Hamburg looks to defend its historic Division 2 state title
The Hamburg Reds are the only American Legion baseball Division 2 state champions in commonwealth history.
They hope to keep it that way.
Hamburg will defend its state Legion title this weekend, August 3-5, in the second edition of the Division 2 tournament, a competition designed for and targeting smaller posts within the system.
Originally slated for Williamsport, this year’s tournament was moved lastminute to Hershey’s Memorial Field following a meeting of state Legion brass. Hamburg and Biglerville are confirmed participants in the 4-team field; Region 5’s championship game will impact the bracket and was completed Sunday afternoon, after press deadline for this story.
The Reds won last year’s inaugural D-2 state championship at Central Columbia High School near Bloomsburg.
A late run this summer by head coach Nick Evangelista’s crew — Hamburg went deep in the league tournament before being ousted by eventual SchuylkillBerks champion Muhlenberg on July 16 — actually qualified the Reds for the Region 2 tournament, the gateway to the state’s traditional Division 1 playoffs. But, as was the case a year ago upon its formation, Evangelista had to commit his squad to the D-2 bracket by the preseason deadline of March 31, which he did.
“We committed to Division 2 again and our organization looks at it as, we’re playing teams of like-territory size,” Evangelista said. “It’s providing our kids with an opportunity to play playoff baseball that we’re not assured of otherwise.”
The opportunity to defend the title is something the Reds wanted to do.
“It means a lot to our community, our players, our families, to have the chance and to earn our way back there,” Evangelista said.
When the Reds hit Hershey on Friday for their 4 p.m. contest at Memorial Field, the first game of the three-day, double-elimination tournament, they’ll be coming off a nearly threeweek lull, not having played since being ousted by the A’s in the S-B playoffs on July 16.
“Baseball is a game of repetition and practice is great and that is where you get better, but nothing can simulate a game,” Evangelista said. “We had some (exhibition) games set up but haven’t been able to play one game due to the weather. We have some intra-squads set up and seven
of our starters are competing in the Futures tournament (held on July 27-28 at Nor Gwyn), so we’re fortunate in that regard.”
Hamburg had an upand-down regular season in Schuylkill-Berks — the Reds finished at .500 with a 9-9 mark in the circuit — but again played a tough out-of-market slate, an approach Evangelista believes in and one he hopes pays dividends this weekend at Hershey.
“It prepared us for a playoff run in S-B,” Evangelista said. “Going in as a six-seed, not knowing whether we’d even make it in with a week to go, and to be right there on the final day against a very good Muhlenberg team. It’s a mindset: a belief in their abilities and going about their business the right way. … A lot of times we don’t come out on the winning side, but when we get back to playing our territories, it makes a world of difference.”
Heading into Hershey, Ethan Naftzinger leads the Reds in batting average (.344) and on-base percentage (.408), while topping the pitching staff in starts with 11. Reece Adam and Tyler Graham (4 each) lead the staff in wins. Brady Adams (.279), Wes Krick (.276) and Austin Gromlich (.281) have anchored the lineup. Gromlich’s slugging percentage of .810 leads the ballclub.
“We have some talented underclassmen and a few 19-year olds return, and that’s been a big boost for us in the dugout, to help our younger guys go about the game the right way” Evangelista said. “Wes Krick (catcher) has had a phenomenal year for us. Hunter Epting is a middle of the lineup guy for us, and Braydon Hunsicker is a really good character kid. He doesn’t see a lot of time of the field, but has really helped our younger kids understand what our goals are and how to go about doing things.”
This is all, of course, a continuation of the legacy a group of kids forged in the spring of 2016, when the high school Hawks shocked the scholastic baseball world by winning the District 3-AAA title at First Energy Stadium in Reading, as a No. 14 seed, in the last PIAA season played under the old four-class system. That club, which made it to the PIAA semifinals in Chambersburg, earned the first district team title in any sport in the school’s history.
That was followed up with a D-2 state Legion crown in 2017 and now, a repeat visit to that same juncture this summer. Some of the players from that 2016 PIAA District 3 championship squad have aged out of Legion ball, of course, but many have been around the full ride. It’s been a legacy — already constructed regardless of what happens in Hershey this weekend — that has fueled the growth of youth baseball at the younger reaches in the town. That is something that remain long after these players have departed.
Evidence of such a spike was the formation of a Prep (U14) Legion program, something Hamburg has never previously had, for this season. What’s more, that program qualified for the junior state tournament, being contested in Coopersburg.
“We’ve never had that before,” Evangelista said. They’ve won the Berks title this year and were the No. 1 team in state tournament. It’s first time we’ve ever had enough kids to have a team there. These kids want to learn and it’s a special mindset we’ve created and a culture we’ve created.
“This is three years in a row, where we have been one of the final four teams standing in either (states or Legion). It says the world about our program and their belief in our philosophies. Our fan base grew and grew. We sold 2500 tickets for the district final alone, just from Hamburg. I don’t know if anyone was even in the town the night that game was going on.
“We’re getting such a great commitment from our kids, their families and our community and it’s making memories that will last a lifetime.”
Tuesday, July 24