Page 26 • September 2019
CHANGING of the
GUARD Coaches Greg Vincent, Stan Head leave Post 68 with legacy of success
5Coach Greg Vincent takes a moment to speak with players. Every road comes to an end. Following two consecutive senior state championships, coach Greg Vincent said it’s time for himself and Post 68 to take different paths.
players is increased.
Vincent has been involved in American Legion baseball since he was 15 years old, and Post 68 for the last six with stops as a high school coach along his 40-year coaching path. Now, nearing 63 years of age, Vincent said the time has come to turn the program over and pursue other interests.
Vincent said Legion ball also exposes players to more consistent competition.
“I told the kids, I’m done,” Vincent said. “It’s been fun. I love American Legion baseball. It’s something special. When those kids wear the flag on their uniform, it’s something different.”
He leaves the program in good shape, with several players eligible to return, state junior and senior championships, support from the Post and six consecutive winning seasons.
Vincent said long-time Livingston coach Stan Head is also stepping down.
“When [his son] Cameron was done, I knew Stan wanted to watch him play [in college],” Vincent said. “It’s time for somebody else to take this program. I just hope we can find somebody as passionate as we were. And that’s the kicker right there. I loved coaching high school, but it’s nothing like coaching American Legion baseball.”
Vincent said the level of competition is typically higher in American Legion, but the devotion and dedication by
“Some of the kids that play high school baseball are just on the team because they want to get a uniform,” Vincent said. “Kids that play American Legion baseball are probably wanting to play at the next level, they love the game, they’re coachable and they’re eager to learn. But the passion they have for the game is just different than high school.”
In August, his team saw some of the country’s best at the American Legion Great Lakes Regional tournament in Charleston, Illinois. Post 68 entered the tournament as the state champions, falling to eventual champions Danville, Illinois after opening the tournament with a win. “The first game, I was proud of them,” Vincent said. “We played well. We played Danville the second game, and they won the whole thing. We played probably the worst defensive game we played all year. We dropped a fly ball in the first and gave them a run. We made two errors in the fourth and gave them three. We battled back, tied it up, and we dropped two fly balls. It just killed us. “It’s no doubt in my mind we had the best team there, but after the mistake filled game against Danville, we just kind of lost it a little bit.”
Post 68 fell to the Illinois Post 210 7-6. In the contest, Drew Cooper was 2-for-2 and Gabe Board was 2-for-3. Cameron Dean had two RBIs off one hit.
