On July 26, during the first day of Tournament play, we had two groups of players visit Monroe Community Hospital to visit some of the veterans living there. This was one of the highlights of the tournament! It's hard to tell who enjoyed it more, the veterans or the players. Here are the photos of the two meetings:
Group 1:
Group 1:
Group 2:
Greece Post 469 Baseball team is coming home!
Our team is coming home tonight (August 18). We are going to meet them at the airport to welcome them home. Please come out to join us in welcoming Greece Post 468 home. The first group will be arriving around 11 PM and the second group will be getting home around 1 AM. We know it's late, but we hope you will come out for these wonderful young men.
Greece Post 468 didn't make it to the final 4
in the American Legion World Series
in the American Legion World Series
Well, the team lost last night, 11-0. No matter what, we all are so proud of these young men. They have gone farther and higher than any other team in Monroe County history.
Hold your heads up high, you have nothing to be sad or disappointed about. We here at Greece Post 468 are so proud of you.
Come home to us with your heads held proudly. You did an amazing job.
Hold your heads up high, you have nothing to be sad or disappointed about. We here at Greece Post 468 are so proud of you.
Come home to us with your heads held proudly. You did an amazing job.
Greece Post 468
Northeast Regional Centennial Championship Tournament Champions
Northeast Regional Centennial Championship Tournament Champions
They did it, in a thrilling hard-fought game against Wallingford, CT on Sunday, Greece Post 468 emerged victorious with a 7-5 victory. This is the first time since 2002 that a team from New York has won the championship and the first time ever for Greece Post 468. With this win, Greece Post 468 advances to the American Legion Baseball World Series held in Shelby, NC on August 14-19. Here is our championship team!
Greece Post 468 rallies, walks off with NYS Legion title
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Imagine a swimming pool toy after it’s been handled by a doberman pinscher. Deflated.
That’s the best way to describe Greece Post 468 for the better part of action at Rochester Institute of Technology on Wednesday.
Greece had steamrolled its first four opponents in the tournament by a combined score of 40-5 to move within one win of a third state title in four years. Then just like that was facing a deficit and down to its final six outs.
Greece dropped a 9-3 decision in Wednesday’s opener. Only once this season had the squad allowed more runs. The loss forced a deciding game.
They trailed 5-2 after five innings. The two runs, scored in the fourth, felt like a last gasp.
That is, until one of baseball’s timeless clichés came into play: one swing of the bat.
Derrick Allen sparked a late-inning rally and Greece Post (20-5) walked off with a 6-5 victory over Hamburg Post 527 (17-5-1) to claim the 2025 New York State American Legion Senior championship.
Allen collected 12 hits in the six games of the tournament. None bigger than a solo shot to lead off the sixth inning.
“I was just trying to get on base and give us a chance,” said the tournament MVP.
He connected on a 1-0 pitch that easily cleared the fence in right field – 310 feet from home plate.
“It gave us that swagger, that confidence,” said Greece Post manager, Nelson Madrid. “It was the first time that our energy was at a different tier. It was where it was earlier in the tournament. Now, the guys believed they could do this.”
Allen’s round-tripper was the first of three straight to reach base in the inning. Cam Barbulean and Tyler Cannon followed with a back-to-back singles. One out later, Nate Brinza tied the game with a double in the left-center gap.
“Prior to that inning the boys were running into the dugout, I said ‘We have to change our approach,'” Madrid said. “‘He (Hamburg Post pitcher Daniel Reese) is executing his pitches, and we’re making it easy for him.’
“We were letting him control the game. We had to change our approach.”
What Madrid wanted, initially, and what Allen provided were two different things.
“We were all thinking of trying to hit it over the fence,” Madrid said. “We needed to play more small ball, try driving the ball and finding some holes.”
Allen responded with his second home run of the season.
“That’s what happens a lot with hitting,” Allen said. “When you start trying hit line drives, home runs happen.”
One inning later, Jake Higgins came home with game winner. Higgins entered the game as a pinch hitter. He led the bottom of the seventh with a double.
Madrid credited coach Jim Capellupo with the decision to send Higgins to plate.
“Coach Capps and I were talking. Savage (Greece catcher, Dylan) had caught both games. His hands were slowing down a little bit. You could tell. He was wearing down, and we knew with the type of pitcher that they had out there, he had a little bit of velocity. When you’re exhausted like that, you may not catch up to it.”
Higgins had a two-run single in Greece’s win over Clinton County on Sunday. Prior to that he hadn’t had a hit since July 6th.
