PINTO 8U™ LEAGUE is an instructional league to teach eight and under (Minimum age 3 in Baseball, 4 in Girls Softball) players the fundamentals of baseball and Softball.
PINTO 8U™ LEAGUE comes in three flavors, Coach Pitch, Machine Pitch and Player Pitch.If your community does not offer a SHETLAND LEAGUE it is recommended the pitching core be handled by coach-pitchers, or a pitching machine. If the Shetland League is not used in your community, it may even be good to start PINTO 8U™ LEAGUE players with the batting-tee, switching to the coach-pitch format in the latter part of the season.
PINTO 8U™ LEAGUE teams are full members of PONY, receive supplies and the full support of the headquarters staff and Field Director organization. International tournament play is not conducted at these age levels. Leagues may play in regional invitational tournaments, but it is recommended they do so with regular season team rosters. The focus should remain on training more than competition.
Pinto teams may be attired in cap and t-shirt rather than full baseball uniforms. The cap and t-shirt will thrill a beginning player almost as much as a full uniform, will leave the player the added thrill of receiving a full uniform for a later day, and will prevent excessive demands on the league budget.
Managers and coaches at this level must be concerned with the development of all of the players on their team. These are training leagues and the development of a player's skill and personality must remain the prime goal of the manager and coach, rather than the winning of a league title.
Every effort should be made to place every player who registers for the program on a team in these early years, and every effort should be made to play every player on the team in every game.
BASEBALL
PINTO BASEBALL FIELD SPECIFICATIONS AND DIMENSIONS
BASES : 60 feet (UPDATED FOR 2017 RULES)
PITCHING : Pinto Baseball (Machine & Coach Pitch): 38 feet, Pinto Baseball (Player Pitch): 40 feet.
FAIR PLAY AREA : Within the first base and third base foul lines and a fence or marked line 150 feet from home plate. A ball hit beyond that distance on the fly will be a home run. A minimum home run distance of 125 feet or a maximum of 200 feet will be recognized, with the recommendation that the home run distance be 150 feet at the foul lines and 200 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 four inches above the level of home plate and the base paths.
RESTRAINING LINE : Located along first base, beginning 25 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 20 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 closet to the backstop shall be 16 feet in length.
FIELD DIMENSIONS DRAWING:
FAST PITCH SOFTBALL
BASES : 55 feet
PITCHING : 40 feet
RECOMMENDED FENCES : 150 feet to 175 feet
FIELD DIMENSIONS DRAWING :
SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL
BASES : 55 feet
PITCHING : 40 feet
RECOMMENDED FENCES : 150 feet to 175 feet
FIELD DIMENSIONS DRAWING :
