Aug 8, 2024 By Jonathan Guth 4 min read

The only difference is the name of the title sponsor.

The Pony League World Series will begin at 4:30 this afternoon when Mon Valley, Pa., plays Palmview, Texas, in Game 1 of the 10-team tournament that will be in its 72nd years of existence, and it will be the 61st time the championship has been held in Washington.

Washington has hosted the tournament every year since 1984.

There were concerns regarding the future of the tournament in Washington at Lew Hays Pony Field after title sponsor, Dick’s Sporting Goods, pulled out last winter, but Printscape, Inc., a Southpointe-based printing and graphics company, took over as title sponsor, and the announcement was made June 20 with the official name of the tournament: The Printscape Pony League World Series.

The tournament features international teams from Chinese Taipei, Mexico and Spain; U.S. territory Puerto Rico; and teams from California, Michigan, New York and Texas.

Washington County, who was the runner-up last season, is an automatic qualifier as the host team, and Mon Valley earned its bid as the Host Area champion.

Long Beach, Calif., manager Matt Paige has had a hectic 72 hours after winning the West Zone title on Sunday.

“We got in about 12:30 in the morning, and with our time being three hours behind, it was a chore to get the kids to go to sleep,” Paige said. “They kept telling me that it’s 9:30 back home. It has already been an incredible experience for our kids. We had two kids that went on their first flight, and some were excited to be in a hotel room without their parents.”

After finally convincing his players to get some sleep, Paige was able to get his team to the batting cages for some work.

Despite the trials and tribulations, Paige is confident his team can compete with anyone in the tournament after playing 20 games over the last six weeks.

“Off the top of my head, I think we were 17-3,” Paige said. “We have been going to tournaments every weekend, which I think will help our team out a great deal. We had to face another team from Long Beach to get through, and they were as good as anyone we faced. Our kids are resilient and ready to go. I think we came from behind to win in about four or five games.”

Long Beach discord 38 runs over five games in the zone tournament, but Paige knows that pitching depth is imperative to survive.

“Our pitching depth is one of our strengths,” Paige said. “We have seven guys that I trust to throw innings. We’ve been playing with the pitch counts and keeping guys fresh, so they can come back 2-3 days in a row. That’s what got us out of the last three tournaments.”

Bronx, N.Y., edged Hagerstown, Md., 6-5, in the winner-take-all championship game to win the East Zone championship.

Manager Wilson Gutierrez’s team will open play Saturday (2:30 p.m.) against Gijon, Spain, with the winner facing Washington County on Sunday at noon.

Gutierrez’s son, Jeffrey, spoke for his dad, who doesn’t speak fluent English.

“These kids have been playing together since they were eight-years old,” said Gutierrez, who is an assistant coach for the Bronx. “It has been a great experience for the kids already. We drove in but it wasn’t too bad, only about six hours. We have the right tools. The kids just have to be focused and worried about what’s in the moment.”

Jeffrey Gutierrez wanted to express gratitude for Belkis Lora, who founded the league for teams to play in the Bronx, and his mother, for assisting with all the logistics for the league.

As many as 10 games will be televised by SportsNet or SportsNet+ and all games will be livestreamed. WJPA Radio will carry every game.