WASHINGTON, PA (July 28, 2024) - Mon Valley, PA, has won PONY Baseball’s Host-Area Zone to qualify for the 2024 Printscape PONY League World Series.
The 2024 Host-Area tournament consisted of nine teams and was open to any PONY-registered leagues within a 75 mile radius of Washington, PA. The winner of the Host-Area tournament gains an automatic berth in the PONY World Series.
Mon Valley finished the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record. On its way to the championship, Mon Valley beat teams from Peters Township, Beaver County, Youngstown, and then Youngstown again in the championship game with a 4-3 victory.
Mon Valley’s manager, Jason Plymire, believes the team’s depth is its biggest strength.
“Just about everyone can pitch, and we’ve got lots of guys who can play multiple positions,” Plymire said. “We hit a lot.”
The team’s hitting was evident in the Host-Area tournament, as Mon Valley tallied 38 runs in four games while only giving up 10.
To prepare for the World Series, Plymire plans to keep his team busy.
“We’re just going to keep playing ball,” he said. “We want our kids to get as many live at bats and game situations as possible.”
Although the Mon Valley is only about 20 miles east of Washington, Plymire still sees this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for his players.
“This will be a special experience for the boys,” he said. “This group is a team. We’ve got kids from multiple different communities, and it’s really exciting to see how they have all come together.”
The last time a team from the Mon Valley region qualified for the World Series was in 2013 when Mon-Yough won the Host-Area and compiled a 1-2 record in the tournament. The only time a team from the Mon Valley region has won the World Series was in 1954 with Monongahela’s title.
Mon Valley will play its first game against Palmview, TX, on Friday, Aug. 9, at 4:30 PM/ET at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, Pa.
Printscape PONY League World Series
The Printscape PONY League World Series is an international youth baseball tournament played annually at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, PA. The World Series annually attracts over 30,000 fans and contributes over $6 million to the regional economy, with all games livestreamed domestically and internationally. The tournament represents PONY Baseball's 13- and 14-year-old age division. PONY has over 500,000 players ages 3-23 in more than 50 countries. More information is available at plws.org.