1955 WASHINGTON PONY LEAGUE

In eight-team double-elimination World Series play, Washington beat Greensboro, NC 8-7, then stopped Marquette, IL, 8-3. After a 4-2 loss to Youngstown, OH,
Washington rebounded with a 10-3 victory over San Antonio, TX , and evened the score with Youngstown, stopping the Ohio team 6-4 in the semi-final contest. In the title game, Washington again defeated Youngstown, 4-0.

The team manager was Art Sandusky and the coach, John Bednarski. Players were:

John Phillips Jr. William Klinzing Jr. Harold Vactor, Jr. Fred Bolden, Jr.
Donald Ferrell Richard Strand James DeLaney Joseph Kern
David Bell Joseph Hagen James Brown Donald Richmond
Frank Steratore Donald Voytek Wayne DeWitt

After the World Series Washington’s players enjoyed a five-day trip to New York City, the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, NY and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where they met the Cadets legendary coach, Earl Blake, and one of the Academy’s all-time football greats, Doc Blanchard, who was then coaching the Cadet’s plebe team.

The champions also visited Stewart Air Force base in New York, where Sergeant Joseph H. Voorhees, a Washington native, escorted them around the base. There they viewed the operation of the 330th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, a part of the Eastern Air Force Defense Force, and had the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of a jet fighter. Cleveland Indians pitching great, Bob Feller, was among those on hand for the Pony League World Series that year, as well as world-famed actor and comedian, Joe E. Brown, who was the President of Pony League Baseball, Inc. at that time. Former St. Louis Cardinal first baseman Rip Collins spoke at a banquet honoring the World Champs on November 9th, 1955. President of the Washington Pony League in 1955 was J. Howard Ware, who was among the founders of Pony League Baseball and a member of the organization’s Board of Directors for many years.