Derrick Webb, Reporter7:29 p.m. EDT July 13, 2016
CHILLICOTHE - As Chillicothe Post 757 heads towards the Region V Tournament, the Colts are in good hands when comes to a leadership aspect.
Veterans Zack Stapleton, Leo Woods and Cody Hendershot are all in their last year with the organization and, because of that factor, they're determined to carry their team on the deepest postseason run possible.
The recipe for that hoped for success? Heart, togetherness and hitting the cover off the ball.
"We can win the whole thing if we put our minds to it," Woods said, a four-year veteran on the club. "We have to come out playing in every game, play together and listen to our coaches. We've got a lot of new kids this year, who have never been in the tournament. It's up to us older guys to show them the ropes."
The Colts (11-18) have just two regular season games left, a doubleheader with Hillsboro Post 129 on Thursday evening before the tournament starts. In a double-elimination format, two losses over the weekend signal the end of three storied 757 careers.
"The other night, we played our last game on our home field," Hendershot recalled, speaking of Post 757's JW Hoffman Field in Chillicothe's Mary Lou Patton Park. "That was a bittersweet feeling. I love playing here. It's been home for seven years. To know that I was stepping on that field for the last time, in a game sense, it was emotional."
Hendershot, 19, has spent the longest of the three with the Colts as the 2016 summer marks his seventh in blue and gold. The Southeastern High School graduate originally planned to play for 757's crosstown rival Post 62, but thought otherwise when the two parties' first meeting didn't go as planned.
"When I came out of little league, I wanted to play for Post 62 because that's where all of my friends were playing," Hendershot said. "But there was a lot of 'daddy ball' so to speak. So when I showed up to tryouts, they didn't want me because they already had their team picked. I then came to 757 and (coach) Tom (Barr) gave me the chance. After my first year here and pretty much every year since, I've been offered the chance to go to 62. But I haven't done that because they didn't want me."
At 19 years old, Stapleton is in his sixth season with the Colts out of Jackson High School.
"A kid from Jackson told me to come up and try out when I was around 13 years old," Stapleton said. "That's what brought me here and I've stayed ever since. I've grown up with some of the guys I've met here and have made some really good friends."
Whatever the reason in which the three came to 757, the Colts are glad they have them on the roster. But as Hendershot alluded to, Barr is a central reason why they continue to show up summer after summer.
"Coach Barr is a confidence booster and he likes playing the game hard," Stapleton said. "He doesn't like losing and neither do I. I've grown a lot as a ballplayer since coming here. Going into my freshman year, I didn't want to play any sport. Coach Barr is one of the main reasons why I played high school baseball. It's been a roller coaster ride for me but I'm glad I'm on it."
The seeding for this weekend's tournament, being held at VA Memorial Stadium, will take place Friday. No matter where they're seeded or who they're eventually slated to play, 757's goal is a clear one.
"We want to win. Period," Woods said. "We've got a lot of talented guys on our roster and they're able to get the job done. Zack, Cody and myself have to be the leaders. We have to bring the intensity and we have to get our guys up. If we do that, you never know, you may just see an underdog win a tournament championship."
dwebb@chillicothegazette.com
Twitter: @dw1509
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The Gazette will have live coverage of the American Legion Region V Tournament as Chillicothe's Post 62 and 757 both vie for a championship. Follow @dw1509 on Twitter for updates throughout the event and visit chillicothegazette.com for full details.
