WASHINGTON, PA (August 11, 2021) — PONY Baseball’s West Zone representative in the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series will be San Jose, CA. In the tournament’s 69-year history, this will be San Jose’s first appearance. 

For San Jose’s coach, Shane Hall, making the trip to the PONY World Series is a dream come true.

“My involvement in the San Jose PONY League started 35 years ago as a kid growing up and playing ball in San Jose,” said Hall. “I’ve coached for some time now in PONY, and when San Jose PONY gave me the opportunity to coach, there wasn’t even a question.”

Hall’s deep roots in the San Jose PONY League allow him to understand just how special this opportunity is for his players, and after his team’s performance in the West Zone tournament, he has big expectations for his team as they head to Washington, PA. 

In the West Zone tournament, San Jose powered its way through teams from Utah and California, outscoring its opponents 32-9.

San Jose will play its first game in the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series against Brownsville, TX, at 5:30 PM on Friday, August 13, at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA.

WASHINGTON, PA (August 10, 2021) — PONY Baseball’s East Zone representative in the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series will be Manchester, NH. In the tournament’s 69-year history, Manchester is the first team ever from New Hampshire to make the August journey to Washington, PA.

Manchester’s coach, Micah Durham, is especially proud of his team being the first from New Hampshire to ever qualify for the PONY World Series.

“We have a great group of kids that have been working together for about a month,” said Durham. “They continue to surprise us with their dedication, work ethic and determination. We as a coaching staff truly believe they can achieve anything they set their minds to.”

Durham also believes his team is strong both offensively and defensively, which Manchester proved in its qualifying tournaments. In the East Zone tournament, Manchester’s bats scored 39 runs, while the team’s pitchers held opponents to just five runs. 

Manchester will play its first game in the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series against Johnstown, PA, at 8:00 PM/ET on Friday, August 13, at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA. 

WASHINGTON, PA (August 8, 2021) — PONY Baseball’s Host-Area Runner-Up representative in the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series will be Youngstown, OH. The Ohioans will represent Youngstown's fourth consecutive World Series berth. 

The team’s coach, Dominic Triveri, certainly has his fair share of experience as a youth baseball skipper. Triveri has managed youth baseball teams for over 20 years, and his 2021 team in Youngstown’s regular season went 25-0, winning the league championship. Although Triveri has an extensive coaching background, this will be his first trip to Washington, PA.

“This will be my first time attending the PONY World Series,” said Triveri. “We are excited to represent Youngstown and show everyone the talent these players have coming out of Youngstown.”

After outscoring its opponents 50-4 in the Host-Area Tournament, Triveri believes his team is solid on both sides of the ball.

“We have a great hitting lineup with both power and good contact hitters, great pitching staff, and our defense is outstanding,” said Triveri.

Youngstown will play its first game in the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series against Washington County, PA, at 8:00 PM/ET on Saturday, August 14, at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA.

WASHINGTON, PA (August 7, 2021) — PONY Baseball’s Host-Area Champion representative in the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series will be Johnstown, PA. The 2021 squad will be the tenth team from Johnstown to make the trip to Washington, PA, and will be Johnstown’s first representative since 2016.

The Johnstown team has certainly been a powerhouse in recreational and sanction play, going 18-1 in local league play and undefeated in the Host-Area tournament. In the Host-Area tournament, Johnstown outscored its opponents 37-13. After racking up so many runs, it comes as no surprise that Johnstown believes its greatest strength is its batting.

“We hit the ball well from top to bottom,” said Brian Oleksa, Johnstown’s coach. “The boys have a great bond, like brothers. We are looking forward to good competition and a great atmosphere.”

Johnstown will play its first game in the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series against PONY’s East Zone Champion at 8:00 PM/ET on Friday, August 13, at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA.

WASHINGTON, PA (August 5, 2021) — PONY Baseball’s South Zone representative in the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series will be Brownsville, TX. The 2021 Texan squad will be the fourth consecutive team from Brownsville to reach the World Series.

Although Brownsville will be making its fourth straight appearance, qualifying this year was certainly no easy feat. Brownsville fought its way through a 16-team, double-elimination bracket, outscoring its opponents 17-5.

With such a dominant performance, it comes as no surprise that Brownsville’s coach, Ruben Lopez, believes his team’s greatest strength is its batting. 

In years past, Brownsville has always made a splash at its trips to the World Series in Washington, PA. The 2017 team featured Brownsville player Marco Martinez hurdling Washington County’s catcher to win the game in walk-off fashion. Martinez’s hurdle was SportsCenter’s top play of the month for August. The 2018 Brownsville squad featured Anny Rivera, the first girl to ever participate in the PONY World Series.

