American Canyon has a second youth baseball league
Registration is officially open for youth baseball. This season, however, is a little different. There are now two league options for local families: American Canyon Little League and the newly formed Junction Valley Pony Baseball League.
So, what does a second league mean for American Canyon?
“If having another league gives more opportunity to kids to play baseball then I’m all for it. I think it’s great,” said American Canyon High School baseball coach Matt Brown, who grew up in Napa. “As a kid, I carried my glove with me everywhere,” he chuckled.
Brown ends up coaching a number of kids who come up through the local Little League ranks, making up around 80% of the high school team.
Baseball isn’t the top sport in American Canyon, but nearby towns the same size tend to be all about the game. Because of that, ACHS has a smaller team than those they play — making it a little more competitive.
According to Junction Valley Pony League organizer Nicki Pacheco, the new league will have that competitive edge on Little League, and aims to equip kids with the skills required to thrive in high school baseball. Pony Leagues don’t have residency requirements, so are open to kids from all surrounding counties, where baseball’s popularity makes each team cap out.
“We just created it,” said Pacheco. “We met with the city and secured a field with them. We’re creating this to give kids from all communities – Fairfield, Vacaville, Martinez, St. Helena. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never played before. We will teach from the ground up.”
Pacheco said that young baseball players deserve as many choices as possible when considering their options for local sports.
“In Napa Little League, there’s a waitlist. They cap out every season — so kids don’t have a place to play.” Because of the local residency requirements, a number of kids in Napa have to wait out the season without playing ball.
Pacheco headed up American Canyon Little League for six years, then moved to volunteering. Now, she and a group of six families have decided to branch off.
Usually, said Matt Brown, leagues pop up when there’s been enough conflict between parents, a common issue in cities when it comes to activities that involve children.
“I would love to see coaches instilling lifelong learning and values that supersede competition. Sportsmanship, winning and losing with class, and all that. Wherever that’s being taught, I’m for it.”
Pacheco explained that Pony League will be complimentary to the work of the existing league, with all six board members having previously been involved in Little League.
Another thing: All six board members of the Junction Valley Pony League are women. “I grew up playing baseball,” she said. “I love baseball.”
But, she said, being a woman in the field can be hard: “You don’t see many females that are part of youth baseball.” Her own daughter, Ary Pacheco, came up playing with a mostly male team in Little League, and is now a freshman at American Canyon High School.
Across the U.S., Pony League is known for its narrower age window, which spans 7- to 12-year-olds, and its emphasis on teaching advanced rules of baseball to young players.
Little League, on the other hand, spans some 250-300 4- to 16-year-olds, offering tee-ball, baseball and softball. For many, Little League offers locals a real sense of community. “What we bring as the Little League is the community experience,” said Rob Hall, American Canyon Little League president for the past five years.
“We have a good developmental program, but in general, the community aspect is the biggest thing,” Hall said. “People who have gone to play travel and come back say they miss the community aspect of it.
“It’s about helping the kids learn and grow,” said Hall.
Field space in American Canyon is limited, and the new league only takes up one field, to be announced later, according to Pacheco said. Deputy City Manager Alexandra Ikeda acknowledged that with most youth sports leagues becoming year-round, it can be hard to find spots for kids to play, creating “increased demands on city facilities and requires careful coordination.”
The city “works directly with [four] youth sports organizations to understand and manage their field and facility needs,” Ikeda wrote in an email.
While clubs insist it’s about the kids, parents can end up being hard on kids, especially if they’re hoping for a scholarship to help a child through college.
There’s been plenty of inter-parental conflict on the field in American Canyon Little League’s history, but Brown hopes people will rise above that. These days, he said, “adults get a little too involved. At the end of the day, it would be a lot nicer if kids could just go out and play.”
He’s worried that over the years, that point has been lost. “We’re talking about 9, 10, 11, 12-year-old kids. They should be playing baseball because it’s fun.”
To register, visit Little League’s page here and Pony League page here.
