VIDEO: Bobby Long Jr. of the Hudson Post 100 hits two runs against Shrewsbury
Bobby Long Jr. of the Hudson Post 100 hits a two-run double against Shrewsbury in the State Legion Tournament at Fitton Field in Worcester on August 1, 2024.
After winning the program’s first regional championship, more than 100 players gathered around Dick Paster on Sunday and were impressed when he told them the trip of a lifetime awaited them.
Post 100 is representing the Northeast at the American Legion World Series this week in Shelby, North Carolina, a first for the Hudson-based program. Paster, the regional tournament director, also said ESPN will broadcast the games.
Wow.
Their collective reaction was quickly interrupted.
“This is a business trip,” warned right fielder Peter Ward.
That’s Post 100’s dilemma: How can they enjoy the experience while competing for the national championship?
“That’s a great question,” manager Ryan Bowen said in a text message.
When the compact, five-week regular season began on June 8, few could have imagined traveling to the East Coast in mid-August to play the season’s most important games.
“I thought, ‘I’m signing up for 20 to 25 games,'” infielder Dan Demirjian said. “And now we’re here and it’s like Game 40 going against North Carolina.”
Post 100 has won 29 of its 37 games and will begin the round robin tournament in seed 97.th American Legion World Series, Thursday at 4 p.m. against Southeast champion Troy, Alabama. Chase Donahue will start on the mound for Hudson.
After the previous three tournaments were played in a double elimination format, the World Series will split eight teams into two divisions: Stripes and Stars. The top two teams from each division will advance to Monday’s semifinals. Post 100 will face the two previous champions in the tournament opener at the 5,500-seat Keeter Stadium.
Review: Milford Legion remembers the glory days of 2001
“I don’t think we have a problem,” Donahue said. “Whenever we see competition, we step up. I don’t think it really bothers us. No matter who we play, we’re going to do our best.”
Bowen provided a well-thought-out answer to the experience/competition question, saying:
“Playing our regular season is a tough battle because we play 20 games in about five weeks. There is no time to dwell on losses or rest on victories.
“When we got to the tournament, that attitude was just there and our guys just knew when to turn it on.
“They are all incredibly focused and love to compete. And I know that all the coaches are convinced that this will continue in Shelby.”
Hudson Post 100 vs. Troy, Alabama (Thursday, 4 p.m.)
Troy Post 70, which has won eight consecutive Alabama state championships, won the World Series in 2022. This year’s team had a 25-4 record before winning the Southeast Regional, but despite outscoring its opponents 36-10 in six games, getting to the Series was no walk in the park.
Wayne County (NC) handed Troy its first regional loss on Sunday, meaning the teams played each other again later in the day. Troy fell behind 4-1 in the fourth inning and trailed 4-2 by the bottom of the sixth before rallying and forcing extra innings. Cody Walsh sent Post 70 to their third straight World Series with a 5-4 win with a walk-off single in the ninth inning.
Walsh was also the winning pitcher. Brady Richardson was named the tournament MVP after batting .455 (10 for 22) with six runs batted in. He also pitched 6 1/3 innings and struck out 11 in a previous appearance in the tournament. The rising senior from Enterprise High School has committed to Troy University. Cody “Houston” Markham, a recent high school graduate, also plays baseball at Troy.
Aiden Wright was named the state tournament’s most valuable pitcher.
Hudson Post 100 vs. League City, Texas (Friday, 4 p.m.)
League City, Texas Post 554 won the World Series last year, becoming the first team from that state to win the championship. Jacob Cyr threw two shutouts during the tournament, including a no-hitter in the opening game. The Galveston College left-hander retired from Legion Baseball after last season, when he was named American Legion Player of the Year.
League City’s Tyler Ryden was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player last week after going 2-0 with 25 strikeouts in 12 innings in Post 554’s Western Regional Championship in Fairfield, Calif. Matthew Novominsky batted .462 with six RBIs in the five games. Post 554 is 27-3.
Hudson Post 100 vs. Fargo, North Dakota (Saturday, 12:00 p.m.)
Fargo Post 2 needed to win three straight elimination games last week to make its first World Series appearance since 2019. Post 2 lost its Central Plains Regional opener before rebounding to win two games on Sunday by a combined score of 26-5.
Sam Ovsak was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after posting a .595 batting average. He will play football for St. John’s of Minnesota, the winningest team in NCAA Division 3 history.
How to watch
This week’s round-robin matches will be broadcast online on ESPN3. The semifinals and championship will be broadcast by ESPNU. Live stats can be found here.
Remarkable figures for Post 100
Chase Donahue leads the team with a pitching record of 7-2 and has 72 strikeouts in 57 innings pitched. His 39 RBIs are also a team high and his batting average is .404… Teddy McFarland is 5-2 with a 2.88 ERA and 30 strikeouts… Connor Madden is 4-0, 2.21 … Bobby Long, Jr. has appeared in all 37 games and has a .319 batting average with 41 runs scored. His most impressive stat is that he has been hit by a pitch 26 times and leads the team with a .562 on-base percentage. He has 29 stolen bases… Anthony Mourabatting ninth, leads the team with a batting average of .419… Chase Barrett has a batting average of .319 with 33 RBI and 12 doubles (the highest on his team) … Daniel Demirjian has a batting average of .314 with six doubles … Leadoff hitter Marshall Kehlem scored 40 runs and 47 of 48 attempts to steal a base … Garrett Mahoney hits .312 … Peter Ward is at .284 with 10 RBI … Matthew Gogan has a batting average of .284 with 13 RBI… Daniela B. has 13 RBI… Brendan O’Brien has 11 stolen bases… Ryan Grafin 44.1 IP, is 5-1 with 5 saves in 5 opportunities and has a 1.57 ERA with 37 strikeouts… Michael Atwater And Michael Domino each has three wins… Post 100 has stolen 146 bases and has been caught just 9 times; as a team they have a batting average of .292.
Facts about the World Series
Baseball Hall of Fame member Rollie Fingers was named the American Legion Player of the Year in 1964 and received the Louisville Slugger Award — as the tournament’s best hitter — while playing for Upland, Calif. … The 22 runs scored by Milton (Mass.) in 2006 against Lawrence, Kansas, are an ALWS record. … The only Massachusetts team to win the World Series was East Lynn in 1937, led by Ray Bessom. He batted .555, won two games and saved another in the tournament. Bessom went a combined 27-0 that summer, along with Lynn English High and Post 291. Portland, Maine (2004) is the only other New England team to win the title. … Milford and Shrewsbury have made the most ALWS appearances for Massachusetts, each three times. Vermont and Alaska are the only states not to play in the World Series.
Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @TimDumas.
