Youth Baseball in Manhattan Beach: Little League and Clinics

By DITR staff · Updated November 14, 2026

Key takeaways

• Manhattan Beach baseball is split between Little League and South Bay PONY. Pick one for the spring, because each runs its own registration and season.
• Girls softball is a separate organization, Beach Softball, for ages 5 to 14. Manhattan Beach Little League’s division list is all baseball.
• Little League figures age on August 31. South Bay PONY figures it on April 30. The same child can land in different divisions.
• Ballplayers 13 and older can look at Little League Juniors and Seniors, PONY’s 13-14 division, or El Segundo Babe Ruth, which takes players who live or attend school in Manhattan Beach.
• DITR’s free baseball and softball clinics will add skill work on top of any league season.

Who runs youth baseball and softball in Manhattan Beach?

Three organizations cover most of what parents look for here. Manhattan Beach Little League has been part of the city since 1958 and runs baseball for boys and girls. South Bay PONY Baseball is based in Manhattan Beach and runs a spring and a fall season. Beach Softball is the girls fastpitch league. Older players have a fourth choice in El Segundo Babe Ruth, whose boundaries include Manhattan Beach.

The cards below give each league’s ages, fields and sign-up notes. Next door, Hermosa Beach Little League runs its own program, and Redondo Beach families have options too (see our Redondo Beach guide). Private club and travel teams exist as well. We do not list them here, since they change from year to year.

Youth baseball and softball leagues in Manhattan Beach

League details checked against each league’s own website in November 2026. Seasons, boundaries and sign-up dates change, so confirm with the league before you register. Diamonds In The Rough is not affiliated with these leagues.

What is Manhattan Beach Little League, and which division fits my child?

Manhattan Beach Little League is a nonprofit chartered through Little League Baseball. It serves ages 5 to 16 and places each player by league age, not by skill. Its page says division placement by the age chart is final, so do not ask to move a child up or down. Here is how the league describes its divisions:

• Tee Ball (ages 5-6): hitting off a tee and learning the basics, one Saturday game a week.
• Single A (ages 6-8): machine pitch.
• Double A (ages 8-9): the first competitive division, with player pitching, umpires, standings and playoffs.
• Triple A (ages 10-11) and Majors (ages 11-12): Triple A is the highest minor division before Majors.
• Intermediate 50/70 (ages 12-13), Juniors (13-14) and Seniors (14-16): bigger fields and 90-foot diamonds.

League age follows Little League’s rule: a child’s age on August 31 of the season year. The league links the official Little League age chart on its site. Eleven-year-olds can choose Triple A or Majors, but the league says Majors can fill up and send 11s to Triple A.

Games are played at the Marine Avenue fields (Marine East, Center and Big Marine), Premier Field, Live Oak Park, American Martyrs School and Dominguez, which sits just over the line in Redondo Beach. Manhattan Beach Little League is also part of California District 36, along with El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and Palos Verdes. For whether your address falls inside a league’s boundaries, Little League’s League Finder tool on littleleague.org is the place to check.

How is South Bay PONY different from Little League?

South Bay PONY invites boys and girls ages 4 to 14 from across the South Bay. Its spring divisions are Foal (4-5), Shetland (5-6), Pinto (7-8), Mustang (9-10), Bronco (11-12) and Pony (13-14). PONY builds narrow one- or two-year age windows, and it counts age on April 30 of the spring season, not August 31. A child with a summer birthday can land in a different division than they would at Little League. The league says players born May 1 through August 31 may ask to play up one level.

The league describes spring as its main season. Registration typically runs from mid-October into early January, teams are announced around early February, opening day is usually early March, and the season runs March through May. Fall ball is the secondary season: registration typically runs mid-July to late August, play starts in mid-September, and divisions are split into recreational and select teams. Its field list includes Mira Costa, Begg, Dorsey, Big Marine, Manhattan Heights Park and Manhattan Beach Middle School.

Where can my daughter play softball in Manhattan Beach?

Beach Softball is a youth fastpitch organization for girls from Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and nearby. Its spring and fall recreational programs take girls ages 5 to 14 of any skill level, and it offers a Select program and competitive post-season play for advanced players. Teams practice and play at Marine Sports Complex (West Field), Manhattan Heights Park and Begg Field.

In spring, practices begin in late February and the regular season wraps up by mid-May. Divisions 8U to 14U usually practice once a week and play up to two games. The 6U and machine pitch groups get one practice and one game a week. Fall ball runs about eight to ten weeks and is aimed at skill growth, especially for new pitchers and catchers. Girls who want to play baseball instead can register with either Little League or South Bay PONY, both of which take boys and girls.

For hitting and pitching work between seasons, see our guides to softball hitting drills and softball pitching drills.

When should I register for spring 2027?

Right now is a good time. As of early November 2026, here is what the leagues have posted or say is typical:

• Manhattan Beach Little League: spring 2027 registration opened October 3 and closes January 1, 2027. The season kicks off with a parade on February 27, 2027 and ends with Championship Weekend on May 29, 2027.
• South Bay PONY: a spring 2027 registration page is up. The league says registration usually runs mid-October to early January.
• Beach Softball: register online through its site. Practices usually start in late February.
• El Segundo Babe Ruth (13 and up): its 2026 page listed spring registration as January 1 to 17, with tryouts for new players.

Dates shift every year, so confirm on each league’s own site before you plan around them.

What comes after age 12 in Manhattan Beach?

Players have several paths. Manhattan Beach Little League continues with Intermediate, Juniors and Seniors. South Bay PONY has a 13-14 Pony division. El Segundo Babe Ruth runs a spring season for ages 13 to 16, including 12-year-olds who have aged out of Little League, and players must live or go to school in El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach or North Redondo Beach. New players try out for its spring draft. Many families then look ahead to high school programs; our baseball tryouts guide covers how to prepare.

How can my child get extra practice between seasons?

A league gives your child games. It rarely gives much one-on-one time with a coach. DITR, the Diamonds In The Rough Sports Foundation, is a nonprofit based in Torrance that serves South Bay families. Its free baseball and softball clinics will be open to all ages and work well alongside any league, whether your child plays Little League, PONY or Beach Softball. You can get updates on that page.

Older and more advanced players can ask about one-on-one player development with Coach Murphy Su’a, a former Dodgers and Brewers organization player and a coach for more than 40 years who works with both baseball and softball players. For things to practice at home, start with our youth baseball drills. If you are also looking at El Segundo, see our El Segundo guide.

Sources: Manhattan Beach Little League (home, field locations, mission); Manhattan Beach Little League: Divisions of Play; Manhattan Beach Little League: Spring 2027 Information; Manhattan Beach Little League: California District 36; South Bay PONY Baseball: About Spring Baseball; South Bay PONY Baseball: Divisions Summary; South Bay PONY Baseball: About Fall Baseball; Beach Softball: Introduction; Beach Softball: FAQs; El Segundo Babe Ruth League; Little League: Determine League Age; Little League: Play Little League and League Finder

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