Let the games begin
Pony League World Series returns to Washington
An annual Washington County staple makes its return today.
The Pony League World Series gets underway at Lew Hays Field with the first game being between Hidalgo, Texas and Paderborn, Germany at 4:30 p.m.
Opening ceremonies follow and the nightcap game features Bay County, Mich. and Guaynabo, Puerto Rico at 7:30 p.m.
Two teams with local ties play their first game Saturday.
South Hills takes on Navojoa, Mexico at 2:30 and Washington County follows with its debut against the winner of Texas and Germany at 5:30.
Select games for the Pony League World Series will be broadcast on SportsNet Pittsburgh and KDKA+. All games are streamed live on PLWS.TV.
The Pony League World Series runs through Wednesday and features 10 teams, six from the continental United States and four from other parts of the world.
Some of the players have gone on to play in Major League Baseball like current players Spencer Steer (Cincinnati Reds), Christian Yelich (Milwaukee Brewers) and Heliot Ramos (New York Yankees).
Colman McGuinness, a first baseman/pitcher for Washington County, has been going to the event for years and encapsulated what makes him enjoy it and in turn the excitement he has to play in it this year.
“I love to see all the different teams come together and play in a tournament like this,” McGuinness said. “A lot of teams around the world play baseball differently. The teams from Asia like to bunt a lot and they field really well. Puerto Rico and the teams from the south always seem to have great pitching. It’s really just fun to watch all the different teams and the way they play the game.”
Here’s a look at each team that will participate in this year’s Pony League World Series.
Bay County, Mich.
This is the 14th year in a row that Bay County has won the North Zone and fielded a team in the world series and 19th time overall. Bay County’s best result was in 2019 when it made it to the championship game, but lost 9-1 to Chinese Taipei.
One team from Michigan has won a Pony League World Series title, which was Hamtramck in 1961.
Last year Bay County lost its opening game to Corpus Christi, Texas, 8-3 in 10 innings, but rebounded to defeat Italy 12-3 and South Hills 6-5 in elimination games.
Bay County’s run ended with a 9-4 loss to Corpus Christi.
Chinese Taipei
Taichung City is back to defend its title.
The Asia-Pacific Zone champion defeated Washington County, 6-4 in last year’s championship game on the back of a rally during a four-run fifth inning.
It capped an impressive tournament for Chinese Taipei, who lost its first game to Simi Valley, California. They won five games in a row in the loser’s bracket to secure a spot in the final.
No international team has been more successful at the Pony League World Series than Chinese Taipei. It has won the championship a dozen times.
Prior to last year, Chinese Taipei’s last win in the world series came in 2019.
Germany
Paderborn, Germany makes its return to the Pony League World Series after last competing in the tournament in 2023.
This is their fifth time in the tournament. Every team has come from the German Baseball Academy, which holds the record for most European Zone championships.
No team from the European Zone has ever won the Pony League World Series.
Hagerstown, Md.
Hagerstown has been a staple at the tournament and is back in the field for the first time since 2022.
That year Hagerstown won its opener against Bay County, but back-to-back losses to Johnstown and Bay County ended its run.
Hagerstown earned a spot in the world series by defeating Grand Slam, New York 8-2 in the North Zone championship game.
In 1995 Hagerstown made the championship, but lost to Bayamon, Puerto Rico, 11-2. Former Major League pitcher Nick Adenhart was on that team. Adenhart’s career was cut short, because he was killed in an automobile accident by a drunk driver in 2009. He was only 22.
Hidalgo, Texas
Five teams from Texas have won the world series, so Hidalgo is looking to join an exclusive club.
The last team from Texas to win was Brownsville in 2021.
Hidalgo defeated the Rio Grande Valley Broncos, 8-4, to claim the South Zone championship.
Corpus Christi was Texas’ representative last year and was a semifinalist before losing to Washington County.
Mexico
Navojoa is making its first appearance in the world series after winning the Mexico Zone in late April.
Navojoa is the fifth largest city in the northern Mexican state of Sonora. It is located near the Gulf of California, which separates it from Baja.
Only one Mexican team has won the world series, which was Monterrey in 1972.
Puerto Rico
After winning the world series in 2024 Guaynabo, Puerto Rico is back in the field.
A team from Colombia won the Caribbean Zone last year.
Guaynabo will try to become the ninth team from Puerto Rico to win the world series. It also had a third-place finish in 1979 and suffered two losses in an appearance in 2022.
Guaynabo won the Caribbean Zone championship in late April.
South Hills
For the second year in a row South Hills won the Host Area tournament to earn a spot in the world series.
The team is managed by Joe Cuervo, who was on the original Washington Wild Things team in 2002.
South Hills defeated Johnstown, 5-0, in the Host Area tournament championship.
Last year South Hills won its first game against The Bronx, but lost two straight after that.
Washington County
Looking to break the 71-year drought since its last championship Washington County will look to get one step further this year after losing to Chinese Taipei in the 2025 championship game.
Washington won the title in 1955.
This year’s Washington County team has players from Burgettstown, Canon-McMillan, Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, McGuffey, Trinity and Seton LaSalle.
John (JP) Przybylinski returns as the manager for the second year in a row. He is in his third year with the organization, serving as an assistant coach in 2024.
West Covina, Calif.
It was an improbable run for West Covina in the West Zone to earn a spot in the world series.
West Covina dropped its first game to Mission Bay, 6-3, but clawed its way through the loser’s bracket to the final beating San Francisco, Covina and got its revenge on Mission Bay.
West Covina beat Mission Bay twice, 6-5 and 6-4 to get a spot in the final, where it beat West Hills, 9-7.
Teams from California have the most world series titles with 22. West Covina has won it three times, 1974, 1981 and 1982.