BUTLER TWP— Two summers ago, a group of Butler Township Little League players reached the doorstep of Williamsport and the Little League World Series.

They were stopped short.

Now they're a little older, bigger, stronger and wiser. And they're back for more.

Nine members of that team have joined Mickey Fennell, Colin Williamson and Michael Johnston in comprising the Butler Township 14-year-old team in the North Hills Federation Pony League.

"This league has the best teams in the Pittsburgh area,"assistant coach Chris Cotton said. "The way our team has been beating them ... We like to believe we're the best team in the Pittsburgh area. We have to think that way."

Butler Township won 14 of its first 15 games this season, outscoring the opposition 158-36 in the 14 wins. The lone defeat was an 11-1 setback to McCandless.

"We've faced teams that have hit the ball as hard we do,"manager Jim Murray said. "We just didn't match the other team's hitting that day."

They overwhelm the opposition's hitting on most days.

Nine times this season, Butler Township ended games early via the 10-run rule. BTscored 17 runs in wins over Shaler, Cranberry and North Hills this season, 15 runs against Butler Township Navy, 13 against Ingomar Gold and Cranberry.

Defensively, BThas limited the opposition to three runs or fewer on nine occasions.

"We sat down with the kids before the season and asked them what they wanted their team's goal to be,"Murray said. "Do you want to just play for the fun of it?Do you want to win the league?Whatever their goal, we coaches would work with them to achieve it.

"These kids want to get to the Pony World Series. And they're dead serious about it."

All 12 players see action every game. All 12 are talented enough to play every inning of every game.

Thomas Bruce leads the team with three home runs — and batted ninth against Hampton on Thursday night.

"Everybody has his time to sit and these kids understand that,"assistant coach Bruce Ziegler said. "There's no squabbling among them. They're all good friends and they've become a very close-knit group."

Butler Township batters have walked more times than they've struck out — 63 to 54 — a statistic unheard of at the Pony League level.

"Everybody on this team has been taking hitting lessons since age 8 or 9,"Murray said. "They know the strike zone and they're disciplined at the plate.

"They're polished hitters who keep getting better because they keep working at it. I feel very blessed to have had so much time coaching this group. A group of boys like this don't come around very often."

Murray and Ziegler were assistant coaches on the 12-year-old team that reached the LLWS. That team's manager, John Baranchak, continues to coach at the township's Little League level.

Murray emphasized that Pony League baseball is still a developmental level of the game.

Runners in Little League aren't permitted to take a lead off the base or steal until the pitch crosses the plate. Pony League plays by major league rules.

"That's a big adjustment for kids,"Murray said. "We're still teaching them how to get a secondary lead, read the pitcher, get a good jump when stealing."

Butler Township has stolen 36 bases this season — twice as many as last year. The team finished 16-6 as 13-year-olds a year ago.

"I let the pitcher and catcher call their own game,"Murray said. "I stay out of it. At this age, pitchers know what they're comfortable throwing and what pitches they're confident they can throw for strikes in a tough situation."

It's all working so far.

"All of these kids come from respectable families and they appreciate the game,"Ziegler said. "A bunch of them ride their bikes over to Jay Fennell's camp during the day and help teach the younger kids. They remember what that instruction has done for them."

The combination of athleticism and attitude has made Butler Township a legitimate threat to reach the Pony World Series, slated Aug. 8-15 in Washington, Pa.

"These kids are fantastic athletes. They're also involved in football, track, basketball ... They all play another sport,"Cotton said.

"There's no animosity among them. They cheer for each other. It's a pleasure just being around them."