WASHINGTON, Pa. — In spite of some inclement weather, Pony League Baseball continues Monday night with “West Virginia Day.”
Though some games were delayed Friday and Monday, the weekend weather allowed for extra tournament games to be played.
“The weather’s been very cooperative,” Pony League President Abe Key said on WAJR’s Morgantown AM Monday. “We’re very excited about some great baseball — 13 and 14-year-old’s — over the next couple of days.”
The Pony League World Series will use “West Virginia Night” as a chance to bring representative from the West Virginia Black Bears, the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and WVU head baseball coach Randy Mazey to the ballpark.
“It’s just a great opportunity for us to share with our neighbors the great experience of the Pony League World Series,” Key said.
The Pony League World Series, first launched in 1951, is an opportunity for younger players who aren’t ready for full-size fields at the high school level yet to continue playing competitively against athletes in their own age range.
“They’re passionate about it,” Key said. “These are some of the best 14 and under kids in the world.”
That first year opened with little fanfare, but Key said more than 65 years later the growth of the event has been astounding.
“There were six original teams, and next year there more than 600 and we had our first World Series here in Washington, Pennsylvania,” he said.
The most significant factor surrounding Pony League, according to Key, is the transitional period between little league and high school baseball.
“We go to 80-feet bases, and it just sort of fits for that age group,” he said. “It creates an opportunity for players to lead and steal and the catcher to throw them out. Kids hit a home run on an age-appropriate field, and we believe that it is really difficult for a 13 and 14-year-old to play on that full-size Major League Baseball field.”
Play that began over the weekend continues mid-week, with the Pony League Championship Game scheduled August 15.