Beaufort County Post 15’s Junior American Legion baseball team had a tall order when it came to following up its inaugural season. Despite not knowing much about what they’d have or the level of competition they’d face, the Pirates managed to burst onto the scene and win the regular season in 2015.

It made preparing for this season easier in some ways and tougher in others. For one, they had a good idea of what they were capable of and what it took to be competitive against collections of some of the east’s top baseball players.

On the other hand, the Pirates were on everyone’s radar and would be tested each time they took the field.

“We sat down with the kids after the first couple of practices and said, ‘guys, you probably have a bull’s eye on your back,’” coach Glenn Marsh said. “Last year, we came in unheard of and no body knew who Post 15 was.”

Because of that, the team faced each opponent’s best pitching. Many of the games were closely contested, too. Post 15 was part of nine one-run games this past summer.

“A lot of the games we played were really close, competitive games,” Cody Godley said. “A lot of nail biters right down to the end. We had to come together as a team to win them. Last summer we had a lot of those and this summer we had a lot of those. Playing more of those games helps us during the regular season to win those types of ball games. I think that was a major thing.”

They were welcomed challenges to a group of players that sought out to become better by playing more baseball at a higher level.

“To me, it’s all about repetition, opportunity and kids continuing to play,” coach Kevin Cutler said. “Baseball is a game where the pros play 162 games in a season. Obviously, we’re not going to play that many, but 15, 20 or 25 extra games is going to help a kid that wants to play at the next level.”

A lot of those in the 11-player core group saw their hitting improve over the summer. Godley (.340), Matt Black (.375), Brock Marsh (.354) and Drew Ferguson (.346) all found plenty of success at the plate.

Those 11 two-year Pirates saw many other facets of their game improve, too — a lot of them being the more mental aspects of the game. Some of the players were familiar with one another, whether from playing on the same team or against one another. The chance to develop chemistry with a new team helped each Pirate grow and become more adaptable.

“The higher you go up in baseball, you’re going to find new guys you’re not used to playing with,” Godley said. “I think once you shake up the chemistry like that, it helps because you learn to adapt. You learn to build chemistry with other players quickly.”

Hunter Sparks added, “You get used to the same guys and what you expect at each position. Then, in different groups, it’s really fun. It makes you learn to communicate better.”

Few other Pirates evolved the way Sparks did. He became faster and improved on his batting. Many of the strides he made had to do with his leadership. He was one of three catchers on the team, but was always more concerned with helping out however he could. He played in the outfield on some days and supported the team from the dugout on others.

“There’s no better example that I can think of than a kid like Hunter Sparks,” Marsh said. “After a few games, Kevin and I decided we were going to name him team captain … He never put himself first. I’m not going to say anyone else did either, because they didn’t, but Hunter is the ultimate team player.”

That’s what helped drive the Pirates to follow up last season’s performance with another stellar campaign. It came down to having a talented group of players all hungry to get out there and become better. Each knew his role and took pride in carrying it out in the name of Beaufort County.

The Pirates just barely fell short of their goal of defending their regular-season championship. They picked up a win in the Area 1 tournament in Manteo before running out of gas.