Photos: Bri Duerre
WATERTOWN — Driven by strong pitching, clean defense, and a track record of big-game success, Watertown Post 17 opens Class A State Legion Tournament play Tuesday in Rapid City.
After securing a state tournament berth through a sweep at the super regional in Pierre, Post 17 enters as the No. 10 seed. Head coach Ryan Neale noted that while his squad spent the latter parts of the regular season looking for consistency, his players have developed a knack for rising to the occasion when the stakes are highest.
“When the lights are on and the stage is big, these guys have kind of stepped up in the right moments,” Neale said. “Sometimes we’re only as good as our defense is going to be, and our defense was flawless against Pierre—zero errors in those games.”
Post 17’s super regional run was anchored on the mound by aces Jackson McClemens and Hunter Halajian, who delivered clutch performances in Pierre.
McClemens, who will be playing both baseball and basketball at Mount Marty in the fall, has posted an elite season, taking a 1.030 ERA into the final stretch of the year. Neale praised both McClemens’ talent and his unflappable demeanor under pressure.
Photo: Bri Duerre
“I don’t know in my 9-10 years of doing this if I’ve run into an individual with that type of character, that type of ability, and that type of mindset that just makes him so special,” Neale said. “He don’t care if he gives up a walk, he don’t care if he gives up a hit… it’s just the personality.”
Alongside McClemens, Halajian’s breakout season has provided Post 17 with a formidable one-two combination. Halajian, who will be pitching at Northeast Iowa Community College in the fall, has seen steady growth this season which culminated in a dominant super regional outing against Pierre.
Photo: Bri Duerre
“He just needed time to mature into his body, let him grow a little bit, cause back when he was 15, we saw that arm,” Neale recalled. “We’re like, ‘We can’t cut this arm. There’s something there.’ You had to go trust the process… I think it’s proved him well to trust the process and work his tail off and be able to have the year he has.”
Center fielder Marcus Pitkin, who will be playing at North Iowa Area Community College next year, provided critical momentum during the super regional. Pitkin, a three-year starter, set the tone early in Game 1 by throwing out a runner at home plate to prevent further damage. He followed that up in Game 2 by driving in both of Watertown’s runs with a two-out single and a seventh-inning RBI triple.
Photo: Bri Duerre
“He’s just a quiet leader, goes about his business,” Neale said of Pitkin. “Those things don’t show up in the box scores, they don’t show up in the highlight reel, but that was a massive play to keep that game within reach for us.”
Watertown faces a familiar opponent in Tuesday’s opening-round match-up against host team Rapid City Post 22. The Hard Hats swept a doubleheader against the Arrows in late June, but Neale believes his team is in a much better rhythm now than they were during that road trip, which was disrupted by severe weather and scheduling delays.
“Getting into a rhythm here over the next couple of days and understanding the procedure… is going to be really important,” Neale said. “State tournaments out in Rapid City are just different… Take this all in, because you’re probably not going to face a bigger crowd than you are on Tuesday night in that type of environment against the host team.”
Post 17 aims to translate its big-game experience into another deep run in an otherwise wide-open field.
“Enjoy the moment, enjoy the experiences, because it’s going to go by faster than you think,” Neale said. “These are going to be memories for these guys for the rest of their lives.”
Games will be broadcast by Hard Hats TV on YouTube.
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