MORGANTOWN – There will be plenty of baseball played this week at Mylan Park as the American Legion Senior State Baseball Tournament will be held on Dale Miller Field beginning Thursday, with the championship set for Monday next week.
Morgantown Post 2 will host the eight-team event, as two teams from each of the four Areas across the state qualified for the state tournament.
Beckley Bash, Post 60 Knights, Clarksburg Post 13, Wheeling Post 1, Berkeley Post 14, Charleston Post 65, and Parkersburg Post 15 will join Post 2 to battle for the state championship and a spot in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament set for August 6-10 in Hanover, Maryland.
Beckley Bash and Post 60 Knight (Berkeley) will open the day at 10:00 a.m., followed by Berkeley Post 14 and Charleston Post 65 at 1:00 p.m. Clarksburg Post 13 and Wheeling Post 1 will begin the evening session at 4:00 p.m.
Morgantown will face off against Parkersburg Post 15 in the opening round of the tournament, a team against which they split a pair of games earlier in the summer, with a 9-2 victory followed by a 4-0 defeat.
“The challenge this week is going to be the week itself,” Post 2 head coach Jacob Goodnight said. “It’s going to be a grind. We have to take each game and day one at a time. We’ve been fortunate enough to make it to the end of the week for the past two seasons, and I think the coaches can help our guys take their recovery seriously so we are able to make it deep into the tournament.”
Post 2 enters the week as the Area 2 champions, having gone 3-0 last week in the Area 2 tournament. Morgantown managed 21 runs in three games, but Goodnight says it’s their pitching that can make the difference for them this week.
“On the mound is where we need to be locked in the most,” he said. “We need our guys to be throwing strikes from the start. When we’ve seen success this season, it’s been because we didn’t give our opponents free bases. When we make teams earn every single run, we are tough to outhit. The Area tournament gave us the opportunity to play some excellent teams, and showed us that we can win the tough games. Having some momentum going into the week will help us play a little more free and looser.”
Another advantage for Post 2 is being on its home field at Dale Miller.
“Being at home is awesome,” Goodnight said. “We get to come to our ballpark every day, and our fans will continue to come out and support. We get to sleep in our own beds after a long day, while the other teams will be in hotels all week. We will get to relax at home and recharge for the next day when we aren’t at the ballpark. We are looking forward to the opportunity that comes with this week.”