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By SEAN ROCCA

For The Washington Daily News

Beaufort County Post 15 opens its season in the Junior Legion North Carolina League Monday night.  The team is comprised of players ranging from 8th graders to juniors in high school. Post 15 has players on the team from various schools in Beaufort and Pitt County. There are 16 players on the team, with only three of them being juniors. They are Avery Johnson, Cutter Williams, and Tanner Moore. They will play a 19-game season against other teams in North Carolina. The regular season will finish at the end of June leading to the postseason. It begins with the six best local teams competing in a tournament at Bear Grass Charter. The top two teams in the local tournament move on to the state tourney in Cherryville.

Head coach of Post 15, Bobby Boyd, said this team expects to win a state championship. “This is the best-looking team we have had in a while and I told the guys if you don’t want to go states, this isn’t the team for you,” Boyd said during tryouts. “The team understands the expectations and they are putting in lots of work to meet them. They have practice at 6 p.m. but most of the team shows up at 5:15 or 5:30. I tell them practice starts at 6:00 so they need to be warmed up and ready to go. It’s on them to properly get loose,” Boyd said.

Boyd is confident in his team’s chances. He said of the 16 players on the team, 12 are pitchers and three can catch. This means that while they will play many games in a short time, they will have plenty of depth to be able to compete on any given day. They will play eight games in 11 days and 19 games over a month of play, leaving not many days off. Despite the grueling schedule, the players are ready and excited for the season.

Another core aspect of the team is acting responsibly off the field. The team has multiple sponsors for the season and Boyd had each of his players handwrite a thank-you note to the sponsors. Boyd emphasized the great character of the team and that it will be tested throughout the season. “If we are winning 12-0; no one panics and no one is tested. I want to see how they react when it is 4-1 late in the game. That is when one’s true character comes out,” Boyd said. “The atmosphere around our team is really good and the chemistry is already blossoming into something special.”

Boyd said Riverside and Bear Grass should have good teams, but he fully expects his team to be in the top two by the playoffs. Post 15 plays Ahoskie #2 in the season opener Monday at 7 p.m. at Washington High School.