How is La Canada Baseball (played using PONY rules) different from Little League Baseball?
What are the league geographical boundaries?
Where are games played?
When are the games played?
How often, and where, will my child practice?
When will practices begin?
When will the scrimmage / regular season games begin?
How long will the season last?
What equipment will my child need before the first practice or game?
Can my child be placed on a team with one of his friends?
If my child decided to quit, can I get a refund?
When and what is a player tryout / evaluation session?
If my child does poorly or misses at the player evaluation session will he/she be cut?
Can I keep my child down in a lower division?
Can my child “play-up” a year early?
When will I find out what team my child will play on?
My child has never played baseball before. If he’s not as good as the other kids, will he have a chance to play?
What kind of volunteer positions are available?

The primary features that distinguish La Canada Baseball from Little League Baseball are the use of a two-year age bracket system and scaled diamonds.  In organizations such as Little League, players can differ by as much as three years within a division.  As a result, the younger players because of their lack of maturity, ability, and size find it hard to communicate with the older players.  Generally, they find themselves spending a disproportionate amount of time on the bench and may feel disconnected from their team. With players of only two ages involved, as is the case with La Canada Baseball, it is far easier to permit every player to play more positions since the skill levels are not as wide.  Baseball is difficult to be played if the physical capability of the players does not match the physical achievements required for the game.  Little League uses two diamond sizes.  Up until age 12 players play on a 60-foot diamond, then they jump to 90-foot. La Canada Baseball, on the other hand, scales the size of their diamonds to match the physical capabilities of the players within each division.

The base and pitching distances for LCBSA are:

50-foot bases for Shetland (5-6 year olds)
50-foot bases and 38-foot pitching distance for Pinto (7-8 year-olds)
60-foot bases and 44-foot pitching distance for Mustang (9-10 year-olds)
70-foot bases and 48-foot pitching distance for Bronco (11-12 year-olds)
90-foot bases and 60’6” pitching distance for Babe Ruth (13-14 year-olds)

These base dimensions are the result of extensive experimentation to determine the size on which players of each age group can properly play the game of baseball. Pitching distance is also scaled to the ability of the player in proportion to the size of the diamond. The scaled down diamonds allow the players to make the plays made by the major leaguers.Home runs become a possibility.  Outfielders can play in a position proportionately equal to that played by a major leaguer, and the double play, squeeze play, and various strategy tactics, difficult for adults and nearly impossible for youngsters on a full size diamond, become a probability rather than impossibility.

Children from all around the Foothill communities are welcome to play in LCBSA during the regular spring season!

If your child is interested and is selected to play on a divisional tournament “all-star” team at the end of the regular season, he must reside within LCBSA’s designated geographic boundary in order to play in PONY-sanctioned tournaments. If you have specific questions about LCBSA’s boundaries, please send an inquiry to our league email address: lcbsa.webmaster@gmail.com

LCBSA uses multiple sites around La Canada to accommodate all of our games. Visit our Fields page for location information.

Practice days/times shall be selected by managers during their respective division’s player draft. In the Pinto through Babe Ruth divisions, each manager selects 1 fielding practice day/time slot (1 hr 30 to 2 hrs in duration) and 2 batting practice day/time slots (1 hr each in duration). In the Shetland division, managers select 1 fielding practice day/time slot (usually around 1 hr to 1 hr 30 min in duration); no separate batting practices are scheduled.  After games begin, fielding practice day/time slots in all divisions may change from week to week based on field availability. For batting practices in the Pinto through Babe Ruth divisions, they remain in the same day/time slot throughout the season.

Depending on weather and forming of teams, practices should begin in early-mid February.

Depending on weather, it is expected that all regular season and playoff games (in the Pinto through Babe Ruth divisions; the Shetland division does not have playoffs) will be completed by Memorial Day.  For those players who are interested in playing in a more competitive environment, they may try out for their divisional tournament “all-star” team. If selected, tournament team play may continue into July and early August.

Rubber molded cleats are highly recommended; LCBSA does not allow metal cleats in the Shetland through Bronco divisions. For boys, a protective cup is also highly recommended. A quality leather glove is a must. Vinyl and simulated leather gloves may be cheaper, but tend to cause the player a great deal of frustration. It’s impossible to form a pocket in gloves made of vinyl or simulated leather. Therefore the ball tends to pop out when the player attempts to catch it. All players are advised to bring a windbreaker, jacket or sweatshirt to every game and practice.  If you wish to purchase a bat for your child, please consult with your coach before purchase.  Prior to the first game of the season, LCBSA will issue a jersey, cap, socks, and baseball pants (baseball pants are only provided for the Shetland Division) to each child for use during the season. A belt is not provided and will need to be purchased separately.  The jersey, cap, socks, and pants are the player’s to keep. The pants have belt loops and the jerseys don’t provide much warmth during the early part of the season, so it would be a good idea to purchase a long sleeve baseball shirt to match the color of your child’s team. Your manager will provide more specifics as to the recommended color.

In the Shetland division, while we try to discourage such requests, we do our best to try to accommodate them whenever possible.  In the Pinto through Babe Ruth divisions, player placement onto teams is determined by a player draft by the divisional managers.  The draft is to try to balance the skill level of each team. Players of divisional managers will be assigned to play on their parents’ team and siblings playing in the same division will be assigned to play on the same team (unless their parents request that the siblings be split); otherwise, there are no guarantees to play with specific friends or for a specific manager.

Registration fees are non-refundable after the player’s try-out/evaluation(s) session.

When and what is a player tryout / evaluation session?  

All players must attend their respective division’s evaluation session to be drafted onto a team. They will be held in late January.  These sessions typically last about 1.5 to 2 hours.  The evaluation gives the managers within the league an opportunity to evaluate each player prior to the draft. All players are placed on teams.  Please contact the divisional GM if your child cannot attend the evaluation session. Shetland division players do not attend evaluation sessions; they will be assigned to a team.

No. All players will be placed onto a team.

No. The rules of the PONY organization dictate that each division has only players of the specific age group play in that division.

No. The rules of the PONY organization dictate that each division has only players of the specific age group play in that division.

All teams should be formed by the middle of February. Your child’s manager should notify you of the first team meeting or practice shortly after the draft.

Every child on every team will play a minimum number of innings each game. PONY rules and LCBSA by-laws strictly enforce minimum playing time. In addition, LCBSA fosters an attitude of player development and compassion. Any child who wants to play baseball is absolutely welcome to sign up and play!

LCBSA is completely run/managed by volunteers, and the success of our program depends on the efforts of involved parents and other adults.  We have positions for league officials, managers, coaches, team coordinators, scorekeepers, field maintenance coordinators, fundraising coordinators, etc.