60+ Years of Conococheague Little League History 

Spring in the River City has always meant baseball, going as far back as any of us here can remember. Conomac Park down by the river, was the town’s gathering place in the 1920s and the baseball field was known for always being busy. The park was forced to close after the flood of 1936 but it wasn’t the end of baseball there.  On June 6, 1939, in a town by the same name just over 160 miles to our north, the very first Little League baseball game was played. In the years that followed other Little League programs like the one in Williamsport, PA, sprang up.

Fifteen years later it made it’s way to Williamsport, MD.  Conococheague Little League played its first games in May of 1954 at Conomac Park. Williamsport celebrated its first ever Little League Opening Day ceremony. The league was made up of four teams with local sponsors known as the Lions, Merchants, Indian and Atheltics. Don Harsh, playing for the Lions was the first batter at the plate, followed by Lee Downey, a former County Commissioner and local realtor. The Athletics won the league championship that year with former County Commissioner William McKinley playing in right field. In 1960 the League moved away from the flood prone Potomac River flatland into its newly constructed field in Byron Memorial Park. Ebersole Field, named for the League’s longtime president and patron Donald “Pinky” Ebersole, was made possible through the efforts of the Williamsport Lions Club which was led by Joe Scott. Just a year later, Conococheague’s Little League All-Star team beat Salisbury 1-0 to win the State Championship. 

Since its modest start in 1954, Conococheague Little League has grown to include T-ball, Rookie, Minor League, Major League, Intermediate, Junior and Senior League divisions with fields at three locations throughout the town (Billy Doub Field, Ebersole Field and Nelson Deal Field). This allows hundreds of youth each season to participate in America’s favorite past-time that has continued for the past 60+ years. Williamsport has a long and successful baseball tradition and the programs at Conococheague Little League have allowed that tradition to grow and flourish. 

The League can boast State Championships at the Little League and Senior League levels as well as numerous district and tournament championships. The League annually fields competitive All-Star teams in one of the toughest Districts/Regions in the State of Maryland. With some of the best and most beautiful facilities in the Tri-State Region, Conococheague Little League has hosted the River City Classic since 1987, a tournament that attracts some of the most competitive 9-10 year old All-Star teams in the region.  

The Board of Directors, coaches, parents, players, and community each year strive to maintain the high standards set by their predecessors and continually work hard to improve all aspects of Conococheague Little League.  
May 1954 - The FIRST Opening Day Ceremonies at Conomac Park, Williamsport 
(The first teams were: Athletics, Indians, Lions, Mecrhants) 


May 1954 - The FIRST pitch of Conococheague Little League 
(The first batter was Don Harsh)

                                                                                         1954 Conococheague Little League Opening Day Rosters 

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of Conococheague Little League, 14 players from 1954 attended the 2014 Opening Ceremony. Among the honorees and tossing out the first pitch are the Lions' Lee Downey (pitcher) and the Indians' Jack Rupp (catcher) Photo by Jon Wright