CHAMPAIGN — Post 210 left-hander Conlan Moore could have thrown his final pitch in Legion Baseball at last year’s state tournament.
He and his teammates advanced to the Great Lakes Regional but after they were eliminated, Moore, a 2023 graduate of Covington High School, headed off to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology to play football Fightin’ Engineers.
Because of his age, Moore was eligible for one more year of Legion Baseball and Danville Post 210 coach Brent Hart offered him an opportunity as a PO (pitcher only).
Good thing he did.
Not because of what Moore did on the mound during the Fourth Division Tournament — he didn’t throw a pitch — but the defensive back on the gridiron went 2-for-4 with three RBIs including an pivotal 2-run double in the fifth inning as Post 210 defeated Shelby County Stewardson 13-5 in the championship game at Spaulding Park in Champaign. It is the eighth consecutive Fourth Division title for Post 210.
“Not bad for a kid that came in as PO for us,’’ Hart said. “Honestly, he is one of my favorite kids. He just goes out and does what you ask of him.’’
Not surprisingly, Moore along with catcher Drew Wichtowski are the third-year veterans for Post 210.
“We had something to prove,’’ said Moore referring to Post 210 losing to Shelby County Stewardson on Saturday 9-3, forcing the winner-take-all game on Sunday. “We were looking for eight in a row. That is a streak that you definitely don’t wan to break.
“Winning a Division title means a lot and it’s a big deal in our program. And, we weren’t ready for this to end.’’
And the term program has an extra meaning for the Speakers.
“I just started playing over here when I was 14,’’ said Moore. “But, we have guys that have been playing for Post 210 since they were 10 or 11 years old.
“When you get to the highest level in this program, you are not only representing your group, but all levels of the Post 210 program.’’
It’s that kind of respect for the Speakers brand that Hart credits for the Post 210 success.
“Guys like Conlan Moore keeps the culture going,’’ he said. “He could have easily laid down after that loss (on Saturday) and said, “I’m ready to go back to Rose-Hulman and play football.
“But, that’s a competitive dude that doesn’t like to lose.’’
Still, Shelby County Stewardson wasn’t going to make it easy on Post 210.
The Speakers went out and took the title thanks in part to 13 hits and every batter in the Post 210 lineup either scored a run or drove home a run in the contest.
“The lineup has been there all year, it’s just been up-and-down at times,’’ Hart said. “It was a beautiful approach for a lot of guys. They did exactly what they needed to do.’’
After being held scoreless over the first innings by Connor Manhart, Post 210 scored in the final five frames.
It started with a single run in the third on an RBI single by Braxton Waller, then it was two runs in the fourth including an RBI single by winning pitcher Jameson Remole. That was followed by a 3-run fifth, a 5-run sixth and two more in the seventh.
That was more than enough offense for Remole, who allowed just one run in five innings.
“I just went out there and tried to throw strikes. I trusted my teammates to make plays and we started hitting the ball,’’ Remole said. “I don’t think there was one person that you can give credit to, I think it was an all-around good game by everyone.’’
Danville Post 210 will play Palos Post 1993 Coyotes at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Illinois State Tournament at Barrington High School.
Stewardson 9 Danville 3
TILTON — Danville Post 210’s road to the Illinois State Legion Tournament hit a major roadblock on Saturday in the Fourth Division Tournament at Gruber Park.
Shelby County Stewardson scored seven times in the first two innings on its way to a 9-3 victory over Danville.
Stewardson right-hander Jackson Gurgel was a force both on the mound and at the plate for his team. Gurgel held Post 210 to just four hits in 6.1 innings, while going 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI.
Other offensive leaders for Stewardson were Tyler Weatherall, who was 3-for-5 with two RBIs, and Carter Chaney, who was 1-for-4 with two runs scored.
The lone bright spot for Danville was Zach Russell with a 3-run double in the fifth inning but that was the only offense the Speakers generated on Saturday.
Saturday’s linescore At Gruber Park, Tilton Shelby County Stewardson 9, Danville Post 210 Speakers 3
Stewardson 430 000 2 — 9 12 2
Post 210 000 030 0 — 3 4 2
WP — Jackson Gurgel. LP — Kollin Asbury. Two or more hits — Stewardson: Gurgel 3, Tyler Wetherall 3, Colten Bridges 2. Post 210: Remole 2. 2B — Stewardson: Bridges, Carter Chaney. Post 210: Zach Russell. RBIs — Stewardson: Wetherall 2, Gurgel, Chaney, Nathan Trimble, Rhett Rincker. Post 210: Russell 3.
Sunday s linescore
At Spaulding Park, Champaign Danville Post 210 Speakers 13, Shelby County Stewardson 5
Post 210 001 235 2 — 13 13 1
Stewardson 000 102 2 — 5 9 1
WP — Jameson Remole. LP — Connor Manhart. Two or more hits — Post 210: Jerrius Atkinson 3, Zach Russell 2, Braxton Waller 2, Jaydon Riggs 2, Conlan Moore 2. Stewardson: Tyler Wetherall 3. 2B — Post 210: Atkinson 2, Riggs, Moore, Jordan Johnson. Stewardson: Benjamin Bridges. RBIs — Post 210: Riggs 3, Moore 3, Remole, Atkinson, Russell, Johnson. Stewardson: Manhart, Bridges, Kaden Koeberlein, Rhett Rincker.
Records — Danville Post 210 Speakers 28-14 overall.
At Barrington High School 2024 Illinois State Tournament Wednesday, July 31
Game 1 — Rock Island vs. Carol Stream Post 76 Thunder, 11 a.m.
Game 2 — Danville Post 210 Speakers vs. Palos Post 1993 Coyotes, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3 — Barrington vs. Orient Post 1961 Express, 4 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 1
Game 4 — Game 2 loser vs. Game 3 loser, 11 a.m.
Game 5 — Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 1:30 p.m.
Game 6 — Game 3 winner vs. Game 1 loser, 4 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 2
Game 7 — Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 loser, 11 a.m.
Game 8 — Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 1:30 p.m.
Game 9 (if necessary) — Game 7 winner vs. Game 6 loser (if first loss) or Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 loser (if first loss), 4 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 3
Game 10 (if necessary) — Game 9 winner vs. Game 8 loser (if first loss) or Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 11 a.m.
Game 11 (if necessary) — Game 11 winner vs. Game 11 loser (if first loss), 1:30 p.m.