He connected on a full-count pitch and lifted a fly ball that touched just inside the left field line. It was his fourth hit of the season.
“We thought that it was his moment,” Madrid said. “He was giving positive energy the whole game, so we knew he was going to be ready when his name was called.”
Colden Forney followed with a sacrifice bunt to move the winning run 90 feet from home. Hamburg Post intentionally walked Allen and Barbulean to set up the force at every base. Tyler Cannon delivered with a sacrifice fly to win the game and championship.
Hamburg Post’s Chase Haglund led the game with an inside-the-park home run. (Photo: STEVEN TWARDZIK)One year after falling in the state semifinals, Greece returned to the top.
“It feels good because we had a group of guys that came back that had not had the opportunity to win the state title,” Madrid said. “They were hungry. We talked about it at our first practice and throughout the regular season.”
Barbulean hurled a complete game to pick up the win. The left-hander had not pitched in a game since July 5th. It showed early. He labored through the first three innings.
“That was our concern coming into the game,” Madrid said. “He hadn’t pitched in a while. He had been throwing some bullpens, but hadn’t faced live batters. It was going to take him a while to settle in. Once he did, we knew he would be okay. We had to keep the game close.”
During the most recent high school season, Barbulean hurled 5.2 innings in the NYSPHSAA semifinals and picked up the win for eventual champion Pittsford Mendon. On Wednesday, he struck out six and allowed five runs on three hits and two walks. From the end of the third through the sixth he retired 10 of 11 batters.
Barbulean was at his best in the top of seventh. With one out and the go-ahead run at second, Hamburg Post had its top of the order in Chase Haglund coming to the plate. Haglund led the game with an inside-the-park home run. He singled, walked twice and scored a run in the first game of the day.
Madrid and the rest of the Greece coaches considered going to the bullpen.
“As a staff, we were talking about whether we should make a move. We thought that the Cam that was out there in the seventh inning was different from the Cam that he faced earlier in the game. That Cam is going to be able to execute the pitches that we know he can.”
“We talked with him before that inning, and he said ‘No, I’m good.’ That’s all you need to hear. If he hasn’t hit his pitch count, and he’s telling you that he’s good, he’s experienced player for this age. We were confident that he could do what we needed.”
Allen finished 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Barbulean was 2-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Cannon singled, drove in two and crossed home once. Mason Davey drove in a run with a single.
Greece advances to the North East Regional next week in Massachusetts. Schedule is TBA.
Click here for the original article and more pictures.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Imagine a swimming pool toy after it’s been handled by a doberman pinscher. Deflated.
That’s the best way to describe Greece Post 468 for the better part of action at Rochester Institute of Technology on Wednesday.
Greece had steamrolled its first four opponents in the tournament by a combined score of 40-5 to move within one win of a third state title in four years. Then just like that was facing a deficit and down to its final six outs.
Greece dropped a 9-3 decision in Wednesday’s opener. Only once this season had the squad allowed more runs. The loss forced a deciding game.
They trailed 5-2 after five innings. The two runs, scored in the fourth, felt like a last gasp.
That is, until one of baseball’s timeless clichés came into play: one swing of the bat.
Derrick Allen sparked a late-inning rally and Greece Post (20-5) walked off with a 6-5 victory over Hamburg Post 527 (17-5-1) to claim the 2025 New York State American Legion Senior championship.
Allen collected 12 hits in the six games of the tournament. None bigger than a solo shot to lead off the sixth inning.
“I was just trying to get on base and give us a chance,” said the tournament MVP.
He connected on a 1-0 pitch that easily cleared the fence in right field – 310 feet from home plate.
“It gave us that swagger, that confidence,” said Greece Post manager, Nelson Madrid. “It was the first time that our energy was at a different tier. It was where it was earlier in the tournament. Now, the guys believed they could do this.”
Allen’s round-tripper was the first of three straight to reach base in the inning. Cam Barbulean and Tyler Cannon followed with a back-to-back singles. One out later, Nate Brinza tied the game with a double in the left-center gap.
“Prior to that inning the boys were running into the dugout, I said ‘We have to change our approach,'” Madrid said. “‘He (Hamburg Post pitcher Daniel Reese) is executing his pitches, and we’re making it easy for him.’
“We were letting him control the game. We had to change our approach.”
What Madrid wanted, initially, and what Allen provided were two different things.
“We were all thinking of trying to hit it over the fence,” Madrid said. “We needed to play more small ball, try driving the ball and finding some holes.”
Allen responded with his second home run of the season.
