'76 Fort Cumberland team rode pro battery, balance to Md. championship

Jul. 29—Fort Cumberland Post 13 brought just 11 players to the 1976 Maryland American Legion state championship tournament in Hagerstown.

Though the team was small, it was fierce.

Comprised of a roster of future professionals, college baseball players, Hall of Fame members, longtime coaches and respected officials, Post 13 defeated Francis Scott Key Post 11, 9-4, in 11 innings to break a 14-year state title drought.

The local squad opened the tournament with a 5-3 victory over Funkstown before beating Talbot County, 11-3 — a team that featured future Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Harold Baines, one year before he was the No. 1 overall selection by the Chicago White Sox in the 1977 draft.

There was no Baines on the Fort Cumberland roster, but its battery was comprised of future professionals in southpaw Larry Edwards (Bishop Walsh) and catcher Paul Ackerman (Fort Hill).

Donnie Crowe (Bishop Walsh), a crafty arm with excellent control, was the team's other starting pitcher.

Post 13 boasted an excellent infield of first baseman Mike Dicken (Fort Hill), second baseman Greg Welker (Fort Ashby/Frankfort), third baseman Mike Corbin (Allegany) and shortstop Bucky Cecil (Allegany).

Cecil was inducted into the Davis & Elkins Hall of Fame in 2009 and Dicken into the Fort Hill HOF in 2016.

The starting outfielders were Lloyd Day (Fort Hill), Rocky Sidaway (Ridgeley) and Tim Campbell (Paw Paw).

Kevin Carcella (Bishop Walsh) and Bobby Keyser (Allegany) were also on the team but were unable to participate in the state tournament.

The head coach was Bob Harbaugh, a former college player who would go on to become the head coach at Fort Hill, and the team was assisted by Basil Armstrong.

Armstrong, also the pitching coach, was an assistant at Bishop Walsh and was inducted into the Pen-Mar Hall of Fame in 2018.

It was a different time playing baseball in Cumberland back in 1976.

High school rec leagues in the city were flourishing, and most of the Post 13 roster split time between as many as three teams. Weekdays were spent playing rec or Legion games, and the weekends were spent competing against college standouts and adults in the Pen-Mar league.

Legion games were also nine innings.

The Mountain District was made up of Fort Cumberland and Westernport, which fielded players from Beall, Bruce, Valley, Mount Savage and Keyser. There were no Garrett County or Potomac Valley teams.

In all, most Fort Cumberland players took part in more than 40 games across all leagues.

The 1976 Fort Cumberland team, which played at Donahue Field, was a beneficiary of the old pitching rules when there were no pitch counts. Its Bishop Walsh rotation of Edwards and Crowe was a fierce one.

Edwards, at 6-foot-3, was an exceptional pitcher in his day, overpowering hitters with his fastball and 12-6 curveball. He was drafted in the 14th round, 334 overall by the Boston Red Sox, playing six professional seasons.

Edwards' dominance was on display during the state tournament, as he pitched all 11 innings in the championship game and struck out 19 against Funkstown to earn tournament Most Valuable Player.

In one non-district game, Edwards struck out the game's first 18 batters — not one of them made contact, not even a foul ball.

Like Edwards, Ackerman too finished his illustrious career as one of the greatest players in Cumberland area baseball history.

Ackerman, known for his exceptional defense behind the plate, was an All-State player at Allegany College and set the Davis & Elkins school record for fielding percentage (.995). He later caught professionally for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

His defense proved key in the state championship game when in the 10th inning, Ackerman stopped a throw to the plate from Welker to prevent what would've been the winning run from scoring.

Ackerman's durability may have been his best attribute, as he caught every inning of every game, often catching two Pen-Mar League doubleheaders on Saturdays and Sundays.

Fort Cumberland didn't hit many home runs, but it was deep one through nine. Dicken, its No. 9 hitter, batted .400 during the state tournament.

The players were all quality athletes across multiple sports.

Keyser and Corbin played football at Allegany, Sidaway played football and basketball, Welker and Campbell were quality basketball players, Dicken ran track and Ackerman was a good lineman before choosing to concentrate on baseball.

In addition to the athleticism at its disposal, the Fort Cumberland players also knew the game well, characterized by the fact that several went on to lengthy coaching careers.

Paul Ackerman later guided Fort Cumberland Post 13 to three Mountain District championships in three years and two state runner-up finishes.

He then coached at West Virginia University for five years. The Mountaineers won five Atlantic 10 titles in as many seasons. Over 100 of the players he's coached have become pro players or coaches.

Dicken coached baseball at Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and two of his former players, outfielder Michael A Taylor (Nationals, Royals, Twins) and pitcher Luke Jackson (Braves, Giants) are currently playing Major League Baseball.

Campbell went on to become a longtime high school basketball official in the Cumberland area.

Several children of Post 13 players also went on to become accomplished athletes in the area.

Welker has two daughters that starred at Frankfort High School in Bria and Kendra Welker. Bria was the Gatorade West Virginia Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year before running at West Virginia University. Kendra Welker played soccer at WVU Potomac State.

Nikki Sidaway was a three-time All-Area softball selection at Frankfort before playing at USC Aiken.

John Ackerman was the 2017 Potomac Valley Conference Player of the Year in baseball and a three-time All-Area selection at Frankfort. He went on to play at Allegany College, where he was All-State, and at West Virginia Tech.

Alex Rychwalski is a sports reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @arychwal.