Daniels | Danville Post 210 baseball keeps on rolling
Aug. 1—DANVILLE — Brent Hart will board the bus with his Danville Post 210 Senior Legion baseball team before the sun rises on Tuesday knowing one fact.
No matter what happens to his ballclub this week at the Great Lakes Regional in Midland, Mich., all the required paperwork he needed to submit before Post 210 plays its first game on Wednesday morning is complete.
"I don't know how much people know about American Legion baseball, but they love their paperwork," Hart said with a laugh. "The second you win, they hand you a packet to fill out. They give you a trophy, line you up, say your names and then it's straight on to paperwork that had to be in by midnight after driving three hours home from Galesburg."
It's a busy stretch, to say the least, for Hart and his Post 210 players. But one the first-year manager and his squad of area talent welcomes. At this time of year, if Post 210 isn't still playing, it's a disappointment.
Danville finished second this past Saturday at the Illinois Senior Legion state tournament at Knox College in Galesburg, falling 6-0 to Barrington Post 158 in the state championship game. But the Speakers already knew their spot in Michigan this week was secure because the top two teams in Illinois advance to the Great Lakes Regional. A 16-8 victory against Wheaton Post 76 that started this past Friday night and ended Saturday morning after darkness halted play on Friday allowed Hart and his players to start planning ahead a bit.
"Our main focus was to get to Michigan," Hart said. "Obviously, one of our preseason goals is a state title, but after they played three games in two days in 103-degree heat, they pretty much left it all on the field the day before. It's kind of what I expected against Barrington. It's hard to get going again."
The latest Post 210 team, which carries a 35-7 record into its Great Lakes Regional opener at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday against Swisher (Iowa) Post 671, is chock full of area talent. Like has become customary for one of the state's top Senior Legion teams that is back at the regional level for the first time since 2019.
That 2019 team advanced to the Senior Legion World Series after the Speakers also made it to the Great Lakes Regional from 2016 through 2018.
If Danville wants to make it back to Shelby, N.C., next week for the World Series they'll have to navigate through an eight-team field that also includes Barrington, Swisher (Iowa), Lafayette (Ind.) Post 11, Eau Claire (Wis.) 17U, Janesville (Wis.) AAA, Linwood (Mich.) Post 239 and Midland (Mich.) Post 165.
Hart knows it'll be a tough task to advance past the double-elimination tournament that is scheduled to end this upcoming Sunday.
But ...
"We're not scared of anybody," he said. "When you get to this stage of the game, it's all state champions. Everybody's got dudes. You're not going to get a walkover opponent at the regional."
Recent high school graduates and a few area seniors dot the 16-man roster for Post 210 this summer. Westville senior Drew Wichtowski is the team's catcher, with Danville Area Community College product and Paris native Drew Pinkston handling first base. Recent Oakwood graduate Dalton Hobick plays second base, with Westville senior Zach Russell at shortstop and recent Westville graduate Landen Haurez at third base.
The outfield consists of former Salt Fork standout Blake Norton in left, Oakwood graduate and DACC baseball player Josh Young in center and recent Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin graduate Tuff Elson in right.
St. Joseph-Ogden senior Braxton Waller can fill designated hitter duties, along with playing catcher and third base, while the team's top starters are recent Armstrong-Potomac graduate and future Parkland pitcher Gavin Parkerson, A-P senior Kollin Asbury and recent Westville graduate Ethan McMasters.
"It's a good group," Hart said. "I thought we were going to be good from the get-go, and honestly, it's like the perfect storm. There's some talented dudes on the team."
Dudes who were either teammates with one another in high school or are familiar from playing against them throughout the spring. And who have developed even stronger bonds playing 42 games this summer, with more in store this week.
"It's kind of cool because it's kind of what Post 210 does. We stay together," Hart said. "Gavin Parkerson is a prime example. He wasn't an outsider because everybody knew of him, but he was a new kid to the group. The next thing I knew, he was going to concerts at the Georgetown Fair with Wichtowski and Haurez. We've really got 16 guys rowing the boat in one direction, which is really nice to see."
So is the fact Post 210 is still playing meaningful, important baseball. Even with school about to start again soon, these boys of summer will have another chance to add to their memories this week. And perhaps beyond if Danville can win the tournament, advancing to the World Series that starts Aug. 10 in North Carolina.
If Post 210 gets back there, a flight instead of a bus ride awaits. And more paperwork.
But paperwork Hart and Co. won't mind filling out.
Matt Daniels is the sports editor at The News-Gazette. He can be reached at 217-373-7422 or at mdaniels@news-gazette.com.