To see what surprises Brownsville brings this year, check out Brownsville’s first game against the West Zone champion at 5:30 PM/ET on Friday, August 13, at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA.

WASHINGTON, PA (August 3, 2021) — PONY Baseball’s North Zone representative in the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series will be Bay County, MI. The 2021 squad will be the ninth consecutive team from Bay County to make the trip to Washington, PA. 

The Bay County team hopes to build on the impressive showing they had in the 2019 World Series, finishing as the runner-up after losing a hard-fought championship game to Chinese Taipei.

Jim Butts, who was also the coach of Bay County’s 2019 team, will be the team’s manager again this year. After his team’s impressive showing in 2019, Butts has some high expectations for this year.

“To be able to see and play against some of the top teams in the world is humbling,” said Butts. “We certainly exceeded our expectations last time and have a greater appreciation for the previous accomplishments of the Bay County PONY League. As far as what it has taught me for this year, I would say that it has raised expectations and maybe the ability to make the boys believe in the possibilities in front of them."

Although Butts believes in his team’s ability, his main goal is for his team to play hard.

“All I know is that these boys love the game and will play hard,” stated Butts. “I guess that's all I can ask for.”

Also coaching the Bay County squad is Craig Revette, the team’s business manager. Craig was a perennial assistant to his father, Dan Revette, on many of Bay County’s trips to the PONY World Series. 

Unfortunately, Dan passed away shortly after the 2019 tournament. Although many names and many deeds go unrecorded in minutes of meetings and reports of activities, they are engraved on the hearts of those young people who benefit from the time, the effort, and the talent that volunteers have given to them through PONY Baseball and Softball, with Dan Revette’s efforts being no exception.

Bay County will play its first game in the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series against Bayamon, Puerto Rico, at 5:30 PM/ET on Saturday, August 14, at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA.

WASHINGTON, PA (July 23, 2021) — PONY Baseball’s Caribbean Zone representative in the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series will be Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Due to international travel restrictions from the Coronavirus Pandemic, Puerto Rico will be the only international team in the 2021 tournament.

Bayamón went undefeated in the Puerto Rican National Championship, outscoring its opponents 25-7. Bayamón defeated Levittown, Puerto Rico, in the championship game by a score of 10-2. 

After Bayamón’s performance in the Puerto Rican Championship, it comes as no surprise that the team’s coach, Anthony Rodriguez, believes that the team’s biggest strength is its batting. 

“All year we have had big hits at the right moment,” said Rodriguez. “Myself and our parents are very proud of our team, and we hope to end the summer as World Series champions.”

To prepare for the 2021 World Series, Bayamón practices each day of the week and plays tournament games on weekends. 

The 2021 Bayamón squad will be the eighth team from Bayamón to play in the DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series. Bayamón won the 1995 PONY League World Series and is making its first appearance since 2013. Bayamón will play its first game against the North Zone champion on Saturday, August 14 at 5:30 PM/ET at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA.

WASHINGTON, PA (July 13, 2021) — The host team in the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series will be Washington County, PA. The growth of the Founder’s League gave Washington County 12 PONY teams, allowing 31 players to try out for the World Series team.

Ben Miller, the coach of the 2019 Washington County squad, will also be the head coach of the 2021 team. Miller grew up playing baseball in Maryland and was a catcher in high school and at Waynesburg University, where he was a three-year starter. The remainder of Miller’s coaching staff consists of John Stack, John Rieg, and Jason Vankirk, all of whom have extensive coaching experience in Washington Youth Baseball.

When questioned about the team selection process, Miller detailed just how difficult picking the right World Series team is. 

“The team selection process began before the first game of the regular season,” said Miller. “I went to about 25 games to watch the kids play. Following the playoffs, we offered a three-day tryout and collected video and mechanical data, along with quantitative evaluations.”

Miller is also working his team hard to prepare them for competitive World Series play. The Washington County squad practices six days per week and will play in four tournaments. Miller also has his team playing in two tournaments against 15- and 16-year-olds to prepare for better pitching. 

After winning two games in the 2019 World Series, Miller has certainly set some high expectations. Although the 2019 Washington County squad was the most successful since the 2006 team, which also won two games, Miller does have a few things he wants to do differently.

“First, I want to focus on all the preliminary tournaments from a learning perspective, rather than winning,” said Miller. “The only thing I want to repeat from 2019 is to make sure my guys know how much I believe that they can end this summer as world champions.”

Washington County will play its first game in the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series at 8:00 PM/ET on Saturday, August 14 at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA.