Beaufort County Post 15 made it to the state tournament after winning four games in a row to dodge elimination.  In the conference tournament, they lost their first game against Hertford County 2-0 and the road ahead looked tough.

Facing a lose-and-go-home scenario, Post 15 found its stride and got hot when it mattered. They faced top-seeded Bear Grass in the final elimination game. The game took three days to complete due to multiple rain delays but Post 15 won the battle.

“This is big for Beaufort County,” head coach Bobby Boyd said. “The guys are all dialed in and are excited to compete for a state championship.”

The tournament will be from July 15-19 in Cherryville, NC. Eight teams are competing in a double-elimination bracket. There are two teams from each area. North Carolina junior legion teams are divided into four different areas that are determined by location. Beaufort County plays in Area One.

They are the two seed from Area One with Riverside taking the top spot. They will play the top seed from Area Four in the first round on Saturday.

“The team is locked in and ready to go,” Boyd said. “Losing that first game was probably the best thing that happened to us; we have been more focused after the loss. We had 16 hits against a premier pitcher from Bear Grass, so I think we have the pieces in place to win a state title.”

Boyd said except for one player who has a broken hand, everyone is healthy and available. As far as pitching goes, Boyd plays it by ear for who will start. “Sometimes it is a gut feeling and how they look warming up. A lot of times we will have two guys warming up at the same time and then decide who starts,” Boyd said.

Luke Bullock threw a complete game shutout against Edenton in the area tournament and Bryce Williams is that has pitched well this season.

Boyd says it could be one of them that goes the first game, but he said they have 10 guys who he can place on the mound and have confidence in.