Eureka Legion Team Bound for State Finals After Tournament Sweep

The Eureka American Legion Post 177 baseball team is bound for Sedalia, Mo., this weekend for a chance at the title of state champions.

“Post 177 is state bound!” read a post from the team’s official Twitter account on Saturday. “Sedalia here we come!”

This past weekend, Eureka (35-12) earned a bid in the state finals after sweeping three opponents at the Zone 4 Tournament in Jackson, Mo. They also won the regular-season title and battled through the district tournament.

Eureka’s final game of the Zone 4 tournament pitted them against Jackson, according to an article in West Newsmagazine. A late game push capped by an RBI-single from Sean Murley put them over Jackson 4-3.

Assistant Coach Cam Phillips told Patch that their wins in the Zone tournament came mainly from pitching and defense, along with a few timely hits. 

"We gave up eight runs in 27 innings, and only used three pitchers to get through the tournament," he said. "That's almost unheard of. ... I can't say enough about the job that Michael Lydon-Lorson, Brennen Lummus and Rudy May did on the mound."

The win is also a historic for the team. Post 177 went to the zone tournament in 2008, 2009 and 2010 but has never advanced to the state finals. 

"We have 18 guys that we fully believe in and 18 guys that bring it to the field every night," he said. "It's a fantastic feeling to get to this point, but they know their job isn't done yet, and they don't want to leave Sedalia disappointed."

The finals are a four-team, double elimination tournament. Eureka will face Jefferson City (39-5) at 7 p.m. on Aug. 1.