ST. GEORGE — With a record of 20-3 after a blistering summer, the St. George Sentinels are hoping to go where no American Legion baseball team from Utah has gone before.
“Our goal has always been to have a great summer, win regionals and get to the World Series,” head coach Shane Johanson told St. George News. “We’ve accomplished the first part of it, now we’re excited to play some of the best teams in the West and see if we can accomplish the second part.”
St. George beat the American Legion team from Cache Valley July 25 to win state and advance to the West Regional in Fairfield, California, starting Wednesday, Aug. 2.
Sentinel players and coaches will be on The Fan Sports Network Friday, July 28, at 8:30 a.m., with host Devin Dixon on The Drive morning sports show.
“We’ve had a great summer. We had a good run at the state tournament and went undefeated,” Johanson said. “We’ve got some guys that know how to hit well and pitch well. We’re excited to go to regionals next week.”
Dixie grad GJ Erickson pitched the team to victory in the championship game, giving up two hits and no runs in the win. He also hit two home runs in the state tournament and was named MVP.
“He was exceptional,” Johanson said. “He had a really good tournament and has been great all summer long, pitching and playing second base for us.”
Hurricane’s Luke Hirschi also had a strong state tournament, playing catcher for most of it and hitting a home run and a couple of doubles, Johanson said. Hirschi was named defensive MVP.
“Just a delight as a kid,” Johanson said. “Great personality, works hard. It’s been fun to see him play well.”
The Sentinels represent American Legion Post 90 in St. George and are a collection of some of the best high school baseball players in Region 9. The all-star team has players from Hurricane, Dixie, Pine View and Crimson Cliffs.
In his 11th year coaching the team, Johanson has seen the popularity of American Legion ball ebb and flow.
“It depends on the year,” he said, adding that when they first started they were the only Southern Utah American Legion team, then for a while every high school had a legion team. Now it’s back to the Sentinels being the only one.
“I love American Legion ball,” Johanson said. “Every year we seem to have the best overall team camaraderie. The legion treats us really well and has by far the best national presence.”
Going to regionals is a particularly great experience for the team.
“This is my third time to regionals, and really there’s nothing better out there,” Johanson said. “They treat the boys like royalty, and they deserve it. We’ve done a ton of traveling this summer to find games and almost always we played in 100-degree heat.”
The American Legion World Series is in North Carolina.
“We’ll see if we can be the first team from Utah to get there,” Johanson said. “I think we’re in a good place and we’re excited.”
St. George Sentinels roster: Luke Hirschi, Landon Stewart, Jayz Estridge, Carson Archibald, Hunter Lee, GJ Erickson, Mason Shumaker, Asher Christensen, Sam Johanson, Keian Singleton, Ian Becker, Brandon Roundy, Brock Roundy, Jayger Baldwin, Trey Whitney
St. George Sentinels coaches: Shane Johanson, Ryke Erickson
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