“That’s what happens a lot with hitting,” Allen said. “When you start trying hit line drives, home runs happen.”
One inning later, Jake Higgins came home with game winner. Higgins entered the game as a pinch hitter. He led the bottom of the seventh with a double.
Madrid credited coach Jim Capellupo with the decision to send Higgins to plate.
“Coach Capps and I were talking. Savage (Greece catcher, Dylan) had caught both games. His hands were slowing down a little bit. You could tell. He was wearing down, and we knew with the type of pitcher that they had out there, he had a little bit of velocity. When you’re exhausted like that, you may not catch up to it.”
Higgins had a two-run single in Greece’s win over Clinton County on Sunday. Prior to that he hadn’t had a hit since July 6th.
He connected on a full-count pitch and lifted a fly ball that touched just inside the left field line. It was his fourth hit of the season.
“We thought that it was his moment,” Madrid said. “He was giving positive energy the whole game, so we knew he was going to be ready when his name was called.”
Colden Forney followed with a sacrifice bunt to move the winning run 90 feet from home. Hamburg Post intentionally walked Allen and Barbulean to set up the force at every base. Tyler Cannon delivered with a sacrifice fly to win the game and championship.
Hamburg Post’s Chase Haglund led the game with an inside-the-park home run. (Photo: STEVEN TWARDZIK)One year after falling in the state semifinals, Greece returned to the top.
“It feels good because we had a group of guys that came back that had not had the opportunity to win the state title,” Madrid said. “They were hungry. We talked about it at our first practice and throughout the regular season.”
Barbulean hurled a complete game to pick up the win. The left-hander had not pitched in a game since July 5th. It showed early. He labored through the first three innings.
“That was our concern coming into the game,” Madrid said. “He hadn’t pitched in a while. He had been throwing some bullpens, but hadn’t faced live batters. It was going to take him a while to settle in. Once he did, we knew he would be okay. We had to keep the game close.”
During the most recent high school season, Barbulean hurled 5.2 innings in the NYSPHSAA semifinals and picked up the win for eventual champion Pittsford Mendon. On Wednesday, he struck out six and allowed five runs on three hits and two walks. From the end of the third through the sixth he retired 10 of 11 batters.
Barbulean was at his best in the top of seventh. With one out and the go-ahead run at second, Hamburg Post had its top of the order in Chase Haglund coming to the plate. Haglund led the game with an inside-the-park home run. He singled, walked twice and scored a run in the first game of the day.
Madrid and the rest of the Greece coaches considered going to the bullpen.
“As a staff, we were talking about whether we should make a move. We thought that the Cam that was out there in the seventh inning was different from the Cam that he faced earlier in the game. That Cam is going to be able to execute the pitches that we know he can.”
“We talked with him before that inning, and he said ‘No, I’m good.’ That’s all you need to hear. If he hasn’t hit his pitch count, and he’s telling you that he’s good, he’s experienced player for this age. We were confident that he could do what we needed.”
Allen finished 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Barbulean was 2-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Cannon singled, drove in two and crossed home once. Mason Davey drove in a run with a single.
Greece advances to the North East Regional next week in Massachusetts. Schedule is TBA.
Click here for the original article and more pictures.
Our Championship Team
The Team with some of our many volunteers
Legion Baseball
Centennial
Department of New York
Championship Tournament
Centennial
Department of New York
Championship Tournament
2025 marks the 100th Anniversary of American Legion Baseball. During this Centennial year, the Department of New York has chosen Rochester, New York as the site of the State Championship Tournament with Greece Post 468 being the host for this event. This is the first time in Legion Baseball history that Rochester has been chosen for this honor. We here at Greece Post 468 are deeply honored by this special recognition. We are looking forward to a wonderful Tournament and some great games.
Here are a few specifics about the Tournament. There will be eight teams playing a double elimination tournament over a period of five days for a total of 14 games (15 if a tiebreaker is needed) when the state champions will be crowned, lots of very good baseball to be seen. The eight teams will all be champions or runners up in their districts.
Tournament Location: Rochester Institute of Technology
Opening Date: July 26, 2025
First Game start at 9:00AM
Closing Date: July 30, 2025
Hosted by Greece Post 468
There will be Food Trucks,
50/50 Raffles,
Refreshments and
much more!
Tickets:
$10 per day (Saturday through Tuesday)
$15 for Championship Day (Wednesday)
$25 for the whole event
For advanced ticket sales use the QR Code below.
We invite all our fellow veterans, friends and neighbors to come and enjoy some of the best baseball short of the Pros.