Q: What age groups are eligible to play ABSA Baseball or Softball?
A: ABSA offers a wide range of divisions, covering boys and girls from age 3 to 14 in both the baseball and softball programs.
Q: Will there be travel for games?
A: Yes, but we do our best to keep the travel to a minimum. Last year there was minimal travel to places like: Lake Worth, Springtown, Saginaw, White Settlement, Brock, Milsap, Peaster, Castleberry, and Benbrook. We feel that playing other leagues not only gives good competition between leagues, but also improves relationships between leagues.
Q: How many players will be on each team?
A: We do our best to follow the guidelines laid out by Pony. Pony recommends no less than 12 and no more than 15 on a team. A team MAY play with as little as 9 players. Any more than 14 become difficult to manage for fair playing time.
Q: How are teams selected?
A: Each division has a draft where every player gets selected. In the Spring, there is an evaluation for every division Pinto (8U) and up. Players are asked to attend evaluations, however, should your child not attend evaluations, your child will still be selected and placed on a team via a blind draw. Depending on baseball or softball, coaches also are able to “hold” a certain number of players. Currently for baseball that number is 6, including the coach’s child. For softball, it depends on the division (10u and down protect 6, 12u and up protect 8).
Q: What are the costs? Is there a late registration fee?
A: Costs vary from year to year, but Fall is typically cheaper than the Spring season. More games and tournaments are played in the spring and contribute to the higher cost. Late fees are subject to change in the future. Scholarships are also available on a case-by-case basis, please contact the treasurer, Corina Hodges at [email protected] to see if you qualify. ABSA is committed to making the games of baseball and softball available to all in the Azle community!
Q: How are league ages broken up?
A: League ages are set by how old the child will be on August 31 for baseball and January 1 for softball. Each division registers in 2-year increments, ie. 6 & under, 8 & under, 10 & under, 12 & under, 14 & under. Please see Pony league age charts for your child’s league age or email [email protected] for questions about where your child should play if you have reason to believe the current offerings when you register are incorrect for your child.
Q: Can my son or daughter play up or down a division?
A: You may request for your child to play UP one division. For example, if your child’s birthday as of August 31 for baseball or January 1 for softball shows that the child will be eligible to play 10 & under, you may request that the child play 12 & under but no higher. Children cannot play down a division unless there is a note from a doctor stating that there is a condition which would allow the child to play down a division. Those are considered on a case by case basis. Please email [email protected] for more information.
Q: Can I request to be on a specific team?
A: Short answer, yes but there is no guarantee. When registration is completed by the parent, there is an option to request a specific coach. If that child is not a “protect” then it is the coach’s discretion to pick up that player during the draft. If another coach selects that player during a draft, coaches may trade or come to an agreement to pick up the player.
Q: How many games will we play?
A: We do our best to make sure these numbers are played. Texas weather, however, is unpredictable. As long as we have the ability to play them, we will.
Fall 8-10 games
Spring 10-12 games
Q: What equipment will my child need?
A: We recommend that every ABSA player have the following equipment:
1) Batting helmet 4) Safety cup (boys in 8u and up)
2) Glove 5) Safety mask (softball girls 6u and up)
3) Cleats
Q: What is included in the ABSA uniform? Who do I contact about uniforms? For baseball, ABSA provides a jersey (or two in the spring on occasion) and a hat. Softball provides a jersey and either a hat, visor, or hair bow, depending on what is available at the time.
Nikki Lancaster, Baseball Uniform Director - [email protected]
Sarah Brawley, Softball Uniform Director - [email protected]
Q: How can I become a coach?
A: We are always looking for coaches. If you are interested in becoming a coach for ABSA please send an email to the respective commissioner of your league for more information on coaching.
Corey Delagrange, Baseball Commissioner - [email protected]
Dustin Brawley, Softball Admin - [email protected]
Q: How do I get informed of rainouts / inclement weather?
A: During Inclement weather, ABSA continually monitors the conditions of the field to ensure the safety of the players and fans. Should a delay or cancellation be called, your coach should be your first point of contact. We will also post information on our Facebook and website pages, in addition to emailing all league participants. Calling games and practices will typically occur by 3 p.m. on weekdays. This gives our volunteers enough time to get to the fields and evaluate them to determine if they will be playable or not. For Saturday game days, we will let the coaches know and send out the same notifications as early as possible. If we can play, our field maintenance volunteers will make every reasonable attempt to ensure we will.
Q: How do I become a sponsor?
A: We have a number of ways to become a sponsor. Please contact our Sponsorship Coordinator, Sage McCoy at [email protected] for more information! We have different levels of sponsorship. Currently, for $250 and up you get the business name on a banner. For $350 and up, you get the banner and business name on the team shirt.
Q: How can I become an Umpire?
A: Please email [email protected] for more information on becoming an Umpire for ABSA!
Q: Does ABSA allow fundraisers?
A: Short answer, it depends. ABSA is primarily a sponsorship, registration, and concession driven organization (new to merchandise) with the intent to put funds back into the league to make improvements. In the past, the league has done 1 big fundraiser (raffle) at the start of the spring season. That has not been done in recent years. Individual teams have been prohibited from doing individual team fundraisers as our by-laws prohibit fundraising other than for tournaments/Allstars. The extent of fundraising will have to be addressed in the future. Fall season does not fundraise or obtain sponsors. League income is registration, concession, and now merchandise.
Q: What color pants do I need to get?
A: That is determined by the coach. The coach will let parents know what color/type of pants to get.
