Newport Beach PONY All-Stars win St. Hedwig Tournament

Newport Beach resident Brent Overfelt has been around the game of youth baseball long enough to know the ins and outs of the major organizations.

Three sons into this adventure, he is having as much fun as he has ever had coaching their All-Star teams.

The Little League World Series draws a national audience during the summer months, but Overfelt and others might find that PONY baseball provides a more-than-suitable alternative.

When his oldest son, Cade, played in the Little League district tournament, the team lost its first two games and was eliminated. The players got a team sweatshirt for their efforts.

It has been much different this time around. He is managing the Newport Beach PONY 10-year-old All-Stars, a team that includes his youngest son, Ganon, on the roster.

The greatest change has been the amount of time that the kids have spent together, allowing lasting bonds to be formed among the players.

“Little League doesn’t allow you to play in pre-tournaments,” Overfelt said. “You go right into districts.”

“[With PONY], you get more reps, and the kids get to meet new buddies. They get to hang out with them.”

The Newport Beach PONY All-Stars were selected from the Mustang Division of the organization. The selection process brings together the coaches of the 12 age-division teams in the Mustang Division to determine the field of 12 kids who will compete as All-Stars.

Tournament play has preceded district tournaments for the Newport Beach PONY All-Stars, affording them the opportunity to grow as a unit. They lost their first two games, but they are 10-1 over their past 11 games.

Had they been playing under the Little League All-Star format, their time together would have been over before they had gained their footing.

“We’ve got some kids that already have 40 plate appearances in the 15 games, so they’re getting a lot more experience,” Overfelt said. “They’re playing games, which they love, and they’re having a lot of fun.”

More games means more fun, especially when you are winning. As their recent record suggests, that has been the trend for the Newport Beach PONY All-Stars. They claimed the St. Hedwig Tournament title on Sunday, defeating Cypress, 10-0, in the championship game.

Newport Beach went 5-0 in the tournament. They defeated Seal Beach twice, adding wins against St. Hedwig and Cheviot Hills.

The wins came in various ways, none more exciting than an 8-7 walk-off victory over Seal Beach in the teams’ first meeting. Jackson McDonald drove in the winning run.

In the semifinal rematch, Ganon Overfelt and Brady Gadol combined to allow just three hits as Newport Beach won the game, 6-3. Ryan Rakunas provided the pop with a home run in the contest.

The final saw Overfelt’s players match up with a pitcher that was 6 feet tall. He said the looks on their faces were a sight to see.

“You don’t see it at that 10-year-old [division] where you have a kid that is 6 feet tall and looks super athletic,” Overfelt said. “He’s warming up, and these kids are wide-eyed watching him warm up.”

“It was just a fun moment. It was a great experience for these guys, which I’m sure they will remember for a long time.”

Miles Pluma bested his towering counterpart on the mound, scattering three hits in a four-inning shutout in the championship game. Aiden Pearson’s hit made the score 10-0 to put the mercy rule into effect.

In the tournament, Brady Annett, Andrew Niccol, Jamey Ott, Will Urtel, Rakunas, McDonald, and Overfelt each posted multi-hit games.

Newport Beach will host the PONY Mustang districts tournament at Bonita Canyon Sports Park. The tournament will run from June 29 to July 3. Newport Beach will play its opener against Irvine on June 30 at 5:15 p.m.

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Twitter: @ProfessorTurner