By G. KERRY WEBSTER
editor@centrecountygazette.com
The Philipsburg Phils American Legion baseball team may have gotten off on the wrong foot this season when it lost the first game of the 2022 campaign to Clarence.
But the team then powered forward, first winning 14 straight to capture the Central Penn League regular season title, then following that up by winning the Region 7 Tournament in Bedford and the state tournament in Boyertown.
Now, the team is going to Morgantown, West Virigina, Aug. 3-7 to compete in the Mid-Atlantic Regional.
“Our success this season has been truly team mentality first. There is so much talent on the team but only nine spots,” said manager John White. “These kids have completely bought into the dynamic of ‘we are a team.’”
Winning the league title gave the team a bid to the regional tournament, so it wasn’t necessary for the Phils to participate in the Central Penn League playoffs. But it did, and it ran the table, defeating Beech Creek, Clarence and Beech Creek a second time to win the playoff tournament.
At the Region 7 Tournament, the Phils claimed the No. 1 seed from the Central Penn League and went 2-1 in pool play with a win against Young Township, a loss against St. Michael and a win against Bushy Run.
“We were again seeded in a semi-final playoff as the No. 1 seed from Pool B,” said White. “We opened the single elimination tournament against Bedford and won, moving to the final for a rematch with Bushy Run, which we won.
Next up was the state tourney in Boyerstown. Prior to the first pitch, the team enjoyed a Hall of Fame dinner and got to witness a preview of the historic Bear Stadium.
“We opened the tournament against Greater Pittston with a 7-1 victory on Saturday (July 23); then it was Paxton on Sunday (July 24), who was last year’s runner-up,” said White.
“We beat them 4-2, moving us to the winners-bracket final last evening (Monday, July 25) against Falls. We were victorious, 3-1, earning a bid to the Mid-Atlantic Regional in Morgantown, West Virginia.”
White credits the team’s success to the effort it has received from its starting pitchers, a strong defense and the smallball strategy the team has taken offensively,
“From a playing standpoint, it starts with our pitching. The starting pitching has been incredible, so incredible we have barely had to use any relief pitching all season,” White said.
“Defensively, we are incredibly solid across the board. The most runs we have given up in any game has been four.
“Offensively, we have committed to the small-ball approach,” White continued.
“Sure, we have a few home runs and some big extra-base hits, but we have embraced the concept of getting the ball in play, moving runners by hitting the ball the other way and sacrificing to get runners into scoring position.”
The team is made up of players from Philipsburg, of course, but also has players from Moshannon Valley and West Branch on the roster.
In addition to White, the coaching staff includes Storm Smith, Dave Wildman and Aaron Gustkey.
The team also added a special coach in T.J. Wildman.
T.J. Wildman should have been playing with the team; however, his American Legion season and his high school campaign were lost due to an arm injury that required Tommy John surgery.
“He has coached first base all season for me and is a crucial part of this team and our success,” said White.
American Legion Post 437 provides transportation, hotel accommodations and a daily stipend which covers one meal for each player. The team needs help with donations to help offset the cost of additional meals, water, sports drinks and laundry expenses while in West Virginia. The Phils are collecting donations through @philsbaseball on Venmo.
Donation collection cans are also spread throughout the business communities in Philipsburg, West Branch and Mo Valley.
