Although not making it to this weekend’s North Carolina American Legion State Tournament, Wadesboro Legion Post 446 proved they can play among the best baseball teams in the region.
For Wadesboro coach Clint Davis, launching a first-year American Legion team is a lot like launching a professional sports franchise and, like any expansion team, Wadesboro experienced a bit of growing pains in their first year on the diamond.
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs. It’s been good. We’ve had some good moments … The goal is we want something to allow our boys to get better in this county and for this county. These kids here, most of them go to Anson High School and are getting another year of varsity baseball under their belts. Even as eighth and ninth graders. They’re developing. Sometimes it’s slow for young kids, but they’re coming along,” Davis said.
What makes starting an American Legion team from scratch is developing a team capable of competing against what are essentially regional all-star teams. Buggy Town Post 180, for instance, is a collection of players from Pinehurst and surrounding areas. Over the years, these all-star teams develop chemistry by playing together and recruiting high school or college teammates. Before long, these teams become American Legion perennial powerhouses with players participating well into their college careers.
“Starting from scratch in our inaugural season, anytime you can pull a win out in American Legion baseball – that’s huge. We’re playing against much older competition. Most of the teams we’re playing have at least a few college players on their roster. We’re stacked with high school players. Any time we can grab a win we feel really good about it. We’re winning the right games,” said Coach Davis, just days removed from the program’s first win - 4-2 over Buggy Town Post 180.
Facing older, more experienced teams, Wadesboro struggled to a 0-10 start. Coach Davis credited second baseman Isiah Hatcher for being a leader in his team’s time of need, as well as having a strong bat and being a reliable infielder.
“Hatcher has been one of the most vocal leaders, and probably one of the most solid leaders on and off of the field. He’s one of those older guys that we really lean on … Watch on the field, and be the general and make sure everyone is in the right spot, it really helps,” Davis said.
Despite the slow start, Wadesboro picked up wins when they mattered. Hatcher played a key role in their 4-2 victory over Buggy Town with his RBI line drive shifting the momentum in the fourth inning.
“I made a mistake in the first inning. I had to get that run back, and I got it back. It seemed like the team built off of that and got some momentum,” Hatcher said. “We got a young team, but when we get everyone hyped up, they bow up a bit, and everyone plays the way they’re supposed to play.”
Wadesboro had a chance to finish second in their conference but fell to Hope Mills 14-3. In the conference tournament, they fell to Hope Mills again 12-4 to open a best-of-three series. Wadesboro’s inexperience ultimately made the difference in the 18-9 loss. However, they would not go down without a fight, and put a bit of a scare in Hope Mills, a competitor in this week’s state tournament. Catcher Jason West plated three of his team-leading four RBIs with a triple, but it was not enough to overcome the seven-run advantage created by an error-laden first inning.
Despite ending the season in a blowout loss to Hope Mills, Coach Davis feels playing teams like Hope Mills, as well as state tournament qualifiers Hamlet and returning state runner-up Garner, is good for the players. As Professional Wrestler Rick “The Nature Boy” Flair once said, “To be the best, you have to beat the best.” For Wadesboro, a program just in its infancy, it takes seeing the best to know what to aspire to next season.
“It’s important for our guys to see what a true legion team looks like to give us building blocks and something to look forward to,” Davis said.
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