WASHINGTON, PA (August 10, 2022) - San Jose, CA, has won PONY Baseball’s West Zone to qualify for the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series.

After making its first ever appearance last year, San Jose is excited to repeat as the West Zone champions and punch the city’s second ticket to the World Series. Shane Hall, who also coached the 2021 San Jose team, is excited to be back. 

“The West Zone championship is where they showed grit and determination…,” Coach Shane Hall said. “We dropped game one against Long Beach in a horrible fashion. Every game after that was an elimination game - something we haven’t faced since last season.”

Coach Hall couldn’t be more proud of his players after they battled their way out of the elimination bracket.

“This is an amazing group of very talented young men…,” Hall said. “They are one for all and all for one. Every player on this team strives to be the captain and not the MVP.”

After losing its first game in the West Zone tournament 12-0 to Long Beach, CA, San Jose won five games in a row to punch its ticket to Washington, PA. 

San Jose will play its first game in the 2022 tournament against Monterrey, MX, at 1:00 PM/ET on Saturday, August 13, at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA.

WASHINGTON, PA (August 7, 2022) - Hagerstown, MD, has won PONY Baseball’s East Zone to qualify for the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series. 

This will be Hagerstown’s fifteenth total appearance in the World Series. In 1952, Hagerstown played in the very first PONY League World Series game, losing 3-1 to N. Charleston, SC.

The coach of the 2022 squad, Steve Berger, hopes to add to Hagerstown’s incredible history at the World Series by bringing the city its first ever title. 

“Naturally we want to win Hagerstown’s first championship, but we also want to let the city know how proud we are to represent the Hagerstown area again,” Berger said. 

Berger himself is no stranger to Washington, PA, having coached Hagerstown in the PONY World Series in 2002, 2008, and 2017. Berger also coached Hagerstown’s PONY-13 team to the PONY-13 World Series in both 2016 and 2021. 

Hagerstown went undefeated in the East Zone tournament, outscoring its opponents 40-7.

Hagerstown will play its first game in the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series against Bay County, MI, at 5:30 PM/ET on Friday, August 12, at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA.

WASHINGTON, PA (August 6, 2022) - Johnstown, PA, has won PONY Baseball’s Host- Area Zone to qualify for the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series.

Coach Dominic Cannizzaro reports that the team has strength on offense and defense.

“We have a powerful 1-9 lineup, topped with plenty of team speed,” Cannizzaro said. “On the defensive side we have power arms as well as pitchers who will mix it up and hit the spots that are being called. We have a good mix of speed to cover the outfield, and arms to keep teams from getting aggressive on base paths.”

The team’s expectations are to prove to the world that little towns in the state of Pennsylvania can produce elite baseball teams that can compete with anybody in the world. 

“Our kids come from small towns where a hard work ethic is key to survival…kids from West Central PA are built differently,” Cannizzaro said.

In the Host-Area tournament, Johnstown went 4-0, outsourcing its opponents 58-13.

The 2022 squad will be the eleventh time that Johnstown has qualified for the World Series. 

Johnstown will play its first game in the 2022 tournament against the winner of game one at 6:00 PM/ET on Saturday, August 13, at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA.

WASHINGTON, PA (August 1, 2022) - Palmview, TX, has won PONY Baseball’s South Zone to qualify for the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series.

Coach Juan Lopez reports that his team has been putting in countless hours of hard work on the diamond and in the cage. 

Last year’s champion (Brownsville, TX) was from the South Zone, and Lopez believes his team is just as powerful as Brownsville’s.

“That was a great team that was put together with hard work and determination,” said Lopez. “ I feel that our boys are just as determined because of it to bring the championship back to the South Zone. I really feel that we have the power to do something special.”

Although the team has strong hitting and pitching, Lopez believes that their faith and resilience will separate them from the competition.

Palmview’s dominance was on display in the South Zone tournament, emerging from the 16-team tournament with a perfect 5-0 record. Palmview outscored its opponents 36-10 during the tournament. 

This will be the first time that a team from Palmview has qualified for the World Series, and Lopez and his team couldn’t be more excited.

“The boys are very grateful and excited for this opportunity to share the diamond with the best baseball PONY has to offer,” Lopez said. 

Palmview will play its first game against the winner of game four at 12:00 PM/ET on Sunday, August 14, at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA.

WASHINGTON, PA (July 27, 2022) - Chinese Taipei has won PONY Baseball’s Asia-Pacific Zone to qualify for the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series. 

After being unable to compete in last year’s World Series due to international travel restrictions, Taipei is excited to return and hopes to continue its streak as a perennial powerhouse.

Chinese Taipei has won a total of 10 PONY World Series, including back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016 and 2018 and 2019. In recent years, Taipei’s pitching and defense have stymied the competition, and this year’s team is also strong defensively. 

“We are a team that values teamwork,” said the team’s coach, Chiu, Yao Yu. “Our strong defense is our advantage.” 

To prepare for the tournament, the team is continuing to practice its pitching and is sharpening its offensive skills.

“Before going to the PONY competition, we strengthened the training plan for pitchers and batters,” Chiu said. 

Chinese Taipei will play its first game in the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series against Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, at 8:00 PM/ET on Friday, August 12, at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA.

WASHINGTON, PA (July 25, 2022) - Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, has won PONY Baseball’s Caribbean Zone to qualify for the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series. 

