One of the local middle school baseball leagues, this one put on by area Pony associations, wrapped up last month in competitive fashion. As with any sport, it takes hard work, dedication, and a desire to be the best the older you get. Middle school players, who are hopeful they will play high school baseball in the future, all want to see the coveted winning trophy on display at their respective school. This past season it was the Temecula Middle School Bronco team, and Winchester’s Dorothy McElhinney Pony team that won their league’s city championship, which the league’s call their “World Series.”
This year, the sixth-grade boy’s baseball team (the Bronco Division), who was from Temecula Middle School and representing the Temecula Youth Baseball league, ended its fall season with a record of 15-2. Manager Chris Cross led the way with his assistant coaches Mike Pink and Sean Oswill. The roster for the Bobcats included Isaac Acevedo, Jackson Cash, Knox Leatherman, Isaiah Garcia, Jackson Cross, Logan Nuques, Buster Oswill, Kaleb Pink, Isaac Rauseo, Nick Recio, Jaden Whitaker, Mason Ridge, and Evan Taylor.
As for the Pony Division, the Dorothy McElhinney eighth grade boys went 16-0, won twelve regular season games and four playoff games as participants of the French Valley pony baseball league. They won the championship in a 10-0 victory against their very own DMMS 7th grade team, who prevailed against the many other eighth grade teams. The roster for the Colts included Ayden Ayala, Evan Blaylock, Drake Carver, Connor Crawford, Luke Evans, Franco Guel, Jayden Kraft, Ryan McKinster, Brady O’Donnell, Carson Ryder, Jake Shener, Charlie Stone, and Carter Williams.
“Thank you to the coaches that worked hard with making this these teams achieve their goals for the season,” TYB admin said in a Facebook post. “Thank you to parents for providing their dedication to their players with their accomplishments and to the players for working well together to make this all happen!”
To find out more about the PONY middle school baseball program in Temecula, and the surrounding cities, visit www.temeculapony.com.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
