South Bend, IN Post 50 - 1977 American Legion World Series Champion

South Bend, IN Post 50 - 1977 American Legion World Series Champion

Source: An Inning At A Time: An American Legion Baseball National Championship Story by Mel Machuca and Will Shepard

Publisher: Inkwater Press, 2010

ISBN :1592995535, 9781592995530

Length 218 pages

(Maybe someone in Indiana will get this re-published for 2027?)

*Dramatis Personae -

American Legion Baseball Director - George Rulon

Indiana American Legion Baseball Chairman - Taxi Ayres

Post 50 Baseball Chairman - Bob Kouts

Post 50 Head Coach - Mel Machuca

Post 50 Assistant Coach - Bill Barcombe

Post 50 Assistant Coach - Dan Toles

South Bend Tribune - Forest (Woody) Miller

1977 American Legion Player of the Year - Bill Schell, South Bend, IN Post 50

1977 James F. Daniel Jr. Sportsmanship Award - Scott Benedict, West Palm Beach FL Post 12

1977 Jack Williams Memorial Leadership Award - Manager Mel Machuca, coach Bill Barcome, South

Bend IN Post 50;

1977 Louisville Slugger Award - Bill Schell, South Bend IN (.441)

1977 Dr. Irvin L ‘Click’ Cowger RBI Award - Lee Wenzel Jr., Santa Monica CA Post 124 (9)

1977 Rawlings Big Stick Award - Doug Roberson, West Palm Beach FL Post 12 (30)

*1977 Season W-L - 41-6

Nine inning games

No courtesy runners

No “mercy rules”

Tournament innings pitched limit (not sure of the specifics)

*The 1977 Summary from the American Legion Media Guide -

MANCHESTER, NH – Bill Schell’s hitting and Gregg Heyde’s pitching carried South Bend IN Post 50 to the American Legion World Series championship.

South Bend beat a scrappy Hattiesburg MS club, 3-1 in the finals.

Schell, the American Legion Player Of The Year, was the series top hitter with a .441 average. He went 2-for-4 including a triple in the championship game while Heyde gave up seven hits and fanned three for the victors.

Defending champion Santa Monica CA failed to repeat losing out finishing fourth.

Coach Mel Machuca’s championship club finished the season with a 41-6 record.

The Path to the 1977 American Legion Championship -

*Indiana Sectional at South Bend's Belleville Park

(1) South Bend Post 50 6, Elkhart Post 74 4

(2) South Bend Post 50 6, South Bend Post 357 2

(3) South Bend Post 50 15, Michigan City 0

(4) South Bend Post 50 14, Michigan City 2

*Indiana Regional at South Bend Kennedy Park

(5) South Bend Post 50 8, Crown Point Post 20 2

(6) South Bend Post 50 5, Whiting Post 80 1

(7) South Bend Post 50 ?, Whiting Post 80 2

*Indiana State Tournament at Richmond, IN

(8) South Bend Post 50 5, Terre Haute Post 346 1

(9) South Bend Post 50 4, Lafayette Post 11 3

(10) South Bend Post 50 7, Lafayette Post 11 5

*Great Lakes Tournament (National) - Chicago, IL

(Banquet speaker is Ernie Banks; competing states are Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Bellwood, IL Post 500 as host)

(11) South Bend Post 50 3, Blissfield, MI Post 325 2 - 11 innings (Post 325 coached by Larry Tuttle)

(12) South Bend Post 50 1, Morehead, KY Post 126 0

(13) South Bend Post 50 6, Arlington Heights, IL Post 208

*Blissfield, MI Post 325 defeats Arlington Heights, IL Post 208 3-2 (10 innings) in elimination game;

(14) South Bend Post 50 3, Blissfield, MI Post 325 0 - 11 innings

*American Legion World Series (National) - Manchesster, NH

(Banquet: Bowie Kuhn, Tom Gorman, Bob Feller)

*

(15) South Bend Post 50 5, Boyertown, PA Post 471 1

(16) South Bend Post 50 7, Santa Monica, CA Post 124 1

(17) South Bend Post 50 8, Hattiesburg, MS Post 24 1

(18) Championship: South Bend Post 50 3, Hattiesburg, MS Post 24 1

The Players -

Jeff Kowatch

Greg Heyde

Bill Schell

Dan Szajko

Mike Clarke

John Ross

Jim Andert

Jeff Rudasics

Mark Toles

Dave Yates

Will Shepherd

Scott Madey

Dom Romeo

Dave Hankins

Gary Vargyas

Dennis Janiszewski

Jeff Coker

Todd Machua (bat boy)

Some of the other opponents mentioned -

Beech Grove

Buchanan, MI

Dowagiac, MI

Elkhart Post 74

Knox

Michigan City

St Joseph, mi

South Bend Adams summer team

Southport

Valaparaiso

Warsaw

* * *