After the Hart Pony League 7U Red Tournament team won the regional title in late June, the group is looking to continue its world series championship journey this weekend at the7U Pony World Series in Camarillo.
Longtime coach Pat Downs, who’s coached local youth baseball in the Santa Clarita Valley since the 1980s and is skipper of the 7U team, is aiming to lead this year’s team to its second-consecutive Pony World Series championship.
Last season, Downs managed the Hart Red 6U team and won the Pony World Series championship with a 17-1 record. And with most of the players from last year’s team returning for Downs’ 7U team, many players are looking to claim their second-consecutive championship.
“Eight players have been with us for three years,” Downs said in an interview with The Signal. “They went 17-1 and it’s a group of kids that are ultra-competitive … they’re super competitive and they’re nonstop baseball kids.”
This year, the Red 7U team is undefeated with an 11-0 record going into the Pony World Series championship and enters the tournament with momentum after winning the regional championship in late June.
Downs said that winning the regional championship is a testament to the work ethic of the kids and commitment of their families who have worked to help build a successful team over the past two years.
“I got nine kids involved, around seven to eight parents out there, and they’re all super dedicated,” Downs said. “They show up on time, and we rotate as many kids as we can in and out of the lineup, and it’s been a successful formula so far.”
With the opportunity to win back-to-back Pony World Series titles with the same group of players from the 6U championship, Downs reflected on the rare achievement, which he also accomplished when he first began coaching youth baseball.
In 1988 and 1989, Downs won back-to-back Pony World Series championships and now, nearly 40 years later, he’s tasked with a familiar opportunity.
Downs added that although the world has changed drastically in 40 years since he first began coaching, the one aspect that hasn’t changed is that baseball is still the same sport and he still coaches players to reach their full potential.
“It’s the same principle we used back in ’88 and ’89,” Downs said. “It’s always been my philosophy to challenge them with something they can’t do, and let’s see how close we can get them to doing that.”
Downs said that this year’s championship run will likely be his last as he’s looking to step down from coaching at Hart Pony baseball as a coach and director and move to Tennessee to be closer to his grandkids.
With the Red 7U team set to begin its Pony World Series journey on Friday, Downs has set a high standard for his players to not only perform well but also win the 7U World Series title in what will be his last run.
“We kept this team together with the goal of trying to win another World Series,” he said. “We may or may not do that, but we’ve come a long way in our player development to get to that point.”
The Hart Red 7U team is scheduled to play its first game in the 7U World Series on Friday against the West Covina 7U Red All-Stars at the Bob Kildee Community Park in Camarillo with first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m.
