Leechburg Youth Baseball Association creates 12U team, switches to Pony League

After an almost complete overhaul and rebuild, the Leechburg Youth Baseball Association is offering a program for players 12 and younger for the first time in 10 years.

Jonathan McLaughlin, president of the organization, said the association’s board has mostly new leadership after previous board members’ children aged out of the program.

In preparation for the new season, McLaughlin said, the new board is focused on fundraising and finding a field big enough to cater to 12U and 14U requirements.

Among the eight board members are Raymond Sipolino, Carley Chiado and Chyann Berk.

“It’s been a struggle to keep the kids together until they get into junior high,” Sipolino said. “Our focus was mainly to keep it possible for the kids to play together from tee ball up until they’re the age where they’re going to junior high.”

The association’s home field in Gilpin Leechburg Park isn’t big enough to accommodate requirements that change between the ages of 10 and 12 for teams. This led to players leaving the association after the 10-and-under program and heading to bigger recreation leagues in places such as Kiski Township or Apollo, McLaughlin said.

“We didn’t have the means to have fields that were big enough,” Sipolino said.

Once players move up to 12U, the pitching distance lengthens about 6 feet, and the base paths increase as well. An increase like this in the infield means players also need more room in the outfield.

“The upper field by the (Leechburg Area) pool, we couldn’t extend it any farther,” McLaughlin said.

Sipolino ended up reaching out to the American Legion in Schenley to use the organization’s field, which had previously been used for a few beer leagues and softball tournaments. He figured it would be worth a shot to see if it was still available for leasing.

Work to be done

While the field hadn’t been used in five years, McLaughlin said, it’s able to be worked on and expanded for the upcoming season. Board members and volunteers will be prepping the field until opening day on May 3.

McLaughlin said the association intends to configure the field to accommodate games from tee ball up to 14U.

“We’ll build the field as big as it needs to be for the biggest players, and then we’re going to plug the base distances,” McLaughlin said.

Plugs can be used in the infield to change the distance between bases as needed. Those distances range from 50 feet for tee ball players up to 90 feet for 14U groups. The new field’s pitching mound will also be adjustable.

McLaughlin said after this upcoming season, the association will begin offering a 14U team for interested players.

“We call it our field of dreams,” Chiado said.

Before any games can be played, Sipolino said, he and other volunteers have quite the rehab project ahead of them.

The field needs new fencing, a backstop repair, new netting, a renovated infield and redrawn lines, among other improvements. Sipolino estimated the site needs about $2,000 worth of work.

“We don’t need it to be a million-dollar facility,” McLaughlin said. “I want it safe for the kids, and I want them somewhere they can have fun.”

Future competition

Chiado said the association had to start fresh this year because the board decided to switch the association from Little League to Pony League.

The change will encourage more competition and allow the association to make bigger teams, McLaughlin said.

Being in Pony League allows player ages to span three years on one team versus only two years in Little League. Pony League is less expensive for teams and allows for coed teams a year longer than Little League does, McLaughlin said.

He said the board has combined the association’s current 10U program and new 12U program to have enough kids for the team. Leechburg’s closest neighbors, including Apollo, Kiski, Deer Lakes, Delmont and Freeport recreation leagues, are all in Pony League as well, meaning Leechburg players will get to compete more and parents can stay local.

The board is attempting to raise as much money as they can for the project and the upcoming season. The Association will be hosting fundraising events in the coming months and clinics for prospective players.

“We just want to be able to give the kids what we remembered whenever we were playing,” Sipolino said.