Beckley Post 32 baseball to return this summer
Mar. 19—Kendrick Epling has said it before, and he'll keep saying it.
He wants southern West Virginia to be a hub for baseball in the Mountain State.
The latest step toward that distinction was recently made official. Beckley Post 32 will return to the West Virginia American Legion baseball scene this summer.
Post 32 has not fielded a team since 2019.
"It's been in the works," said Epling, the director of field operations at Linda K. Epling Stadium where Post 32 will play its home games. "We thought about doing it last year, but we didn't know the steps we had to take to get there.
"We're starting it back up this summer, so we're super excited about it."
Post 32 will be able to draw players from Raleigh, Fayette, Greenbrier, Nicholas and Mercer counties, and that footprint could grow, Epling said. College players will also be eligible, depending on their age.
"When I say that we're going to be able to get the best kids in our area, we're looking at all the sections and region from around here," he said.
There will be a tryout at a later date. The season will begin the week after the high school state tournament, which is set for May 30 through June 1.
Epling, who played for Post 32, will serve in his first coaching capacity. His dad, Tim Epling, will be a bench coach. Tim is a former head coach at Liberty High School and WVU Tech, and led the West Virginia Miners to three Prospect League championships en route to becoming the league's all-time winningest coach.
"I've been wanting to get into coaching, and I couldn't think of a better way to start my coaching venture than (Post 32)," Kendrick said.
Other members of the staff will be announced.
Epling is excited for the extra opportunity Post 32 will provide for area players.
"It's been a really bad issue around here. If you're not on a summer ball team or a travel circuit team, kids in the southern part of the state don't really have a place to play, other than when they do the high school summer league playing 10 games in the summer, and doing a little tournament here and there," he said. "They're not doing a lot of games, compared to the 30, 40 games in the summer like Legion does.
"I've got a huge heart for southern West Virginia. Like I've said before, it's my goal to make southern West Virginia great (for baseball), and what better way than to get the best baseball players in southern West Virginia on a team and compete for a state championship?"
Email: gfauber@register-herald.com; follow on X @gfauber5