Coach Geovannie Santiago describes his team as being very balanced, with a good offense and defense, along with power, speed, and pitching depth. 

Santiago reports that their record for the year was 61-5, winning four championships. 

“We also went undefeated in the Caribbean Zone qualifiers,” Santiago said. “We went undefeated against teams from Panama, Bonaire, Honduras, and an AOBA host team.” 

In the Caribbean Zone tournament, Puerto Rico dominated on both sides of the ball, outscoring its opponents 74-5.

The team expects to have a great time at the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series. Santiago expects tough competition, but he believes they are ready to compete and will bring a championship back to Puerto Rico.

The 2022 tournament will be Guaynabo’s second appearance in the World Series, after its loss in the semi-finals in 1978 to Joliet, IL. 

Although Guaynabo has only one previous appearance, the team has other connections to the PONY World Series. Guaynabo’s roster includes a player named Luis Matos, whose father not only played Major League Baseball for seven seasons, but also played in the 1993 PONY World Series for the runner-up Bayamon, PR, squad.

Puerto Rico will play its first game in the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series against Chinese Taipei at 8:00 PM/ET on Friday, August 12, at Lew Hays  PONY Field in Washington, PA.  

WASHINGTON, PA (July 7, 2022) - Washington County, PA, has selected its team for the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series. 

Washington’s coach Tyler Rubasky reports that his team is working tirelessly to learn to play team baseball as they prepare for the World Series. The team’s main strength is their pitching. 

“Our pitching depth is very exciting,” Rubasky said. “After working with Coach Lance Marshall at Franklin College, I learned that you want to get 2-0 in any conference/regional tournament. You do that by having good pitching, and good hitting, and I think that we have a group of young men that can do both.”

Rubasky also believes that the growth of the Founders League in Washington County has helped the local youth grow and develop on and off the baseball field. The growth of the Founders League has also led to a team that is more representative of the various geographic regions in Washington County.

Rubasky also believes there are no disadvantages being the home team. 

“Our guys know what it’s like to run out of the dugout, take a ground ball, and see a pitch coming at the plate,” he said. “They also know the sightlines, and sun positioning etc. The overwhelming support from in the area only creates an atmosphere that they want to play in.” 

The team is preparing for the World Series by playing against other high-level teams and are in a few tournaments leading up to the World Series. They also plan on doing their homework and coming up with a plan for each game they play in the World Series.

Washington County will look to build on its 2-2 performance from last year as they face a full international field in this year’s tournament. 

Washington County will play its first game in the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series against London, United Kingdom, at 3:30 PM/ET on Saturday August 6.

WASHINGTON, PA (June 28, 2022) - Monterrey, MX, has won PONY Baseball’s Mexico Zone to qualify for the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series.

Mexico’s coach, Enrique Hinojosa, reports that his team is very excited to come play in the United States, and for many of the boys it will be their first international tournament.

“The team is really excited to come to the US to play against the best international teams and the best US teams,” Hinojosa said. “We know it is a great tournament and we know family and friends will be watching the team.”

Although Hinojosa wants his team to win, he hopes that all of his players have a fun and memorable experience, as playing in the World Series is truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Hinojosa believes that his team’s greatest strength is pitching, due to the number of pitchers the team carries on its roster.

“All of the players can pitch … with the exception of the catcher and shortstop,” Hinojosa said.

The team is continuing to prepare for the World Series by playing in other competitive tournaments, and is even playing in older age brackets to face stiffer competition.

This is Monterrey’s first appearance in the DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series since 1972 when the team defeated Honolulu, HI, 3-1 to earn the World Series title. In 1959, Monterrey was also the first team from outside the US to play in the World Series.

Monterrey will play its first game in the 2022 tournament against PONY’s West Zone champion at 1:00 PM/ET on Saturday, August 13, at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA.

WASHINGTON, PA (June 14, 2022) - PONY Baseball’s European Zone representative in the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series will be London, UK.

The European Zone championship tournament was held in May of 2022. London faced stiff competition in this year’s qualifying tournament, as a total of 12 countries competed to punch a ticket to Washington, PA.

Although many members of the team have traveled to the United States before, they are very excited to come to the U.S. to play on the world's largest stage for 13- and 14-year-old baseball.

London’s team is very strong offensively and consists of many good contact hitters with minimal strikeouts. The team also has strong pitching with limited walks, and threw countless strikeouts. London’s pitching was led by its ace Mac Menzer, who was awarded “Best Pitcher” for the tournament.

London’s coach, Scott Bourgeois, has big expectations for the World Series after his team’s performance in the European Zone

“We want to be competitive and play our best, but this is a unique and special opportunity for our players to experience baseball at the highest level,” Bourgeois said.

In the Colt (16U) age division of the European Zone tournament, the London Archer’s 16U team was scheduled to play Ukraine’s 16U team, but the game got rained out. For Ukraine’s other games, the London 14U team went to watch and support the Ukraine team. Members of London’s 16U team went and spent the day with the Ukraine team at a local gymnasium where they were staying, and they purchased some baseball gear for them. 

“It’s such a tragic situation and hopefully the Ukrainian players were able to have an enjoyable experience, and have a sense of normalcy for a short period of time,” Bourgeois said. 

The London Archers will play their first game against Washington County, PA, at 3:30 PM/ET on Saturday August 13, at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA.