Blake Smelcer and Richard Martinez have been coaching baseball together since they led Hope Mills to the state Dixie Boys baseball championship five years ago.
Now, they’re trying to bring the same success to the local American Legion baseball program as they begin their second year fielding a Cumberland County-based team.
But there will be a new look and players from multiple schools involved this season as the local Legion program kept alive for many years by longtime coach Doug Watts continues to evolve.
For starters, the team has adopted a new name, the Post 32 Lions. The name honors the two organizations that are providing much of the team’s backing, the Haire-Matthews American Legion Post 32 of Hope Mills and the Massey Hill Lions Club.
“They’re the ones who financially make it happen,” said Smelcer, himself a product of the local American Legion program when the team he played for was coached by the late Brad Barbour.
After a break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Smelcer and Martinez restarted Legion baseball locally last summer, battling their way to the state tournament as representatives of Area 2.
They played their home games at Methodist University but this year will be moving to Terry Sanford High School’s field after being unable to work out an agreement to return to their old home at South View High School.
South View remains the base school for the Post 32 program, but shifting dynamics in American Legion baseball have given the team a wide area to draw its players from.
The primary schools for Post 32 are South View, Gray’s Creek, Jack Britt and Terry Sanford, but the team will have players on this year’s roster from as far away as Overhills and Purnell Swett.
That proved helpful since the Legion program draws mainly from graduated seniors and college freshmen. Most of the players still enrolled in local high schools prefer to play in showcase events during the summer months.
Smelcer said this year’s local class of baseball seniors was slim.
“We ended up pulling from the junior ranks, which wasn’t easy,” Smelcer said.
A few of the key players Smelcer currently has on the roster are pitcher Keithyn Hunt of Purnell Swett; pitcher-infielder Naythien Peterson-McNamara of South View; and pitcher-infielders Braylon Lepley and Ty Stewart of Gray’s Creek.
Two post-high school players who will be pitchers only are Hunter Beard from Overhills and Austin Keen from Jack Britt.
Another veteran returning that Smelcer is high on is utility player Cameron Seagroves, who played at Terry Sanford and just finished his freshman year at Methodist University.
A newcomer who should help is Derrick Hall of Pine Forest, who just completed his first year at Fayetteville Technical Community College and plays infield.
“We’ve got some strong spots, and we are looking forward to this group coming together,” Smelcer said.
He is aware that could take some time, as evidenced by the fact Post 32 is off to an 0-3 start.
He’s not dismayed because he noted it took two or three weeks last year for the team to find itself and eventually qualify for the state tournament.
“I think we’re going to be solid on defense and pitching,” he said. “With the bats, I think we have a group we put together that is going to be capable.”
The remainder of this year’s Post 32 regular season schedule follows. All home games are at 7 p.m. at Terry Sanford.
June 5, intrasquad scrimmage (noon, at Terry Sanford); June 8, at Brunswick; June 12 at Pleasure Island; June 13, at Hampstead; June 16, Wilmington; June 17, at Wilmington; June 19, Brunswick; June 20, at Chatham; June 21, at Hamlet; June 22, Wilson; June 26, Hamlet; June 27, Hampstead; June 30, at Port City.
July 3, Pleasure Island; July 5-9, first round of Area 2 playoffs; July 10-15, second round, Area 2 playoffs; July 17-15, third round, Area 2 playoffs; July 25-29, state finals at Campbell University.
Earl’s Pearls
- Seventy-First, which is already ranked No. 1 in the state 3-A classification in at least one preseason high school football poll, got some bad news this week when standout running back Anthony Quinn Jr. announced he plans to transfer to Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in northeast Georgia. The school is about a two-hour drive from Atlanta.
Rabun Gap is a private boarding school that is a member of the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association.
Led by Quinn, Seventy-First was 14-1 last year, only losing 23-22 to Northern Nash in the 3-A East Regional finals.
Quinn rushed for 2,450 yards, averaging 8.78 yards per carry while scoring 29 touchdowns.
Follow Earl Vaughan Jr. on Twitter: @EarlVaughanJr
