MORGANTOWN — Morgantown Post 2 has had an impressive summer, tallying 28 wins and only five losses, and will aim to continue its efforts in the West Virginia American Legion State Tournament, which begins today in Martinsburg.
Coming into the summer, head coach Andy Altemus and his staff knew that the 2024 roster could be one of the better teams they’d seen from top to bottom, and the Morgantown Post 2 team has proved that point.
A solid mix of offense, defense, and starting pitching has enabled Post 2’s success, as consistency and confidence play significant roles throughout the team.
“Those things are huge for us, confidence is big because these guys know how talented they are,” Altemus said. “They didn’t like how last season ended in the state tournament and are certainly excited to get another opportunity at it.”
The deep rotation of starters on the Post 2 pitching staff has been key to racking up the wins this season. With a combined record of 22-1, Tristan Milik, Brady McNew, Dylan Travinski, Mason Chaney and Hunter Dakan have all done their part on the mound. Of the five starters, the highest ERA of the summer is by McNew, but only at 2.77. They’ve combined for 116 strikeouts as well.
“We’ve learned that we aren’t only good on the state level, but also the national level,” Dakan said. “We knew we would have the best pitching staff in the state, but after traveling and playing some other competition, we could see the potential of being one of the best pitching staff in legion baseball.”
With a strong offense behind them, Dakan said the run support Post 2 has been able to generate at the plate allows the pitchers to go out and truly be themselves without “having to chase perfection”.
“Realizing that we can still win and not be perfect was important for all of us,” he said. “At different levels of baseball, it’s almost a ‘be perfect or lose’ kind of mindset as a pitcher, but with our hitters being able to put up a 10-spot at a moment’s notice has allowed us to focus on the task at hand and not being perfect all the time. I remember when we were in North Carolina, and I had a tough game allowing four or five runs but I still got a win because we scored 15.”
The offense Dakan alludes to has produced 230 runs throughout its 33 games this summer for an average of 6.9 runs per game. Post 2 has scored 10 or more runs in 10 games this summer while only allowing double-digit runs to an opponent once. In fact, Morgantown has given up seven or more runs in only four games.
“This year’s difference in the team has been the depth we have,” said Cody Thomas, one of the more experienced players on the Post 2 roster. “Our pitching staff is incredible, and our lineup 1-9 is tough to beat.”
Thomas is helping lead the way at the plate for Post 2. The Salem University man is hitting .412 throughout the summer with 28 hits and a pair of homers.
Fairmont State’s Gunner Riley has also produced for Post 2, with 40 hits, a .348 average, and 10 doubles.
Post 2 will begin the state tournament in Game 4 tonight against Berkeley Post 18 (18-10), with the first pitch set for 7 p.m. in Martinsburg at P.O. Faulkner Park.
“These guys know who they are and what they’re capable of,” Altemus said. “The players all have a ton of experience with each other on and off the field. They get along and care about each other, which makes it fun to come out and play together every day.”
