While it wasn’t a storybook ending, it was still an “incredible summer” for the Tupelo 49ers.
For just the third time ever, Tupelo reached the American Legion World Series. They rolled into Shelby, North Carolina, on a hot streak and kept it going in pool play with a 3-0 mark. This had all the signs of a team that could win it all after coming up short in 2011 and 2021.
That dream ended Monday, when Portland (Ore.) beat the 49ers 3-1 in the semifinals. It was just Tupelo’s second loss in its last 22 games.
“it was an incredible summer,” fourth-year head coach Russell Bunch said. “These guys have really grown together, and it’s been a real good experience for everybody. I’m just really proud for them. I hate it shook out like it did and we weren’t able to win the whole thing.”
There were a lot of memorable moments along the way, though. After winning the state tournament, the Niners left town Aug. 5 and stayed gone for nearly two weeks. They rolled through the Mid-South Regional, putting on one offensive show after another and batting .398 over five games. Regional MVP Jonas Coleman batted .667 with six RBIs over that span.
Tupelo carried that momentum into Shelby, outscoring its first three opponents by a combined 23-10. Colin Flurry swung a big bat, smashing four home runs to set a World Series record in the seven-inning era, which began in 2018. His solo shot in Monday’s semifinal loss provided Tupelo’s only run of the game.
Then there was Eli McDaniels, a 15-year-old who more than held his own against much older players. He went 6 for 14 in the tournament with two doubles, a home run and five RBIs.
“I’m going to be really shocked if his performance this summer, (playing) with guys four years older than him, whenever it’s available for him to be recruited, if his phone’s not freezing up because he’s being called and texted so much, I don’t really know what the coaches are looking for. That kid’s a ballplayer,” Bunch said.
McDaniels and his older brother, Wyatt, joined the 49ers about halfway through the season when a couple of players left to focus on college ball. Both slid seamlessly into the lineup. Wyatt McDaniels tossed a complete game against Portland, and all three runs he allowed were unearned due to four Tupelo errors.
The McDaniels brothers led Mooreville High School to the Class 4A state championship earlier this year, but this American Legion experience was a different animal.
“Nothing else really compares to it,” Wyatt McDaniels said. “We’re one big group of boys that are all local for the most part, and going and playing at a level like that against teams all over the country, it’s really special.”
Bunch said he’ll have to replace about half of this year’s squad next summer, but the ones still eligible to play appear to be all in on making another postseason run.
“All of them have already told me they plan to come back next year,” Bunch said, “so we’re going to start working and try to do everything we can to make that happen. … We should have a really good group coming back.”