Dear Parents,
 

On November 10th, 2011, the merger of SW Seattle Pony Baseball and West Seattle Pee Wee Baseball was approved by the General Membership of both leagues.  The new league is called West Seattle Baseball.  We felt that this merger will help baseball prosper in West Seattle by:

• Encouraging kids to play baseball longer (stay active, play a team sport, etc.) because there is more continuity between leagues;
• Helping consolidate play at the Riverview Fields - the city has expressed interest in our idea as they allocate fields for all leagues and all sports;
• Creating a stronger community - longer-term friendships between families, more interaction between kids of different ages, and a better space for our childred to play and grow up together;
• Helping us recruit sponsors, get grants, raise funds, and improve our ability to deal with flucuating city fees for fields; and
• Reducing the demands on leaders and volunteers by organizing under common leadership, purpose, and vision.

At the same meeting, I was voted into office as President of West Seattle Baseball.  As President, I will work with our new Executive Board to continue to make West Seattle Baseball a better league to play the game.  On the surface, you won't see too many immediate changes.  The divisions will all continue to be run as they have in the past.  Over time, we will make changes to build a stronger league.  Our first order of business is to make sure that we are ready for the upcoming season.  We'll also be submitting the proper paperwork to the State of Washington allowing the two leagues to join together.  Finally, we're open to suggestions.  If you have any suggestions on how we can make West Seattle Baseball a better place to play baseball, please let us know.

I'd like to thank Paul Leonardo for his years of dedication and hard work with Southwest Seattle Pony Baseball.  Paul isn't going away totally.  He'll be coaching a Pinto team at the Pee Wee Fields this spring.

For the love of the game,

Eric Olson
President
West Seattle Baseball
206-853-5126

 

posted 01/15/2012
 


Attn. West Seattle Baseball Families:

Before you buy that expensive bat for the coming season, please note the following bat rule changes to enhance safety of defensive players:

• 2-3/4 inch barrel bats are prohibited.
• 2-5/8 inch barrel bats are allowed.  Bats with a drop of minus three (-3), must be BBCOR certified
• 2-1/4 inch barrel bats are allowed but must have a Bat Performance Factor of 1.15 or less.   In addition, all newly manufactured bats must be stamped “approved for play in PONY Baseball”.

In summary, Bronco and Pony players are have two choices: 2-1/4 inch bats or 2-5/8 inch bats.  Most players will choose the 2-5/8 inch diameter bat due to the larger sweet spot.

BBCOR certification requirement will not likely come into play for our Bronco and Pony players since it only applies to minus 3 (weight minus length) bats.  A minus 3 bat is a heavier bat used by older, stronger players in high school and college.  BBCOR stands for batted ball coefficient of restitution.  A BBCOR certified bat has a batted ball coefficient of restitution of 0.5 which limits the trampoline effect off the bat.  In addition, a BBCOR certified bat has a minimum moment of inertia which is an attempt to limit the swing speed.  Since most of our players will prefer larger bat drops (i.e., -6,-7, etc.), this restriction should not come into play.
 
Below is a general bat selection guide that may be useful in finding the suggested length for a player depending on the player’s weight and height.

Simple physics says a heavier bat will send the ball further.  However, a heavier bat is harder to swing.  If a player cannot hold the bat for 20 seconds without the arm starting to shake, it’s too heavy.

If you have any questions on the new bat rules, please ask your player’s coach or any Pony Board Member.  Thanks.