2023

2023 was another successful year for the Post 94 Baseball Club and featured two very strong teams: the Post 94 Seniors managed by Chad Bush, and assisted by Hank Curry and Ryan Troxel; and the Post 94 Juniors, managed by Dom Ortiz and Jim MacKenzie, and assisted by Nick Koprcina. In all, over 30 young men played baseball for Post 94 in the 2023 season.

The Seniors embarked on a “historic schedule tour” as, for the first time, it scheduled a three-day weekend trip to Southern Indiana in June to play Indiana American Legion baseball stalwarts Newburgh Post 44 and Rockport Post 254, including games at pristine, historical ballparks Bosse Field in Evansville and Joe Hargis Field in Rockport. The Post 94 Seniors carried on with a challenging schedule that also included top-notch teams Stevensville (MI) Post 568, Hobart Post 502, Palos (IL) Post 1993, Lafayette Post 11, the Morris Chief travel baseball 17U team, and a summer-college team rostered with Indiana Tech players. For its season-ending American Legion tournament play, Post 94 won the Regional Tournament for Region 1 played in South Bend, and then displayed an outstanding performance in the State tournament played in Kokomo, securing a 3rd-place finish. In total, the 2024 Post 94 Seniors played a record 32 games while compiling a 17-14-1 record against elite competition. The 2023 squad included Caysen Bontrager, Nick Bravo, Ethan Brinsfield, Gabe Bush, Matt Cvanich, Edward Curry, Adler Holtz, Oliver Holtz, Daniel Klapp, Mason Leckrone, Nate Nightingale, Dillon Rodriguez, Jimmie Shifflett, Nathan Simpson, Brody Traxler, Jack Wheeler and Gordon Wineland.
The Post 94 Juniors team also played an extremely challenging schedule, including at Kokomo Post 6’s invitational tourney at CFD Investment Stadium in June where Post 94 played games with state contenders Kokomo Post 6, Stevensville (MI) Post 568, Princeton Post 25 and Hobart Post 502. During the 2023 season, Post 94 also played Illinois contender Palos Post 1993 and Plymouth Post 27’s rejuvenated Juniors team. The Post 94 Juniors captured the Regional 1 tournament championship, and advanced to the State Tournament in Kokomo – finishing in 4th place. With its strong schedule, Post 94 played 26 total games and finished with a 12-14 record. The 2023 squad included Korben Anderson, Jude Belsha, Ben Carpenter, Matt Cvanich, Corbin DeWitt, William Jepsen, Gavin Kukler, Austen MacKenzie, Corbin McConnachie, Tyler NiCastro, Nate Nightengale, CJ Ortiz, Owen Ryan, Nathan Simpson, and Rocco Venice.

Finally, 2023 also saw Post 94 partner with Valparaiso Parks’ Challenger Baseball Program. This unique program, spearheaded by Post 94’s Jim MacKenzie, encourages 5-22 year-old boys and girls with physical and/or intellectual challenges to participate in weekly baseball practices and games at Valparaiso’s Samardzija Field, and other park programs in NW Indiana. Post 94 players and managers/coaches have embraced the volunteer spirit and donated hours of their time in both the spring and fall seasons to promote a supportive and uplifting baseball environment for the youngsters participating in this outstanding program.