Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
Win or lose, Chris DeClerico and his fellow Hopewell Post 339 baseball teammates already feel accomplished. Having fought their way to a 38-9 record and clinching a regional championship, the ball club is now getting ready to compete in the American Legion World Series.
For five days in Shelby, N.C., from Aug. 10 to Aug. 15, the Hopewell club will clash with teams from Massachusetts, North Carolina, Arkansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Idaho and Nevada as they vie for the top spot in American Legion Baseball.
“There are some goals that you set to reach in life and there are some goals that you want to attain,” DeClerico said. “I feel like any goal that’s been set for legion, it’s just amazing that we were able to reach our goal and surpass it.”
More than 3,600 baseball teams compete in American Legion Baseball every year, but only eight teams make it to the organization’s World Series.
Having gone into this season hoping to win a state championship, the Hopewell Post 339 team has surpassed that goal and made it all the way to the top eight teams in the country.
For Manager Mike Coryell, the experience of getting this far after taking over the team three years ago is a surreal one at times.
“It’s pretty crazy when you think about it. We came into this season with hopes of winning a state title,” he said. “We thought we’d have a pretty good chance at that…and just to think that you can make it to a World Series is crazy.”
The Hopewell team punched its ticket to North Carolina after defeating Ephrata Post 429, from Pennsylvania, with a final score of 10-6 during the Mid-Atlantic Regional competition last Sunday at Fireman’s Field in Purcellville, Virginia.
This year’s Legion World Series berth marks the third time that a team from the Mercer County American Legion League reached the grand finals, with only Trenton Post 93 Schroths and Hamilton Post 31 having made it as far in previous seasons.
“Hopewell can get bypassed in Mercer County with the Hamiltons and Trentons of the world, but for this program to [get to the American Legion World Series] deserves to stand on its own,” team General Manager Mike Olshin said. “This is their accomplishment. This is what they’ve done and it’s something they’ll always remember.”
After winning the regional championship on Sunday, the team quickly left Virginia and arrived in North Carolina by Tuesday, where players ran drills and prepared for the pool-style tournament.
As the man who helps coordinate the logistical side of the team, from player recruitment to setting the schedule, Olshin said he’s seen a lot over the last three years since joining Post 339. What this season has shown him, he said, was that a winning team is more than the sum of its parts.
“I don’t think it’s just about the on-field talent, though we certainly have that, but it’s the experience and belief and expectation that instead of having Hopewell being one of the lower teams in our league, we can play against anybody,” Olshin said. “Being able to handle a lot of situations creates an expectation that you’ll find a way to win.”
Despite a rash of injuries that plagued the team early on and forced position players into roles they were not familiar with, Coryell said he was proud of the team’s grit over the course of nearly 50 games.
“I’m very proud to be at the helm of this team,” he said. “This is a great group of guys that have really come together.”
And that’s really all that DeClerico said he and his teammates can count on — each other.
“At this point, we’re just here to have fun and take any little experience we can and enjoy the moment,” DeClerico said. “We will just keep playing to the best of our ability — if we lose, we lose but if we win, it would be awesome.”
Hopewell Post 339 and Southeast Regional winner Randolph County (N.C.) Post 45 will play the fourth game of the opening round of pool play, Aug. 10 at 8 p.m. on ESPN3.
