PRESS RELEASE – Guam PONY Baseball is celebrating another record breaker; nine middle school teams for the 40-game 2024 76 PONY ISA Middle School Baseball League. Eight GDOE MS Teams, have registered to play. Astumbo, Agueda Johnston, Jose Rios, Inarajan, Oceanview, F.B. Leon Guerrero, Benavente, and Untalan. This year’s league will also see Bishop Baumgartner Middle School joining the league. The league will be highly competitive with over 220 student athletes participating. Some school teams have as many of 40 players on their roster.
2024 Middle School Baseball League first game-first pitch 3-game begins Saturday, February 3rd. The league will play 3-games on Saturdays and 3-games on Sundays, at the Triple J Guam Baseball Academy Field located on the Okkodo High School Campus. 8 GDOE middle school teams made up the league last year with the Benevente Roadrunners winning the championship game defeating the Agueda Johnson Pirates.
Saturday and Sunday games are scheduled for 10:00am, 12:30pm, and 3:00pm. A single round pool play with the top four teams advancing to a single elimination playoff championship round to determine the league Champions. For a winning season, the championship team will receive a $300 cash award from PONY Baseball. Champions and runner-up trophies will also be awarded. The middle school season will end with a league all-star game.
“Special thanks to South Pacific Petroleum Corporation 76 for fully funding the league for the 7th consecutive season. Guam PONY Baseball is very fortunate to partner with 76 for the 7th year and beyond. This middle school age group needs to have a league of their own to play baseball. There is a big demand at the middle school level to play baseball and this year again we should see a strong showing of young talented baseball athletes. This past December Guam PONY completed a very successful PONY Mustang Youth Baseball League featuring 9-10-year-olds.”; says Justin Bennett Director of Guam Amateur Baseball Association.
According to Mark J. Sablan VP Business Development, “SPPC has been a proud title sponsor of the annual GABA 76 PONY Middle School Baseball League for seven years. This level of sponsorship falls in line with our objective of supporting island youth sports programs. As a contributing title sponsor, middle school students are allowed the opportunity to learn and play the sport of baseball. Playing sports also builds character and self-confidence at this age. It is SPPC’s hope and desire that these student athletes will excel in sports and become future role models for Guam’s youth”.
“There is opportunity for this year’s MS players, coaches, and parents to enter the 14U PONY Asia Pacific Zone Tournament in Japan scheduled for June, 2024. What a great experience for Guam’s Baseball Youth! A week-long family baseball vacation comes with the opportunity to play premier baseball competition against teams from all over the region. Play games at some of the best baseball venues in all of youth baseball. Every team plays at least 5 games giving Guam Players plenty of regional baseball and off diamond fun”; says Bill Bennett from Guam Baseball Academy.
“Guam PONY Baseball will oversee and manage this year’s Middle School League under the leadership of Guam Amateur Baseball Association which will provide an elite playing field, official game PONY Baseballs, umpires and scorekeepers. National Federation of High School (NFHS) rules will guide the games on game play and regulations. By using NFHS Rules in middle school baseball, it will help the players be better prepared when moving up to high school baseball which also is governed by NFHS rules and game norms”; comments Mike Soderquist from Guam PONY.
