Bel Passi to host Pony League World Series. Here’s how Modesto organization got it.
The new sod is in. The crushed red brick applied. The mound reconstructed. The lights replaced. The air-conditioned scorekeeper’s box converted.
There’s still a long list of housekeeping items left, but Rich Perez is confident all will be done by Thursday, when a few of the best youth baseball teams in the country converge on the Bel Passi Baseball complex, site of the Pony-13 World Series.
“We’re excited,” said Perez, Bel Passi’s president. “One of my goals has been to have a World Series here.”
The northeast Modesto youth baseball organization was awarded the eight-team, double-elimination tournament when Whittier, which has hosted the tournament since 2014, backed out because of the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and access to a field.
Pony Baseball, which has been around since 1951, went searching for a new site to host the five-day event. When Vacaville couldn’t access its city-run fields due to COVID-19, Bel Passi, whose facilities are privately owned, was the easy choice.
“They liked the city of Modesto and our facility,” said Monica Brown, Bel Passi’s second vice president. “They are letting us try it out this year.”
The biggest perk for the host organization is automatic entry for its Under-13 team, the Bel Passi All-Stars. They will be joined by San Jose PAL, Central Michigan and five others who will have qualified in tournaments, some ending Sunday.
In past years, there have been international teams, including Seoul, South Korea, which won in 2017 and 2018. However, travel restrictions due to the pandemic negated international competition.
Games will be played on Bel Passi’s big field, which sits on the northwest side of the property at 4312 Roselle Ave.
Opening ceremonies on Thursday, July 22, start at 6 p.m. Brown said there will be city dignitaries present, including Mayor Sue Zwahlen, along with all the teams decked out in their uniforms. Shortly after, there will be a skills competition, including a home run derby.
Friday, play begins with games at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., which will be the daily schedule. Bel Passi faces West Zone team No. 3 in the late game Friday. The championship game is Monday, July 26, at 7 p.m.
Tickets each day are $10 for those 11 years old and above, $5 for those ages 6 to 10 and free for children 5 and under. A ticket gives you all-day access.
Perez said he’s looking at hosting duties as an opportunity to secure a potential spot on Pony Baseball’s World Series rotation.
He expects upward of 300 people attending each day, comparable to a Saturday when all four fields are simultaneously being used for its spring league.
To accommodate fans, bleachers from the other fields will be moved to the big field, with two on the third base side and three on the first base side. For families, one of the complex’s four fields will be used as a fun zone for children. Another field will be available for practice, and the barbecue area in back will be expanded to provide food, shade and seating for 12- and 13-year-old players.
Perez put a roughly $20,000 price tag on the upgrades, which he said were largely aesthetic — and well worth it.
“Maybe this gets our foot in the door,” he said. “If we can put on a relatively good show, maybe we don’t get 13s next year, but maybe the 14s, 12s, 11s, 10s. Hopefully, we can host this again.”
