GENERAL INFORMATION
PONY 14U™ LEAGUE is the transition league that takes players from the "kid" leagues to "young adult" status. It permits a player to play on a diamond tailored to his size and capability rather than being moved to one with twice the playing area in a single year. PONY 14U™ LEAGUE is specifically designed for the player in those very formative early-teen years.
The vast majority of players of league age 13 simply do not belong on a full-size diamond. At the same time, they have outgrown the dimensions of the "kids baseball" diamonds used in BRONCO LEAGUE and other "12-and-under" programs.
PONY 14U™ LEAGUE was founded for this very apparent reason. After becoming skillful players in the younger leagues, players in their early teens found themselves unable to compete, to play the game of baseball as it was intended to be played, on the regulation size diamond.
With bases set 80 feet apart and pitchers throwing from 54 feet, PONY 14U™ LEAGUERS play one of the most fascinating games in all of youth baseball. Well beyond the beginners stage, they have mastered all but the finest points of technique and strategy and can play the game with a skill comparable to that of older players, if you let them play it on a field specifically designed to match their physical limitations.
RULES
1. Game is no new inning after 1:50 and drop dead after 2:00 or 7 innings. The final score is
the last completed inning. If time runs out and the inning is not completed, the score will
revert to the last completed inning. Extra inning(s) with runner at 2nd if there is still time.
2. 54’ Pitching distance with 80’ Bases.
3. USA Baseball Bats up to -8 with USA Stamp, Wood Bats and BBCOR -3 Certified Bats
Only
4. All players are required to wear a cup, girls recommended.
5. Maximum of three coaches on the field during a game.
6. Continuous batting order, ALL PLAYERS BAT.
a) If you have 9 players to start the game but a player will be showing up late, you have to
put them at the bottom of the line-up and let the umpire and other manager know they
will be arriving late. Once the player arrives, let the umpire and other manager know
and they will bat in the last batting position. The player will not be considered an out
because you have 9 players.
b) If you only have 8 players to start the game and a player shows up late, if the 9th player
does not show up before the 9th batting position bats, it will be an out only the first time
around. The second time around will not be an out and the late player cannot enter.
c) If a player leaves the game for any reason (except for a medical need), it will be an
automatic out that batting position for one rotation. The player cannot be reinserted.
7. Squeeze plays are allowed. No suicide swings on a squeeze play. Will result in the runner
coming home and the batter being out.
8. Runners must avoid dangerous contact with a fielder attempting to make a play
a) Runners must slide into 2nd base, when a fielder is attempting a double play or both
runners will be called out.
b) Must slide or Avoid on a plate at home plate. Players will be ejected if Umpire deems it
malicious.
9. Optional courtesy runner for Catcher allowed only with 2 Outs, and courtesy runner must
be last out, or previous if it was the Catcher who made the last out. If a runner is
substituted, that runner must catch the following inning. Penalty will be runner is out and if
any run was scored, it is removed.
10. Pitch Smart rules will apply. Game Changer will be used for pitch counts. The pitcher will
only be required to observe the calendar day(s) of rest for the threshold he/she reached
during the start of that at-bat, provided that the pitcher is removed before delivering a pitch
to the next batter. Pitcher may finish the batter, even at Threshold limit. Coach must CALL
Threshold to the Scorekeeper to finish the batter.
11. Steel cleats are allowed. These parks molded cleats or sneakers only on the mound (no
steel cleats), to preserve the portable mounds – MPK, Artesia, Charter Oak, Rowland
Heights, Arcadia, Chino Hills and Pico Rivera.
12. GameChanger is the official book and should be kept by Home team only, teams can
assign an official scorekeeper, if mutually agreed upon, to run GameChanger.
13. Every player must play 2 innings.
14. Mercy rule – 15 after 5, 10 after 6.
15. PONY rules apply to all instances unless stated above in MPK Pony rules.
16. Protest must be handled on the field at time of incident. There are NO protests once
game play resumes from the incident. The game will continue to be played when under a
protest.
The Official Baseball Rules published by PONY apply to all instances unless superseded by MPK Baseball rules.
Last Revised: 09-06-24
FIELD REGULATION
BASES: 80 feet
PITCHING: 54 feet
FAIR PLAY AREA: Within the first base and third base foul lines and a fence or marked line 250 feet from home plate. A ball hit beyond that distance on the fly will be a home run. A minimum home run distance of 200 feet or a maximum of 300 feet will be recognized, with the recommendation that the home run distance be 265 feet at the foul lines and 315 feet in center field to a six or eight foot barrier wherever possible.
BASES, PLATES: The home plate, pitcher's rubber and the bases shall be official size as used in regulation baseball.
PITCHING MOUND: Shall be raised by a gradual slope to a height of eight inches above the level of home plate and the base paths.
RESTRAINING LINE: Located along first base, beginning 40 feet from home base and extending three feet beyond the first and second base line. The line, paralleling the first base foul line and extending three feet (36 inches) into foul territory, shall be marked with chalk or other white material two inches wide.
DISTANCE TO BACKSTOP: Recommended distance from home plate to the backstop is 40 feet.
CATCHER'S BOX: By local option, the catcher's box may be rectangular in shape 43 inches wide and eight feet deep from the point of home plate or it may be triangular in shape extending eight feet from the rear of home plate, being a continuation of the foul lines, in which case the line closest to the backstop shall be 16 feet in length.
FIELD DIMENSIONS DRAWING:
