Post 266 Seniors End Remarkable Postseason Run With American Division State Runner-Up Finish

By Marisa Dawson

A young baseball pitcher is in mid-throw on a baseball field, wearing a black uniform and cap, with a blurred background of a fence and buildings. — *Dominic Mendicino took the mound in the second game against Lincoln East.*

The Bennington American Legion Post 266 Seniors saved some of their best baseball for the final weeks of the season.

After battling their way into the American Legion Baseball American Division State Tournament, Bennington put together an impressive run to the championship round before finishing as state runner-up Wednesday night with a 4-1 loss to Lincoln East’s CarpetLand Rugs 18U.

The second-place finish capped a season that saw Post 266 overcome adversity, build confidence late in the summer and establish itself as one of the top teams in the division.

A baseball player in a blue helmet swings a bat at a pitch while a catcher in gray gear prepares to catch the ball. Spectators are seated in the background.

“We’ve had some ups and downs, some high highs and some low lows, and we found a way to play our best ball at the end of the year,” senior Myles Gifford (pictured above) said. “A lot of people outside probably didn’t believe in us, but we didn’t care about that. We just took to the process and did what we could do.”

Bennington finished the summer with a 32-13 record while reaching the state championship game.

Strong start sends Bennington to championship game

A group of young baseball players huddled together on the pitcher's mound, discussing strategy during a game.

Needing two wins on championship day to claim the title, Bennington first took care of business with a 5-3 victory over Elkhorn North’s Equitable Bank Post 211.

Post 266 jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning before adding two more runs in the third. The early offensive surge proved enough as Bennington’s defense held Elkhorn North to just two hits.

“You know, the offense just went early again,” head coach Collin McClain said after the win. “When the offense goes early, it sets our tone.”

McClain also praised starting pitcher Brandt Schmidt (pictured below), who worked through a difficult fifth inning before finishing the game.

A young baseball pitcher wearing a black jersey with 'BENNINGTON' and the number 14 throws a baseball on a field. A teammate stands in the background.

“He threw really well,” McClain said. “He had that one inning where he went through some ups and downs, but he fought his way through it and then was able to finish it, which was huge for pitch count and pitchers and stuff like that.”

With the victory, Bennington advanced to the winner-take-all championship game later that evening.

“Just gotta go get one more,” McClain said before the title game. “I’m excited to be here.”

Championship falls just short

A baseball player in a red jersey dives towards first base while an opposing player in a black jersey prepares to tag him out. — *Kellen Mlnarik attempts to tag out a base stealer.*

Facing Lincoln East for the second time in the tournament, Bennington found itself in an early hole after CarpetLand scored once in the first inning and added three more in the third.

Post 266 broke through in the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 4-1, but could get no closer despite putting together five hits.

While the loss ended Bennington’s championship hopes, McClain said the run to the finals reflected the resilience his team displayed all season.

“I think it just goes back to the same conversations we’ve had — just the grit,” McClain said. “We get punched in the mouth at times, but we always find a way to bounce back.”

A young baseball player swinging a bat on a diamond while another player stands nearby, with a baseball in the foreground. — *Gabe Nickel winds up for a hit.*

After a disappointing area tournament, entering the state bracket as the wild card, McClain said the team gathered to reset its mindset.

“We had a little team meeting where we sat and talked for a few minutes,” he said. “We talked like baseball’s just a part of our life and it’s not everything… Understanding that we are just playing a game. Show up, have fun and good things will happen. And, you know, that’s what we did.”

That renewed perspective translated into the team’s strongest stretch of baseball when it mattered most.

“We’re an offensive team that finds a way to put a lot of pressure on a defense,” McClain said. “We have some really good pitchers to keep us in games, and then it just all clicked at the end. And that’s what you want. So I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Seniors leave lasting legacy

A baseball player in a red jersey slides towards home plate while a catcher in blue gear prepares to tag him. The background features spectators watching the game. — *Catcher Noah Langford battles for an out at home plate.*

For seniors Noah Langford and Myles Gifford, the runner-up finish marked the end of their American Legion careers.

Langford hopes the team’s unexpected postseason run changed the perception of Bennington baseball.

“I mean, we kind of just put Bennington on the map,” he said. “A lot of people didn’t really think that we’d make it here. We got in with a wild card, and we took a lot of great teams out. So I just hope they remember that.”

He also believes the program is positioned for continued success.

A young baseball player in a blue helmet swings a bat at a pitch on a baseball field, with a catcher and spectators in the background. — *Braydan Kloster sends a hit into play during the Elkhorn North game.*

“We have a lot of juniors and hopefully we just keep building off that because they’re really good and we have good younger kids coming in, too,” Langford said. “We’ll just be able to keep getting better.”

Gifford said the team’s chemistry made this group unique.

“I look at it from the start of the spring season all the way to now, and I can just tell that the bond is different between the group of players,” he said. “This summer group was a lot of fun… That’s what sticks out most, is the bond with all the teammates.”

He added that the team’s willingness to put each other first fueled its postseason success.

A baseball player in a black uniform prepares to throw a baseball while standing on a field. In the foreground, another player is visible, also in a uniform, as they focus on the action. — *Brendon Da Luz sends a hit ball to first to tag out an Elkhorn runner.*

“Everybody just wants to win,” Gifford said. “They don’t care what it takes. However you have to do it, there’s just zero selfishness on the team.”

For Gifford personally, the run carried extra meaning after nearly deciding not to play summer baseball.

“It means a lot in my senior year,” he said. “To be honest, I was debating even playing this summer because I don’t have plans to play in college… I just have so much pride. I’m so lucky to go to Bennington because I just feel like we’re overlooked a lot. But we always find a way to come up big.”

Although a state championship slipped away, McClain said the memories he’ll cherish most won’t come from the box scores.

A baseball player running toward the outfield fence, wearing a black uniform with blue accents, preparing to catch a fly ball. The fence features the word 'BASEBALL' prominently displayed. — *Dominic Driggs catches a fly ball in the outfield.*

“It’s honestly nothing that happens on the baseball field,” he said. “Everything that happens in the dugout, all the conversations that we have in practice… it’s the little things in between.”

“I’m never going to remember a Myles Gifford or a Noah Langford for one at-bat or one play that they made on the field,” he continued. “It’s the people that they are.”

Langford echoed that message for the returning players.

“I just hope that they take away to just never stop fighting,” he said. “We’ve had some really low lows, but we’ve also had some really high highs. Just keep working hard and you can do anything. No one probably thought we were going to win half the games that we did in this tournament.”

With a veteran core graduating and a talented group returning, McClain believes the foundation has been established.

“I think we kind of found a process that works for us,” he said. “We just have to find a way to stick to that process of just getting better day by day.”