By Marisa Dawson, Photos by Marisa Dawson & Courtesy of Legion Baseball Board

The American Legion Post 266 Baseball program held its largest annual fundraiser on Saturday, February 28, drawing strong community support through a cornhole tournament while also celebrating the retirement of longtime coach Robert (Bob) Woodworth after 16 seasons at the helm.

The event, held at the Fowling Warehouse, featured the new addition of a 20-and-under youth division alongside the traditional 21+ competition. Board President Heath Mlnarik (pictured below) highlighted the significance of the tournament, which serves as the program’s sole major fundraiser of the year.

“The fundraiser supports our Legion program,” Mlnarik said. “Our community is a huge part of it financially. What we’re able to do with this is improvements, enter tournaments that are out of town and probably a little bit more expensive, which is kind of the way that baseball is going as you get older. For our boys, we’re trying to get them into tournaments that give them some exposure, which we know costs more money. So we definitely appreciate all the community members that come out for this.”

This year’s turnout included 22 youth teams and 42 adult teams, slightly below the usual 50 for adults but boosted by the new youth category. “This is the first year that we’ve had it at this place,” Mlnarik added. “But we’re trying to build it. We’re trying to get it bigger. We’re trying to get more people supporting the program.”

The fundraiser typically raises around $20,000, funding travel to competitive tournaments, facility improvements, and other program needs like uniforms. Mlnarik emphasized community generosity, including donations and raffles. 

The event also included a special reception honoring Coach Woodworth, who retired following last season. In his final year, the team achieved a 39-5 record and finished as Class A state runners-up. Former players, current team members, and families gathered to present him with a signed home plate and express gratitude for his dedication.

Woodworth described Legion baseball as an ideal platform for developing young players. “I’ve been a baseball person all my life,” he said. “I went to college on a baseball scholarship at UNO and I’ve always enjoyed working with the kids… Legion baseball is a big part of that.” He credited the program’s strong community backing, including the annual cornhole tournament, for keeping costs manageable and expanding opportunities. “The cornhole tournament- it helps cut the cost.”

He further emphasized the lasting impact the program has on its players beyond the diamond, from travel to tournaments across multiple states to forging deep, family-like bonds through an intense summer schedule. “You take lifelong memories with you… they make lifelong friends through the Legion baseball program,” he said. His greatest fulfillment, he noted, came from watching former players succeed in life after baseball. “Wins are great, losses are tough, but my great satisfaction is to see these kids go on to do other things, like whether they go on to play baseball, whether they go on to become a great person, a great business person, go to college… That’s where I get a lot of my satisfaction from, to see them be successful in life.”

Woodworth expressed optimism about the team’s future under their new head coach and assistants, hoping the program continues its emphasis on fundamentals while embracing fresh ideas. “I was always a big fundamentalist guy… I think that was a big key to our success, and I hope they keep doing that.”

Mlnarik described the broader impact of such community events. “You have families that are coming up into the program that are just learning more about Post 266 and Legion Baseball in Bennington. And then you also have alumni, whether it’s kids or it’s parents that come back for it. And then you also have parents and kids that are involved. It’s really cool because you have the before, the during, and the after.”

Darol Smith, a current board member and parent of three sons who have come through the program, including one still playing, stressed the small-town feel that persists despite Bennington’s growth as an Omaha suburb. “Bennington, even though it’s becoming kind of more like an Omaha suburb, still has a very small town feel to it,” Smith said. “And that’s what we wanted when we moved into the Bennington school district almost a decade ago.”

He credited sports and events like the cornhole tournament with instilling work ethic and keeping youth engaged. “Number one thing, work ethic,” Smith said. “When you come from a small town, that’s what you’re raised on, is work ethic.”

Todd Dumont, a Bennington native, former player, parent of a former player, and former board member himself, shared a multi-generational perspective. His son, a former player who now coaches professionally, is returning to help with the varsity team this summer. “This really helps our program and the kids and what they can do and grow,” Dumont said. “And a lot of kids come back and they give. So it means a lot.” He shared what it means to him seeing everything come full circle: “It means a lot because it just shows what it means to everybody in the community and all these younger families now coming through it.”

Former player Keaton Smith (2019–2022), pictured below, returned to support the event, noting how fundraisers enabled travel to tournaments in places like Minnesota and Kansas City. “The more people that show up to this event, the bigger the tournaments they can go to,” he said. “It gets kids’ names out, too, to go to college… To give the other kids an opportunity. My brother, he’s a Junior right now, so he’s going through the program. I want him to go to bigger, better tournaments than I ever got.”

Mlnarik highlighted the program’s unique ties to the American Legion Post. “We are lucky as a program to still have our post representing us… Legion baseball continues to have teams that get sponsored by car dealerships, pizza places, insurance. We just feel like this continues to be different. And that’s what we love about it, is we’re just different. So we’re Post 266 and honoring our veterans and the individuals who have helped serve our country.”

The tournament embodied community spirit, with participants enjoying friendly competition while raising funds for future players. As Mlnarik noted, “Man, look at how much fun it is… Everybody’s laughing, everybody’s having a good time. We all like to be competitive and win, but at the end of the day, everybody knows why they’re here, and it’s to support Bennington Legion Baseball.”

Winners:

Under 20 Division:

21+ Division: