Post 64 Baseball's Unlikely Summer Comes To An End

Post 64 Baseball's amazing season of being MD State Champions for the first time ever and advancing to the Regional field of the final 32 American Legion baseball teams in the country came to an end on Sunday in Reading PA. The team came up one day short of a trip to Tacoma Washington and the American Legion World Series.

On Saturday night Salisbury lost to VA 4-1. Canaan Crropper started on the mound and after giving up a 2 run homer in the 3rd was lifted in favor of left hander Andrew Dane who came on and shut down the VA squad for the remainder of the game. Salisbury stranded 15 baserunners and out hit the VA squad 11 to 6 but could not put together any runs. On Sunday the team fell behind early against NJ and an explosive offense 15-1 after 4 innings. They clawed back making it 15-7 but the deficit was too big and the day too short. With a record of 2-2 in regional play after wins over a powerful WVA squad on Thursday night 10-7 and DE on Friday 12-2 their storied season came to an end.

"As the bus was bringing us home last night I realized what an accomplishment these young men achieved in the last 2 months. With a record of 31-9 and having earned a MD title against some of the highest level programs in MD and the region, they are a great baseball team and we will never be the same again after this experience together", said first year manager Bill Cropper. "I have coached in the LLWS in 2007 and a National Championship 14U Travel Team that was ranked #1 nationally in USSSA Baseball in 2009 and this is the best team I have ever been with and the highest level of competition I have ever faced" "We faced premier college level pitching every day along with some of the most elite high school players from MD DE VA PA NY NJ and WVA and were one or two hits and one or two pitchers away from a World Series. No one will ever know the exceptional level of competition we faced and the exceptional level of play by this group of college and local high school players except those with us! What a great run! Salisbury should be proud of their baseball!"

Team members include:

Miles Illian SS Tusculum College
Seth Illian CF Tusculum College
Jake Ross P Delaware Tech
Tanner Drennan C Southern Union CC
Lucas Koenig 1B UMES
Will Jones 3B Frostburg State
Canaan Cropper 3B/P JMB HS 2013
Josh Wyatt 2B JMB HS 2013
KJ Trader C/P Delmar HS 2013
Connor Shockley OF/P JMB HS 2012
Ryan Aebly C JMB HS 2012
Zack Sterling P JMB HS 2011
Tyler Illian IF/OF Parkside HS 2011
Ryan Holland P JMB HS 2010
Ricky Hoffman OF Wicomico HS 2010
Andrew Dane P/OF Parkside HS 2010
Trey Jones P JMB HS 2012