The Return of Post 17: DuBois Senior Legion Baseball Reloads for Year Two

The DuBois Senior Legion baseball season is fast approaching and loaded with extreme promise. Following a massive 2025 campaign where the team went 10-2 in its first season back since 2019, Post 17 is looking to build on that momentum. Head coach Mark Lyons is ready for his second year at the helm, and the energy surrounding the program is night and day compared to last spring.

Before a single pitch was thrown in 2025, Lyons faced an uphill battle. He spent the winter reading league rulebooks, securing field time, and figuring out the logistics of funding a team. But the hardest part was finding kids to play.

"The biggest challenge was that no players in DuBois knew what Legion ball was," Lyons explained. "The most recent team was in 2019, so we missed a whole generation of players."

Entering year two, Lyons has the recruiting and operational blueprint dialed in. Thanks to the team's incredible on-field success, finishing 2025 with a plus-57 run differential and scoring 77 runs while allowing only 20, along with a massive surge in its digital media presence, recruiting flipped from a struggle to a surplus. Players were actively reaching out, asking for a spot on the roster.

This season, the roster looks incredibly dangerous. The team welcomes back six returning players who contributed heavily to last season's dominant 1.625 team ERA and .315 batting average: Waker Thomas, Ace Johnson, Brody Knouse, Mason Dinkfelt, Adam Drahushak, and Maddix Clark.

Dinkfelt is coming off a strong first Legion season, posting a .429 batting average, while Clark hit .417. Knouse's return brings strength to the pitching staff after he posted a 3.50 ERA in 2025. He will be joined on the mound by returnees Johnson, Drahushak, and Clark.

While the core is strong, Post 17 has some big shoes to fill following the departure of key veterans like catcher Cole Bloom (who batted .522 last season), shortstop Anthoney Lopez, and star pitcher Craig Mays. To fill those gaps, DuBois has brought on 12 new, highly anticipated additions to the roster: Jack Statler, Isaiah Chewning, Bryson Kail, Nate Witherite, Aaron Eberly, Easton Harris, Isaac Dennison, Hunter Ho, Lundon Duncan, Blake Barrett, Chad Gerg, and Rex Butler.

This group of recruits includes many players who won the Senior Little League East Regional Tournament and proudly represented the region at the 2025 Senior League World Series in Easley, South Carolina.

Guiding this talented mix of veterans and newcomers is a dedicated coaching staff that has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to establish a winning culture in DuBois. Joining Lyons are assistant head coach Tate Rutherford and assistant coaches Jeremiah Mondi, Bryson Dinkfelt, John Rutherford, Dave Kovel, Nathan Tyler, and Austin Mitchell.

With the roster set, expectations high, and the community rallying behind them, DuBois Legion is ready to make noise this summer.

Opening Day has been delayed due to the success of the DuBois Area High School varsity team making the state playoffs, but fans can stay up to date by following DuBoisLegionBaseball on Instagram and Facebook, as well as visiting duboislegionbaseball.com.