Juneau’s Auke Bay Post 25 got their first taste of the 2025 Alaska Legion Baseball road competition over the weekend, playing four games in three days in the Lance Coz Wood Bat Tournament at Kenai before starting league play.
“The team came together and played together and communicated out loud,” Auke Bay Post 25 head coach Joe Tompkins said. “And the players didn’t squabble among themselves. When that happens they have more fun, and when they have more fun they play better together and just have better attitudes.”
Teamwork was extremely important as Juneau was using the tournament to test players in multiple positions, both defensively and offensively, as they searched for various starting lineups.
“We went into the tournament just trying to get some looks at players,” Juneau manager Jeremy Ludeman said. “So there were a lot of moving parts while we were getting the looks that we needed to see. We are coming out, obviously, to put our best team forward but we are also getting opportunities for the guys, this is still development. These are non-conference games and it is an opportunity to prepare for our league games later in the week. Those ones count towards qualifying for state. So the games that we are really trying to prepare for are later this week.”
Rotating players in various positions through the tournament was not only looking for that starting combination but also finding the value of multiple starting positions and bench strength for various situations.
“It is not only defensively but also offensively,” Ludeman said. “The lineup. Putting people in different spots. Somebody who just has a different approach when they are in the top of the lineup but you move them down a little bit in the lineup and they start producing, and then they are comfortable. Just trying to move things around and get different looks on both sides, offense and defense. The process can go deep into the season.”
Juneau garnished one win in the tournament, defeating the Kenai Post 20 Twins AA 9-3 on Saturday.
Juneau jumped on the Twins early, scoring five runs in the bottom of the second inning. Noah Lewis and Drew Cadigan-McAdoo earned walks, Jacob Katasse singled to left field scoring Lewis, Keaton Belcourt earned a walk, Micah Nelson singled scoring Cadigan-McAdoo and Katasse, Hunter Carte reached on a hard single, Belcourt scored on a Madden Mendoza sacrifice fly to left field, and Nelson scored on a hard hit fielder’s choice out by Kasen Ludeman.
Juneau added a run in the bottom of the third inning as Cadigan-McAdoo tripled and scored on a ground out by Katasse, and added a run in the fourth as Mendoza singled and scored on a single by Christian Brown for a 7-2 lead. Juneau added their final two runs in the bottom of the sixth with Carte warning a walk, advancing to second on a passed ball, and scoring on a pick-off attempt that failed. Ludeman singled, advanced to second on a ground out by Brown, and scored on a Lewis bunt for the 9-3 lead.
Coaches said a standout play came in the top of the third inning when Nelson caught a fly ball on the run and threw to first base, doubling off a runner who doubted the arm strength and distance of his Juneau opponent.
Kenai had started a rally that inning, scoring two runs, and had just one out with a runner on first base. The line ball drive looked to be dropping into play, but Nelson hustled in, made the grab, and pegged a throw to Belcourt at first base to end the inning.
Another outstanding fielding play came in the top of the fifth inning when Juneau shortstop K. Ludeman handled a hard ground ball deep and cut a runner down at third base and then K. Ludeman.
Another gem came in the top of the sixth inning when catcher Brenner Harralston threw out a runner trying to steal third base, lacing a throw to Mendoza for a second out rally stopper.
In the first inning, Lewis, then catching, threw out a steal attempt at second base, being covered by K. Ludeman, to stop a rally.
Hunter Carte started and threw four innings, allowing just three hits and two runs, one earned run, walked one batter and struck out three. Belcourt relieved (1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB), M. Nelson relieved (1 IP, 2 BB) and Lewis closed (1 IP, 1 BB).
Katasse and Nelson led Juneau bats with two RBI apiece, Mendoza, Ludeman, Brown, and Lewis one each. Ludeman and Cadigan-McAdoo led with two hits apiece, Mendoza, Brown, Lewis, Katasse, Harralsto,n and Nelson one each.
Juneau opened tournament play on Friday, falling to South Anchorage Legion AA 13-5 and Madisonville Post 6 Rangers 19U team from Kentucky 9-2.
Juneau’s Mendoza started on the mound against South and went one inning (2 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 4 BB). Cadigan-McAdoo relieved (2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 1 BB), Brown relieved (1 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 BB) and Harralston pitched one out. Carte, Ludeman, and Lewis led with one RBI each. Ludeman and Lewis led with two hits apiece. Carte, Ludeman, Lewis, Harralston, and Christian Nelson scored one run each.
Against Kentucky’s roster Juneau started Cayman Huff (3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO), C. Nelson relieved (1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO) and Carte closed (1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB). Madden Mendoza and Marcus Mendoza led Juneau with one RBI apiece. Cadigan-McAdoo led with three hits, Carte, Madden, Mendoza, Ludeman, and Lewis two each, and M. Nelson one. Carte and Madden Mendoza scored the lone runs.
On Sunday, Juneau fell to South Anchorage Legion AA 11-4.
C. Nelson started on the mound (2 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO), Katasse relieved (2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO) and Lewis relieved (1 IP, 1 H, 2 R). Ludeman and Katasse led with one RBI apiece. Belcourt had three hits, Carte two, Madden, Mendoza, Ludeman, and Marcus Mendoza one each. Katasse scored two runs, N. Nelson and Carte one apiece.
“We definitely would have loved to win the tournament, however, it is still fairly early in the season,” Juneau manager Ludeman said. “So the focus of the tournament was working with the players and enjoying Kenai. Enjoy the parts of Alaska that the majority of the team have never been to…dirt outfield, grass infield, some of the adjustments that need to be made and it was a wood bat tournament.”
Today’s baseball bats have morphed into aluminum or composite bats.
“A lot of guys, outside of the cage, haven’t been out there swinging a wood bat in live games,” Ludeman said. “And overall they did well, real well…there is a bigger sweet spot and more pop coming off aluminum composite bats then what you are going to get out of a wood bat…your approach in the box is similar. There’s not a big difference, it is just more or less. You are typically taking distance away going to a wood bat more often because of that sweet spot. Aluminum or composite are more forgiving.”
Juneau manager Ludeman and coach Tompkins noted they were impressed by their team.
“Just the willingness of the guys to step up to the challenge,” Ludeman said. “And get up on the mound and maximize their opportunities. That was a huge component to what we wanted. Coming out of this tournament we are looking at another two to three pitchers that could be effective throughout the remaining parts of the season in some key forms.”
Tompkins added, “Another key thing about the tournament was keeping our pitchers fresh for this coming week too. That was important to us. But everybody moving to different positions, positions they never have played on other teams or not since little league sometimes, it was pretty eye opening.”
Juneau finishes out the week playing West Post 1, East Post 34 and Service Post 28.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak / Peninsula Clarion Cayman Huff of Auke Bay Post 25 delivers an offspeed pitch to Madisonville (Kentucky) Post 6 on Friday, June 20 in the Lance Coz Wood Bat Tournament at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai .
