Bet You Didn't Know Lennox Post 174 Baseball

1953

• Team uniforms were wool (hot and itchy).

• Coach Amen brought lemons to ballpark on hot days for players to suck on to stay hydrated (Amen-ade was before Gaterade).

• Mike Poppens was an All State Basketball Selection.

• Lloyd Stack joined the Marines after high school and continued his baseball career playing with Marine Post baseball team for a number of years.

• Trees had to be cut down on the North side of the Lennox ball park so bleachers could be brought in for the Lennox/Aberdeen playoff game. Over 1,000 fans attended each day of the two day playoff.

• There was a community banquet held to recognize the achievements of the 1953 State Champs. Featured speaker was Philadelphia Phillies centerfielder, Richie Ashburn, who is a member of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

• The 1953 team had District, Region, State Tournament and two of three playoff Tournament play. 

1960s

• Lennox Post 174 had some good teams during this decade. The 1964 team reached the Region final but was defeated by Howard for the State berth. 

• Another team was ousted in District play but the team that beat them in the Championship game was disqualified at Regions because their hair was too long and they wouldn’t cut it. Yes that was a rule — hair length in Legion baseball.

1970s & 1980s

• Lennox Post 174 Legion Baseball continued to be a powerhouse in this area. Many years the team advanced to State Tournament play but just couldn’t reach the pinnacle. 

1993

• Post 174’s 1993 team was so well balanced that no member was selected Tournament MVP.

• Dave Ploof, Rapid City Post 22 Coach, told a Lennox fan that he could win the National World Series if he had the Lennox team. Guess what — RC Post 22 won the World Series that year.

• Lenox Post 174 team rode bus to all their games.

• Landon Klock and Corey Wulf always asked to eat at McDonalds. Their reason was they wanted to play in the kiddie room.

• Post 174 had a bat boy named “Squash” with his own personalized helmet.

• After winning the State B Tournament, Post 174 played in the State A Tournament where their record was two wins and two loses.

• Coach Tom Bendt sat in the air conditioned bus of Sioux Falls West prior to their game at the State A Tournament. Post 174 defeated Sioux Falls West in that game and Coach Bendt was thankful for their hospitality.

• Landon Klock, Brock Rops, and Mac Rops played college basketball at Mount Marty where they reached the semifinals of the NAIA National Tournament.

• Earl Van Ningen, South Dakota American Legion Athletic Commission Chairman from Lennox, presented the State Championship trophy to the Post 174 players. 

• Guess which current school administrator lost to Post 174 —hint, he played for Howard. 

Late 1990s & early 2000s

• Lennox Post 174 produced some great teams during this time frame, however none of them were able to bring home a State Championship. One highlight of this time frame was the 2000 Post 174 team being awarded the Porter T. Talcott Sportsmanship Trophy at the State  B Tournament.

2019

• Post 174 hosted the 2019 Tournament and the fan turn out was tremendous as the community showed their support for the team.

• Johnny Kirchner, head coach, was a member of the 1993 team. In addition, his son, JD was one of the players.

• Many of the Post 174 players were members of the High School Class B Championship team. Up until 2025, Lennox was the only community to have a Legion and High School Champion in the Class B ranks.

• Prior to every game Post 174 had a saying, “What Time Is It? Game Time!”

• In the Championship game, Tyson Stoebner threw 75 pitches.

• Since 2019, Post 174 baseball teams have reached the Region Championship, but winning it again has eluded them.

• $10 was awarded to any lady over 40 who retrieved the designated foul ball during the semifinal game. The big crown had lots of ladies battling for that foul ball.