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Agoura Pony Baseball

News Detail

29

Nov, 2016

Rules changes coming in 2018

PONY Baseball is changing some rules effective the Spring 2018 season.

AGE

Rules 4 E and T 2 D – Change Birth Date to August 31 (from April 30).

Why - the age cut-off will be pushed back to August to better align with school cut-off ages. This also aligns with the Little League age cut-off.

APB Impact - Some current APB players might lose a year in a division in 2018 and have to skip to the next higher division. Players born May 1 to August 31 will be affected. For example, those first-year Pinto players (under the April 30 cut-off) in Spring 2017, would be a first year Mustang player in Spring 2018 under the new August 31 cut-off.

BATS
Rule 8 C 3 – 2 5/8 Bats
Effective January 1, 2018, all other minus factor bats (-5, -7, -9, etc.) must be YBBCOR Certified (USA Bat Licensing Stamp on bat). 

 Click here for more info.

Why:  Safety. USA Baseball's national member organizations believe that a wood-like performance standard will best provide for the long-term integrity of the game. These bats are made to mimic wood bats, lessening the "pop" factor and thus, reducing the potential injuries from hard hit balls, especially come-backers to pitchers. 

APB Impact - All players will have to use YBBCOR or BBCOR stamped bats. Bat manufacturers should start making these bats available in 2017. Non-YBBCOR and non-BBCOR stamped bats will NOT be permitted starting on January 1, 2018.

PITCHING
Rule 10 A –Pitching Rules  - Any team member may pitch, subject to restrictions of pitch count as recommended by PITCH SMART guidelines for that particular classification.

Why: Safety. PONY Baseball has never governed the number of pitchesa pitcher could throw. They only governed the number of innings. This rule aligns them with the national standard in the effort to limit wear and tear on our young players' arms.

APB Impact - APB has always had rules around the number of pitches, and has implemented additional rules in recent years to help limit the number of pitchers our young pitchers throw. Our rules will be tweaked to align with these new regulations.

Field Status

Open Open

Lupin Hill Elementary School (09:08 PM | 03/08/24)

Open Open

Forest Cove Park (09:08 PM | 03/08/24)

Open Open

Sumac Elementary School (09:08 PM | 03/08/24)

Open Open

Willow Elementary School (09:08 PM | 03/08/24)

Open Open

Grape Arbor Park (09:08 PM | 03/08/24)

Open Open

Indian Springs Park (09:08 PM | 03/08/24)

Open Open

Old Agoura Park (09:08 PM | 03/08/24)

Open Open

Chumash Park (09:08 PM | 03/08/24)