PINTO NATIONAL is a competitive instructional level teaching eight-year-old players the fundamentals of baseball. This division is intended to be the first year of kid pitch for eight-year-olds who are developed enough, both physically and in terms of baseball IQ, to step into pitching and hitting kid pitch.  
Emphasis is on instruction and fun, however we continue to increase the competition. Every player plays every game and cannot sit out more than 2 consecutive defensive innings. Every player is in the batting order. However players are expected to possess basic baseball skills. Players are expected to practice at home, in addition to league activities. We welcome children who are new to baseball, but they should expect to work extra hard to catch up with those children who have been playing for over 4 years.
Kids begin pitching at this level on a 60-foot diamond, with a 40-foot pitching distance. Innings are limited to 3 outs or 5 runs (except the last inning).
We require all Pinto National players to participate in pre-season player evaluations. After player evaluations, some players will be asked to play Pinto American, so they can continue developing their foundational skills. We want all of the kids to have fun and develop as players.  We want to place all kids in a position to succeed.  
While we recognize that kids this age want to play with their friends and have fun, it is not fun to have stacked teams and blowouts. It is also not fun to be placed in a situation where you do not possess the prerequisite skills to succeed.  
At the end of the season, it is a lot more fun, and better for everyone's development, to have a division with balanced teams and competitive games. And we know that your kids will make some incredible new friends on the diamond this season, on whatever team they.