32 THE BEST OF MONTEREY BAY® FAMILY 2025-2026 who enrolled his child to play baseball. “I joined the Monterey league in 2021,” Bommarito says. “There was me and one other coach. There were 26 kids in the [Mustang and Pinto programs] and they gave us all 26. No uniforms, no umpires, nothing. It was just, here’s these kids, and we did it like a Sandlot style.” That year, the league had 90 total participants. Three years, one pandemic, and one resigned Monterey PONY president later, Bommarito found himself coaching in two leagues—Seaside and Monterey—as well as running the Monterey league. He quickly arranged a new board (which includes his wife Brandi) and adopted something of a radical philosophy. “We’ve de-emphasized winning,” he says. “I had seen other coaches in other leagues that were just hard on kids. They put this huge emphasis on winning and it wasn’t fun. Then [the kids] wanted to quit and didn’t want to do it anymore. I thought that was terrible.” Ironically, “de-emphasizing winning” led the Monterey teams to win more games, including multiple tournament wins. Participation rates also rose, from 90 kids in 2022 to 150 (2023) to 250 (2024), which also included a revival of the softball league that had been dormant for nearly six years. This year the total number of participants is approaching 300. Of the 24 teams participating in Monterey PONY, the Shetland level is the most popular with eight teams and more than 80 participants. For many in Shetland, this is the first time playing a team sport. Coaches and parents often stand beside the kids in the field urging them to “Go!” when a ball is hit off the tee. It is not uncommon to see the entire team chase the ball down, wrestle the ball out of the hands of a teammate and hold it, giggling, until one or all of the coaches holler at them to “throw to first!” Shaun Jones, coach for the Shetland Sharks, and his wife (and Team Mom) Sarah have made time to volunteer for very straightforward reasons. “My kids were getting into baseball and I wanted to be around them,” Jones says. “I wanted to help.” All four of their children participate in the league despite Jones working a 70-plus hour week. For the Jones family, being a part of PONY is less about playing a game than it is celebrating one. For some, playing might be the prelude to a love for athletics, while for others, it might just be memories of springtime. Whatever the kids remember, however, one thing seems consistent. PONY league is a family affair where everyone hits and everyone scores. “I always tell the kids to give their best effort and to pull in the same direction, regardless of what it says on the scoreboard,” Bommarito says. “I tell them that if we’re doing those things we just cannot lose.” Far left: A Shetland Sharks player is next up at bat. Left: Coach Tommy Bommarito (right) addresses the Mustang All Star team during a huddle. Below: A Shetland player runs home after a hit. BRANDI BOMMARITO DAZE EVANS LEILA HERWITZ
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