Dozier and Moreland carry on American Legion Tupelo 49er legacy into the Majors

This weekend, former American Legion Baseball Tupelo (Miss.) 49ers teammates Brian Dozier of the Minnesota Twins and Mitch Moreland of the Boston Red Sox will square off at historic Fenway Park.

An article this week by Dalton Middleton of Tupelo Daily Journal highlighted the four former members of the Post 49 team to play under Kirk Presley to go on to the Majors: Dozier, Moreland, Brandon Woodruff and Chris Stratton.

Dozier, the 2017 American Legion Baseball Graduate of the Year, was part of the program from 2002-2005. Moreland, who was just named to his first All-Star team, played in 2003-2004. Stratton was a 49er in 2008 and 2009. Woodruff followed in 2010 and 2011, playing on the team that went to a runner-up finish at the 2011 American Legion World Series (ALWS) in Shelby, N.C., pitching well and earning the James Daniel Jr. Sportsmanship Award.

All four future professionals played for Presley, who played American Legion Baseball for three seasons before going on to be a first round draft pick by the New York Mets in 1993, and came back to coach his old squad from 2003-2016.

As a manager, Presley led the 49ers to eight state championships and a trip to the 2011 ALWS, the first World Series with Shelby as a permanent site.

“I have spent nearly half of my life associated with American Legion Baseball, so it really means a ton to me,” Presley said. “I have always been very proud to represent our post and those that give their time freely to help make the program work. As a player, I probably didn't understand just how much time and energy so many people gave, but as a coach I certainly did. Being able to witness that on a national level at the World Series in 2011 was one of the best baseball experiences I've ever had.”

Presley continued to praise American Legion Baseball, saying, “The thing that has always stood out to me about everyone I've ever been associated with through American Legion Baseball is their intentions were always in the right place: to help young people. American Legion Baseball will always be the purest form of amateur baseball around.”

“A part of your development in all sports is the way you interact with your teammates ... and have the opportunity to form that kind of unity and team like we did with American Legion (Baseball),” Dozier said of his experience playing American Legion Baseball. “That’s just as important as learning to field a ground ball.”

Presley agreed regarding his experience, saying, “Coming through as a player, I was very fortunate to play for coaches that were very knowledgeable of the game. Our area was also very rich with baseball talent, so that level of competition and my overall experience with American Legion Baseball certainly prepared me for the next level.”

The former skipper continued, “We're very proud of those guys who have worked their way to the Major League level. They have worked very hard and certainly deserve any accolades that may come their way. Hopefully, they were able to take something away from our program that helped. We hope every young man that comes through our program is able to take something helpful with them, be it baseball related or just life related. “