Mount Olympus Titans take two PONY state titles

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The Mount Olympus Titans ruled the recent Utah PONY baseball state championships, in which their Pinto team -- players ages 7 and 8 -- and their Mustang team -- ages 9 and 10 -- won their respective state titles.

PONY, or Protecting Our Nation's Youth, teams have sub-leagues that play from March to June. In June, an all-star team for postseason play is formed based on players' skills.

Matthew Lewis was rooting for both the Mustangs -- he's their assistant coach and his 10-year-old son, Matthew Lewis Jr., plays on the team -- and the Pintos -- the team of his 8-year-old son, Jake.

The Mustang team was undefeated in postseason play and was widely expected to win the championship, he said. That wasn't necessarily the case for the Pinto team.

"The Pinto team was really a little bit more exciting, because that team was a little more of the underdogs," he said.

At the double-elimination tournament, which took place July 15 to 22 at Barnes Park in Kaysville, the Mustang team went undefeated and edged out Orem A 12-11 in the finals. However, the Pinto team lost early, which put it in the consolation bracket. Players had to beat the Farmington A team twice in order to win the state championship, and they won 16-10 in the finals.

Cory Alder, head coach of the Pinto team, said that while the team usually had fourteen players, only ten of them played during the tournament. "It's that time of year, and some people were out of town," he said.

Nonetheless, the team took preparation for the tournament seriously, practicing three times a week, Alder said. A pitching machine was used in Pinto games, while the players pitched in the Mustangs' division.

Lewis said that it was good for Jake and his teammates to experience the excitement of victory at such a young age. "As a parent, you're more protective of your younger kids," he said.

The Mustang team moved on to the national tournament in Chino Hills, Calif., where it was eliminated after two games.

Alder said although he was excited for his young players, he kept the win in perspective.

"The first thing that went through my mind, I guess, was that the kids were having fun and they enjoyed playing baseball," he said. "When they won, I don't think they believed that they were the state champions."