A year without a champion: PONY cancels world series finale
CANONSBURG – Washington County manager John (JP) Przybylinski gathered his players behind the dugout at McDowell Lane Field to give them the news he hoped he didn’t have to share.
The Pony League World Series championship game was canceled.
And Washington County was denied a chance to break a 71-year drought of winning a title.
“It was probably the hardest news I’ve ever had to give to a team,” Przybylinski said.
It was the final gut punch of a difficult week that saw the tournament wrecked by heavy rain showers.
In 2020 the tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus, but for the first time in the 74 years the tournament has been played there will not be a champion.
Washington County was scheduled to play Chinese Taipei in the championship game before it was canceled because of unplayable field conditions at Lew Hays Pony Field.
The 15 players on the Washington County squad are: Dylan Carpenter, Grady Kuzior, Cameron Jobkar, Carter Rukavina, Max Taczak, Blake Westfall, Brock Morgan, Evan Campbell, Carter Enrietti, Blake Komenda, Caedon Markley, Collin Beattie, Cameron Shaw, Colman McGuinness and Logan Caughman.
They will go down as the Washington County team that didn’t get to play for a title.
And they’re not alone.
Losers’ bracket games were canceled Tuesday, making this year’s event a single-elimination tournament, but despite their best efforts, the ground crew wasn’t able to make the all-natural surface at Lew Hays Pony Field playable.
“It sucks man,” Przybylinski said. “I feel terrible not only for our team, but every team that was still alive in the tournament. There are teams that come from all over the country and the world and for rain to cancel the tournament is unfortunate.”
Washington County was at McDowell Lane Field, Canon-McMillan High School’s baseball field, Wednesday afternoon, because several teams decided to play some exhibition games even if they had been eliminated from the World Series by the weather.
McDowell Lane Field has a turf infield and a grass outfield.
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Navajoa, Mexico and West Covina, Calif. Also participated. Washington County joined in to play a game with West Covina, Calif., hoping it’d be a tuneup before the Pony League World Series championship game.
“Hagerstown (Maryland) went home, so I told (West Covina) California that we would play them,” Przybylinski said. “We were going to work out at C-Side (Sports Academy) anyway to prepare for the championship. We figured it’d be better to get some live at-bats instead of hitting in the cages.”
There were positive vibes even in difficult circumstances. Puerto Rico players and parents gave Washington County players and parents friendship bracelets as a show of support for coming out to play at McDowell Lane Field. And players shared pizza and donuts while the games were going on.
While Washington County was playing West Covina, there was some chatter in the dugout about whether or not the championship game would be played.
The Washington County players and staff held out hope through the uncertainty.
“What was frustrating was the unknown,” Przybylinski said. “We went into today not knowing what was going to happen. They told us at the meeting yesterday that we were in a championship game, but with the way the field conditions were that wasn’t guaranteed. Not playing… It was tough news to find out, for sure.”
Another tough part of the cancellation for Przybylinski was the fact Washington County was playing Chinese Taipei in the final. It’s the same matchup as last year, which Chinese Taipei won, 6-4.
Though it is an entirely new team for each side, many of the Washington County players were at the championship last year and were excited to try and get their chance to play them for the title.
“That was the script that we wish would’ve been written, but it didn’t work out this year,” Przybylinski said.