Q: What does the player need to obtain for the season uniform and what does the league supply?
A: The league supplies a hat and jersey, or shirt and Jersey for softball. The player’s responsibility is belt, socks, cleats, and pants. This is subject to change by season, but is done as a general rule.
Q: Where are practices held?
A: We do our best to allow teams to practice at our fields but that is dependent on the number of teams that are registered. We have numerous off-site practice locations that the coach can choose from if he/she is unable to practice both practice days at Stinger field. All locations are local around Azle.
Q: What days and times will practices be held?
A: Practice days and times are up to the coach. He/she will let you know when and where the practice locations are.
Q: Does the league have insurance?
A: Yes, the league obtains insurance from an insurance company endorsed by the PONY organization. Our insurance is secondary to the parent/guardian’s primary insurance and it must be filed within a reasonable amount of time after the injury, accompanied by an explanation of benefits from the primary insurance. Insurance prices are based on the number of teams in each division and are paid for by the league, not required to be purchased separately by the parents.
Q: Are the board of directors paid positions?
A: No, none of the board of director positions are paid. They are all volunteers.
Q: Does ABSA conduct background checks on volunteers?
A: Yes, ABSA conducts background checks on all volunteers who register with the league to volunteer. Nobody is allowed to volunteer in a position that interacts with the kids without first completing a background check. The company that is used is also endorsed by PONY and is called JDP.
Q: What kind of bat do I need?
A: Baseball Bats must be marked USA baseball or marked -3 BBCOR bat. If still unsure, get with the coach prior to purchasing a bat. Basically, any bat other than drop 3 (-3) has to be marked USA Baseball (see below). If it is drop 3 (-3), it must be marked BBCOR Certified. No bats larger than 2 ⅝. The rules do not specify certain bats for certain age groups (other than t-ball).
USSSA bats are not allowed.
Official baseball bat rules are as follows:
C. Wooden, metal, graphite or ceramic bats manufactured for baseball play, which are round and not more than two and five eighths inches in diameter at the thickest part, not more than 42 inches in length, are acceptable. No bat shall be used if dented, cracked, modified or misshaped. The bat’s knob may be solid or hollowed to house an embedded metric sensor. If a sensor is used, it shall (1) not affect performance; (2) be secured by a locking mechanism and a back-up mechanism to keep it in place; and (3) have a distinguishing “off-line” mode to prevent data from being accessed during a game.
Bats manufactured specifically for use in tee ball, shall not be used when the ball is pitched by a player, coach, or pitching machine, unless using a Level 5 or less safety ball.
Coach-pitch bats will only be used in coach-pitch using a safety ball. Penalty: removal of the bat only. (Not subject to rule 18-E-7(a), (b) and (c). If using a tee ball bat manufactured prior to 2018, these bat must carry the USA Baseball mark accompanied by the following text: “Only For Use With Approved Tee Ball Bat.” If you already have a tee ball bat you would like to continue using, all you have to do is purchase a USA Bat sticker directly from USABB and place it on your bat.
In conjunction with USA Baseball and its other participating national member organizations, PONY Baseball has adopted the new USA Baseball bat standard (USABat). Effective January 1, 2018, with the exception of the -3 bat (BBCOR certified), all other 2-⅝ inch minus factor bats (-5, -7, -9, etc.) and 2-¼” bats must be certified with the USABat licensing stamp on the bat in order to be used for league and tournament play. 2-¼″ BARREL bats are legal in all divisions of PONY Baseball except COLT 16U™, PALOMINO 19U™ and THOROBRED 23U™. 2-¼” and 2-⅝ inch minus factor bats (-5, -7, -9, etc.) used in 2017 will be illegal to use in 2018.
2-⅝” barrel bats are legal in all division of PONY Baseball. If a 2-⅝” bat is -3, it must be BBCOR certified (stamped on the bats). Effective January 1, 2018, all other minus factor bats (-5, -7, -9, etc.) Must be certified with a USABat licensing mark stamped on the bat.
2-¾” barrel bats are prohibited in all divisions of PONY Baseball.
Softball bats must meet the following specifications:
THE OFFICIAL BAT. The bat shall be a smooth cylinder with a knob. Only bats that pass through a 2-1/4-inch (5.7150 cm) diameter bat ring are legal. Each bat shall be no more than 2-1/4 inches (5.7150 cm) in diameter at its thickest part, no more than 34 inches (86.360 cm) in length, and not exceed 38 ounces (1077.30 g) in weight. There shall be no devices, attachments, or wrappings that cause the handle to become flush with the knob. All bats shall meet the USA/ASA bat performance standard. Laser etching, other than on the barrel, is permissible.
All bats must bear the USA/ASA approved certification mark and must not be listed on an USA/ASA Banned Bat list unless it bears the USA/ASA approved recertification mark; or
Must be included on a list of approved bat models published by USA/ASA; or
Must be in the sole opinion and discretion of the umpire, have been manufactured prior to 2000 and, if tested, would comply with the USA/ASA bat performance standards then in effect.
Safety grip or cork, tape (no smooth plastic tape) or composition material, may not exceed two layers of tape and must be a continuous spiral. Any resin or pine tar is permissible on this part of the bat. Tape must be at least 10 inches long and not more than 15 inches.
The bat’s knob may be solid or hollowed out to house an embedded metric sensor. If a sensor is used, it shall
Not affect performance
Be secured by a locking mechanism and a back-up mechanism to keep it in place.
Have a distinguishing “offline” mode to prevent data from being accessed during a game