By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
STAYTON, Ore.– The Post 58 Crushers American Legion program opened up their two-day try-out on Saturday evening with 72 athlete’s coming out to earn their way onto their Triple-A and Single-A squads for the upcoming Summer season.
The Triple-A squad is coming off a State appearance from this past season and second in the past three seasons under Head Coach Kyle Baker, who also coaches the Regis High School baseball program.
Kennedy’s Brody Panuke and North Marion’s Jaxon DeFabis are two of the 72 athletes looking to make it to the squads this Summer.
Panuke, coming off a 1-for-3 with two walk game against Monroe/Alsea on Friday in the Trojans 11-4 victory in the 2A/1A State Quarterfinals, played on the Crushers Single-A squad last year and the experience has helped the now junior this past High School season.
“It’s helped me a lot with velocity and getting me ready for the season,” Panuke said. “I hope it teaches me a few things, and I’m hoping it humbles me a little bit, to be honest.”
Humbling in that there’s a lot of good athletes out there that he can learn from and compete again.
For DeFabis, the last four years with the Huskies program have helped him a lot as he learned under Hall of Fame coach Randy Brack up in Aurora. Things like leadership and putting team first that has helped shape him into the ballplayer that he is today.
“Randall is an awesome coach. He’s made me such a amazing player year-after-year, he’s created me into a voice on the field and the dugout when we need a voice, when we’re down and we need to come back, hes always there…I’m just happy to play for them for my last year, I’m just glad to be apart of it for sure,” DeFabis said. “I’m out here hoping to make the team, be a good teammate, be a good leader of the field, on-and-off.
Try-outs wrap up Sunday at Regis High School from 5pm-7:30pm. The Crushers opened the season June 7 against Lydo’s Lab in a doubleheader.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
