MARION, IL – The Southern Illinois Miners are proud to announce that along with the City of Marion, the PONY Baseball Colt World Series will be coming to Rent One Park in 2018 from August 3^rd– 8^th after a 47-year run in Lafayette, Indiana.

Now in its 65^th year, the Colt World Series is PONY Baseball’s second-longest running World Series event. It is a ten-team tournament consisting of two, five-team double-elimination brackets, as well as ninth and tenth place games. The ten teams will be:

– Four (4) from the continental United States, with one each hailing from the West, East, South and North Zones

– Four (4) international teams, including one each from the Asia-Pacific, European, Mexican, and Caribbean regions

– One (1) area host team from Southern Illinois

– One (1) city host team from Marion, Illinois

The Colt World Series will have a check-in date of August 2^nd. There will be four games played on Friday, August 3^rd, Saturday, August 4^th and Sunday, August 5^th. Three games will take place on Monday, August 6^th, with two games contested on Tuesday, August 7^th, and one to three contests on Wednesday, August 8^th. There will also be opening ceremonies, as well as a Champions League game, which is the PONY Baseball League developed for special needs children.

PONY Baseball and Softball (which stands for Protect Our Nation’s Youth) was founded in the summer of 1951 as a transition league for 13 and 14-year old players designed to take graduates of Little League baseball from that diamond to the regulation size diamond. Headquartered in Washington, Pennsylvania, PONY Baseball has developed a program that mirrors Major League Baseball rules and regulations as well as a postseason tournament system.  The World Series are hosted at almost every level of PONY baseball, and held across the United States.

Over 500,000 youth participate in the PONY organization each year. There are currently over 375 Major League Baseball players who are graduates of PONY Baseball, with Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez, J.T. Snow and the late Tony Gwynn being just a few of the players who participated in PONY baseball. There were also six players picked in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft who played PONY Baseball.

Be sure to follow the Miners on Facebook, Twitter (@SIMiners), Instagram and Snapchat, and also online at southernillinoisminers.com as they prepare for the 2018 season at Rent One Park.

The Southern Illinois Miners are the Frontier League’s winningest franchise since debuting in 2007, winning the 2012 Frontier League Championship as well as division titles in 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2016. They have been awarded the Frontier League Organization of the Year award three times since their inception, and also set a new Frontier League attendance record in their inaugural season. For ticket information, contact the Rent One Park box office at (618) 998-8499. For any additional information, visit our website at www.southernillinoisminers.com.

BENTON, IL – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake is offering the opportunity for hunters with disabilities to enjoy the sport of goose hunting. A specially designed in-ground goose pit, located just east of the Mine 21 parking area, features a gradually sloping sidewalk which provides easy access to persons with mobility impairments. A sliding roll-top allows for easy shooting while providing maximum camouflage. The pit accommodates parties up to 5 hunters. All hunters are required to hunt from within the pit and must abide by all Federal, State, and Rend Lake site-specific hunting regulations. Since Rend Lake is in the south central waterfowl region, goose hunting season begins November 11, 2017 and runs through January 31, 2018.

The Rend Lake goose pit is available to persons with disabilities, by reservation, during the main goose season. A reservation allows the disabled person and up to 4 able-bodied assistants to hunt the goose pit on the date their reservation is valid. Persons with a reservation are allowed to pull their vehicles close to the blind for parking and unloading. A reservation to hunt the goose pit can be made by any of three methods:

1. Submit an application in person by bringing it to the Rend Lake Project Office and Visitor Center, Monday thru Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

2. Call the Rend Lake Project Office and Visitor Center at (618) 724-2493 during regular business hours and reserve the site over the phone.

3. Fax in an application to the Rend Lake Project Office and Visitor Center at (618) 724-4089.

Applicants will be contacted to confirm the date of their hunt and a permit will be issued. Disabled hunters must be accompanied by at least one able-bodied person who can assist with all aspects of the hunt. On days that the goose pit has not been reserved by a disabled hunter, it will be available to any group of hunters (disabled or able-bodied) wishing to utilize it on a first-come, first-served basis. Walk-in hunters do not require an application or a reservation and may access the area by walking from the Mine 21 parking lot to the blind. For further information contact Park Ranger Randy Cordray at the Rend Lake Project Office and Visitor Center at 618-724-2493.

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