Brendan O’Brien’s college move-in day is Sunday in South Carolina. The drive from Hudson can be made in 14 hours, but his family has already departed for the 2023 Hudson High grad’s sophomore year at Coastal Carolina University.
O’Brien, an outfielder/DH for the Hudson Post 100 baseball team, gathered with his sleepy teammates at Hudson High at 3 a.m. on Tuesday for the short drive toward Manchester, N.H., to catch a flight bound for the American Legion World Series in Shelby, N.C.
Later that day, his father, Rich, began a much longer drive south.
“We were going down to North Carolina anyway no matter what,” Rich O’Brien, a former Post 100 assistant coach, said on Sunday in Manchester after the team won its first Regional Tournament championship.
Shelby, N.C., is 46 miles west of Charlotte and 10 miles north of the South Carolina border. Conway, S.C., home to Coastal Carolina, is 212 miles to the southeast of the site of the World Series.
“We also have to bring all his stuff so he can move into his dorm,” Rich said. “We’ve got some logistical stuff to plan, but we’ll make it work.”
The life of a summer baseball parent – where tournament victories mean yet another week on the road – is all about logistics and making it work. Hudson begins its latest run on Thursday at 4 p.m. ( ESPN3 ) against Southeast champ Troy, Alabama.
Jonathan Moura isn’t concerned with dorm life and tuition costs yet. His son, Anthony , will be a Hudson High junior in the fall. An added week (or two) to the season is part of the deal.
Jonathan and Nicole Moura also have an 11-year-old son, William, who plays baseball.
“William’s been to more baseball games than I care to admit but he’s a trouper,” Jonathan said. “He has baseball games of his own, so we go to his. It’s kind of a known thing: from April until August, we’re going to be at a baseball field.”
His job will travel, too.
“I work from home,” he said, “but I have to ask my boss if I can work out of North Carolina for a couple days.”
Post 100 pitcher/shortstop Chase Donahue, the MVP of the Regional, had to leave his summer job at a golf course earlier than expected while the team advanced through the playoffs. He is transferring from the University of Southern Maine to Mitchell College and is adjusting his original plan for his arrival at the New London, Connecticut, school.
“I technically should be moving in while we’re down in North Carolina,” Donahue said. “It’s not exactly going to be ideal, but at this point, screw ideal. I’m just looking forward to playing where the game takes me.”
Matt McFarland, a former longtime Hudson coach, didn’t hesitate when asked if he was traveling to Shelby.
“Oh, yeah,” said the father of Post 100 pitcher Teddy McFarland.
Matt said supporting his son comes with the territory. Same goes for the rest of the team.
“Parents have been committed for 14, 15 years,” he said. “They’ve been playing since they were 4 – travel ball, countless All-Star teams; they’ve played thousands of games at this point. The commitment just goes without being said.”
How will he travel to the World Series? As of Sunday afternoon, he wasn’t sure.
“I don’t even know. I’m going to look tonight. I’m going to see how much it costs to fly. If not, I’m just going to hop in my car and drive. One way or another I’m getting down there.”
Matt McFarland was Hudson’s coach when the 12U junior team traveled to the Cal Ripken World Series in Missouri in 2018. But this is his first summer in years not in a dugout, and Post 100’s calling card in 2024 is countless comeback victories . Watching from the stands can be petrifying.
“It’s way easier coaching,” he said. “When I was coaching them when they were little ... it’s way easier being a coach. Your mind’s in so many different spots. As a fan for the first time, it’s unnerving.”
Post 100 manager Ryan Bowen said playing into August adds to the grind of the season. As one of only eight Legion teams in the country remaining, he is not complaining.
“Usually, we’re done in the middle of July and we have the rest of the summer to do whatever you want,” he said, “but this is a lot better than that.”
Jonathan Moura calls each new tournament “a blessing.” Another school year is approaching and vacation time is dwindling.
But Anthony Moura, who leads the team in hitting (.419) out of the No. 9 spot, is having the time of his life . Same with his parents.
“I texted Anthony this morning: ‘Win or lose, this has been the best summer,’” Jonathan said Sunday. “And he just responded: ‘we got this.’”
Hudson Post 100 World Series schedule
Thursday, Aug. 15
Post 100 vs. Troy, Alabama Post 70, 4 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 16
Post 100 vs. League City, Texas Post 554, 4 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 17
Post 100 vs. Fargo, North Dakota Post 2, 12 p.m.
All round-robin games streamed on ESPN3
Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimDum as.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Hudson Post 100 parents work out plan to attend Legion World Series in North Carolina
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