Jun 15, 2026 By John Sacco 9 min read

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part of a series of articles about the 75th anniversary of PONY Baseball Inc., leading up to the Pony League World Series in August.

“Without them, no way! – Lew Hays, co-author, “Pony Tales & Diamond Dust.”

By John Sacco

Contributing writer

The quote above appropriately credited those who provided office space, personnel, donations, manpower and sincere effort to create and build PONY Baseball.

Wrote the late Hays, who was PONY Baseball’s founder: “A kind of community enthusiasm existed throughout the whole staff, from the (Observer Publishing Co.) sports department and the editorial room, through the photography and advertising business and administrative personnel, to the printers and pressmen, and the business and administrative personnel.”

Hays referred to many companies, individuals, volunteers, among others, as staples of support in that book.

Three of the stalwarts – Washington & Jefferson College, WJPA Radio, and the Observer-Reporter newspaper – remain today, 75 years later. They have been loyalists and contributors for PONY Baseball and Softball and the Pony League World Series.

W&J

“Washington & Jefferson takes pride in being a partner to the City of Washington and Washington County,” said Elizabeth MacLeod Walls, president of W&J. “PONY Baseball and Softball is a hallmark of life in Washington. It’s also in W&J’s backyard. It’s important to us to show our support, be present, and celebrate (its) legacy in our community.

“We host multiple camps throughout the summer. Our residence halls are full of young people engaged in all kinds of activities on campus. This is not only great for the campers and W&J but also brings revenue to the city, as these young people and their parents patronize Washington businesses while they’re here. We will continue to support Pony Baseball and Softball as a major sponsor, even if we aren’t able to house the players.”

Several years ago, the college housed and fed Pony League World Series teams.

In 1998, W&J allowed Washington’s Pony League World Series team to hold its pregame World Series batting and fielding practice at the old baseball field, which is now the softball field.

The partnership has been strong and consistent.

“W&J provided the housing for quite a long time and that was very important given the fact of the cost of getting to the Pony League World Series,” former PONY director and W&J admissions director Tom O’Connor. “Teams were provided $800 a day to help them out. So, W&J was instrumental in the initial cost to these teams and, of course, they provided meals and so forth.

“W&J and all the other benefactors have made it possible for the Pony League World Series to continue in Washington. It has obviously been a very good success.”

Added MacLeod Walls: “W&J, like the Observer-Reporter and WJPA, fosters critical thinking and inquiry. It’s important to us that the community continues to support journalistic integrity and engagement. We’re also pleased that our students have the opportunity to intern at WJPA on a regular basis. They learn from hands-on experience and the radio station gets meaningful workforce support from our talented students.

“Our sponsorship is as much about being a good partner in Washington as it is about positive exposure for W&J. We’re especially excited that PONY welcomes our mascot, DubJay, to the Series each summer.”

WJPA Radio

“Pete Stanton was around baseball – coaching what was then Washington Little League,” said Bob Gregg, the station’s operations director and longtime sports broadcaster and former chairman of Tournaments Inc., the financial component of the Pony League World Series.

“As momentum started toward the local Pony League, the leadership of the radio station said, ‘Yes, we’re going to back that however we can.’ The first Pony League World Series – the games were played at Wash High Stadium – were broadcast on WJPA.

“Our crew, and really, Mark Uriah – I was the transition piece from Pete Stanton, who retired after the 1984 series – took over broadcasting the World Series. I still worked radio but once I became chairman of Tournaments Inc., that was not nearly as feasible. As we moved on, and Mark took over as our (broadcast) anchor for many years, Mark called every single game of the World Series and carried that tradition forward.

“He had the awareness of the program and the importance to the local community. He had all that knowledge for having done that for so many years.”

Uriah acknowledges the Pony League World Series is an event.

“People come from all over the country, and now even more so all over the world,” Uriah said. “I think as a community you want to put your best foot forward. You want to give them a good impression of your town and the type of people you are. You want to be welcoming, and I think that’s one of the great things about it. I think it’s interesting when you have people, especially from other countries, who come here, probably their first experience in the United States. You want to put your best foot forward and make this a place where people want to come every year or when they leave have them talk about what a great experience they had.”

For WJPA and their local partners, the Pony League World Series is personal.

“The event is so important to Washington,” Gregg said. “This is home for us. This is where we make our living. It’s not just the bread and butter, but the steak and potatoes and most of the vegetables are right here. … It is so important to who we are as a community. And we’re fully committed to continuing that support of the world series.”

Observer-Reporter

Pony League baseball was born in the offices at the Observer-Reporter at 122 South Main Street.

The Northrop family, who owned the newspaper at the time, embraced the program and the Pony League World Series has been strong and appreciated.

Wrote Hays in “Pony Tales and & Diamond Dust” in 1981: “While the Headquarters Office of Pony Baseball Inc., remained in the Observer-Publishing Company Building for the first 15 years of its history, rent free, (former publishers) John and Bill Northrop finished college and joined the newspaper staff, working their way up. . . Both were most cooperative and helpful in those trying formative years of the program.”

“My dad never talked about anything he or the company did,” Tom Northrop said of his father, the late John Northrop, the O-R’s co-publisher. “He just always tried to do what was right. He had such a sense of community, and my feeling always was, if we’re to function as a community newspaper, we must participate in the community. I think my dad fostered that as well. It was always, we thought, the right thing to do.

“In terms of Pony League, I think it was just so important that it was started by a bunch of guys in the Observer offices, which, I was always very proud of, and my feeling was we needed to do what we could to help maintain that and keep it going,” Tom Northrop said. “I had lots of conversations with Bob Gregg over the years about how important it was to the community and economically for the community. Altruistically, I think it’s a source of pride to be able to have the World Series in Washington and keep it here.”

The Observer-Publishing Co. was sold to Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting and into that family’s regional newspapers.

Robert Pinarski, the Observer-Reporter’s regional publisher, agrees both PONY Baseball and Softball and the Observer-Reporter are deeply rooted in the local community and the connection between the two has always felt natural.

“The Observer-Reporter has long focused on promoting local, covering local stories, highlighting local success and helping grow our region. Being involved with PONY Baseball and Softball and the Pony League World Series allows us to continue supporting young athletes, showcase everything that makes this area special, and helps shine a spotlight on the businesses, organizations, and volunteers that make the event possible,” Pinarski said. “At the end of the day, both organizations share the same mission of building community and creating opportunities, which is why the partnership continues to be such a meaningful one.

“The Observer-Reporter has remained a strong supporter because we understand the impact this event has not only been on the local economy, but also on the identity and pride of the community itself. The Pony League World Series has touched generations of families throughout the region, and we have had the privilege of helping tell that story and keep that tradition alive.”

Pinarski added that events like the Pony League World Series remind people that community journalism still matters because these are the stories that connect people, celebrate local success and preserve the history and spirit of our region.

“Having children who grew up in the region, PONY Baseball and Softball was always something you heard families and young athletes talk about,” Pinarski said. “There was a sense of pride around the tournament, and many local kids aspired to one day play in the Pony League World Series.

“Once joining the Observer-Reporter team in 2018, I really had the opportunity to see first-hand just how impactful the event is to the community. Through our staff, readers, advertisers, and community partners, it became very clear that the Pony League World Series is much more than just a baseball tournament — it is a tradition that brings people together, creates lifelong memories, and showcases the spirit of Washington and the surrounding region on an international stage.

“Events like this highlight how the Pony League World Series brings people together beyond the games. It creates energy throughout the region, supports local businesses, strengthens community pride and provides meaningful experiences for local families and young athletes.”