Carlsbad 6U baseball team finishes 1-2 at Pony West Zone Finals

CARLSBAD — The city’s tiniest but mightiest little league sluggers wrapped up a memorable season with an appearance at the Pony West Zone Finals in Simi Valley over the weekend. 

The Carlsbad Youth Baseball All-Star team went 1-2 in the Shetland Division (ages 3 to 6) at last week’s finals, also called the World Series.

Prior to its finals appearance, the Carlsbad 6-and-under team won its first-ever regional title after defeating San Marcos 17-15 in the Pony West Zone Southwest Regional Championship on July 4 in Escondido.

Assistant coach Brian Thill said the boys were thrilled to win the regional and qualify for the World Series, making the most of the opportunity after notching a 20-10 victory over North Valley to open pool play.

Carlsbad lost its final two games, falling to Olive and Westlake to end its spectacular run in the Pony-affiliated tournament.  

“The kids had an absolute blast and even competed in a home run derby,” Thill said. “They were so excited (to win). The caliber of teams was fantastic.”

In the weeklong preparation for the finals, Thill said the days were filled with hard practices and the boys brought the  same hard work ethic they had demonstrated all season. And the sweat and work paid off — Carlsbad’s Shetland baseball team finished its season as the top 6-and-under team in San Diego County. 

The team was led by head coach Frank Garcia, Thill and fellow assistant coaches Ryan Solis, Brian Cassaro and Ben Monroe.

On the field, the team consisted of catcher AJ Garcia, pitcher Peyton Monroe, first baseman Brax Amavisca, second baseman Gabe Anderson, shortstop Pierce Erickson, third baseman Raymond Thill and outfielders Kalem Solis, Graham, Dahl, Judah Shokair, Mario Luis, Mason Asher, Isiah McBrayer and Duke Cassaro.