Findlay Post 3 American Legion opens season in Ottawa this weekend

Findlay's Post 3 American Legion baseball team, coming off one of its best seasons in years, will be looking to get the 2025 campaign off to a successful start when it takes part in its traditional opener, the Tawa Run Tournament hosted by the Ottawa Legion this weekend.Jack Burkett returns for his second season as Post 3 head coach. A former assistant baseball coach at Van Buren and Tiffin Columbian High Schools, as well as an assistant to former Legion coach Dana Dunbar, Burkett stepped up as head coach a year ago and led Findlay Legion to a third-place finish in the American Legion state tournament. Findlay was 22-10 overall and claimed its first district championship in 22 years.In addition to citing "pitching depth, defense and athleticism" as strengths of this summer's team, Burkett listed "experience" as one of the club's assets. Players like Grady Mason, Landon Snow, Landen Stansbery, Caden Fritz and Caine McDonald embody that returning experience.Fritz, an infielder who graduated from Seneca East in 2024, hit .500 in Legion ball last summer with four home runs and 18 runs-batted-in. Snow hit .429, McDonald .397 with 17 RBI and a team-leading 28 runs scored and Stansbery .350. Mason was among the team leaders with 20 RBI.Snow, who pitched a no-hitter in Elmwood's Division VI regional semifinal win over Marion Local, and McDonald, a left-hander out of Hopewell-Loudon, were both 3-0 for the Post 3 club last season. Fritz (2-1) and Stansbery, 6-1 for Liberty-Benton this spring with a 2.15 ERA, saw time on the hill as well.Mason brings a Blanchard Valley Conference Player of the Year resume to the team after going 8-1 for Van Buren this spring with an 0.99 ERA. He also hit .486 and drove in 35 runs.Brady Vance, the other half of Van Buren's all-BVC battery will also be on the Legion team. Lance batted .515 this spring with 21 RBI.Burkett will also be counting on a number of players from a Findlay High team that went 18-7 this spring, including Payton Longnecker, Luke Crates, Ryan Maas and Kenyon McQueen. Maas hit .231 and posted a 3-1 pitching record. Longnecker batted .273 and Crates .220 with 11 RBI.Kellen Frankart, who was 6-2 for Hopewell-Loudon this spring with a 2.10 ERA, is also on the 2025 Findlay Legion roster, along with Fostoria's Trenton Smith (.507, 18 stolen bases) and Devon Miller (3-5, 3.48 ERA), Tiffin Columbian's Johnny Bremyer (.364), North Baltimore's Luke Long and Old Fort's Carter Dubois.Findlay's schedule will again be comprised mostly of weekend tournaments, starting with this weekend's Tawa Run Tournament and including the Cambridge Tournament over the Fourth of July weekend. LEGION SCHEDULEJune 6-8 – Tawa Run Tournament, at OttawaJune 13-15 – Midland Redskins TournamentJune 19-22 – PBR Border BattleJuly 4-6 – Cambridge TournamentJuly 11 – Findlay at Pemberville (DH), 5:30 p.m.July 12 – Findlay/Kokomo at Napoleon, 10 a.m.July 13 – Findlay vs. Napoleon (DH) at Van Buren, 10 a.m.July 16-20 – District 1 TournamentJuly 24-28 – Legion State Tournament at Lancaster.