds. Nine year olds only face players ages 10 and under in the Mustang Division. Players age 11-12 play in the Bronco Division and player 13-14 in the Pony Division. PONY Baseball and Softball also offers a (And Under) program to accommodate those players who wish to play up a level.

The building blocks. With so many options and choices for Baseball and Softball programs, PONY understands, now more than ever, that in order for your organization to be successful, you will need the tools, experience, and know-how to build your charter and/or establish your league. Whether you have been a PONY League for 10 years or more or are just starting out, our Directors are here to pass their knowledge onto you. From working with local agencies to utilize fields to raising funds and starting up a nonprofit in your community, we want to listen, help, and give the advice you need to get the kids on the field and fans in the stands.

Nurturing our youth. PONY recognizes the importance of developing our kids at an early level. PONY provides the structure for a fun and rewarding experience while youngsters enjoy team play for the first time as they discover the value of respect for themselves and others. Whether it’s the Shetland Division for children ages 3-6 or Pinto ages 7-8, both offer several options for your league to decide which baseball or softball format works best in your community. From optional pitching machines, live kid pitchers with catchers in masks and gear, coach pitch, to the basic tee ball style of play, you can focus on what works best for your kids while still playing an exciting brand of baseball and softball.

Developing the game. Baseball and softball have been around for over one hundred years and it continues to be one of America's favorite past times, but did you know, the baseball and softball game we play and teach (today) is very different than the game we taught just ten years ago. From variances in fielding technique to a whole new approach on batting, the evolution of baseball and softball is one we need to study, understand, and help better train our coaches to teach. PONY Baseball and Softball would like to help your coaches stay ahead of the curve utilizing our online coaching education program on our website. This ASEP class is dedicated to teaching your coaches the latest in baseball and softball fundamentals. The National High School Federation recognizes the ASEP program for its non-teaching coaches at the high school level. Not sure how to get your batters to cut down on strike outs, want to know the best ways to get the umpires to call strikes for your pitchers, or maybe you want to know why your pitcher is missing up or down... not to worry, it will all be covered in the online class.

A great season of play. While PONY Baseball and Softball and our officials might be best known for representing our organization during tournament and all-star play, we would not be here after more than 60 years if the regular seasons were not fun, fulfilling, and rewarding to every child, volunteer, fan, coach, or board member. While some charters may opt to put an emphasis on the all-stars, PONY Baseball and Softball never wants to forget about all the wonderful kids who shine as stars during the regular season. Our PONY officials would like to work with your board members and volunteers to assist your league in creating rules and the proper dynamics so that every child who plays and every parent who invests in your league can feel as though they were rewarded for their time and their effort.

Helping your community. PONY is not just interested in serving the best ball players in town and only recognizing the kid who hit the most home runs... we want to reach out to every kid, especially to those with special needs. We want to work with your charter to help raise money and awareness for kids in need. In most cases, all we need is a baseball venue, a handful of willing volunteers, children in need and a cause! Sponsors and donors typically rally to support and give more when they are assisting a child with special needs and PONY Baseball and Softball is proud to be there as well.

Participation with pride. While there will always be things that PONY cannot control, like the strength of your board members or the willingness of your community to support your league, PONY Baseball and Softball can and always will be an organization strong in principal and resolute in upholding integrity within the games of baseball and softball. When you sign up with a PONY Baseball and Softball affiliated organization, you are committed to following in the footsteps of people who have cared enough to give back their time and effort because they believe our children are the most important investment in our lives. As one of America’s proudest non-profit organizations for over 60 years, PONY Baseball and Softball is looking toward a bright future because we have never forgotten where we started, what we joined together to build, and who we look forward to serving… our children!

We are proud also to be able to place emphasis on our youth by providing educational scholarships to those interested in pursuing a college degree. Each Zone is allotted one scholarship annually for a deserving softball or baseball participant. You may find out how to apply here.

All Stars and beyond. Finally, PONY Baseball and Softball is always happy to give back by providing some of the best post-season tournaments and fundraisers around. With the international pool of play growing every year, PONY Baseball and Softball has become a worldwide symbol for great youth athletics. Our directors are constantly looking for beautiful venues and the wonderful volunteers who want to host excellent young players, their coaches, parents, friends, and fans. We welcome the opportunity to working with you to make your program one of the best in the area. For questions or requesting any additional information, please look around our website or contact your local PONY Field Director. Thank you in advance for considering PONY Baseball and Softball.