Post 284 the lone regional champion to not lose a game in the national tournament so far.
Whitehouse (N.J.) Post 284 may be a first-time American Legion World Series team.
But it was borne out of another post that had a championship pedigree, and Whitehouse has a head coach who is quite familiar with both programs.
Steve Farsiou, a former Flemington Post 159 player, coached two Flemington teams to state titles and his 2016 squad was just three outs away from the ALWS before losing a heartbreaker in the Mid-Atlantic Regional final.
When Flemington's post dissolved, Whitehouse's program emerged in 2018.
This season, Whitehouse (35-4) reached its longtime goal while also becoming the only one of the eight regional champions to finish unbeaten with a 4-0 record.
"I'm a little shocked to be honest," Farsiou said of his team being the country’s lone unbeaten regional team. "We were down 4-0 and 6-0 to (Dover) Delaware, who was a really good team. But these guys don't flinch and we came back and won both games.
"I felt confident because there's a calmness about this team."
Just getting to the regionals was a challenge as Whitehouse had to knock off one of the country's top programs.
Brooklawn Post 72, which has won a New Jersey-record 32 state championships and whose 17 ALWS appearances are second all-time behind Omaha, Neb., was Whitehouse's state tournament championship game opponent.
"We've been battling Brooklawn for years," Farsiou said. "I've been involved coaching Legion for 30 years. They're always good. They're always well-coached and it's always a battle."
The 15-3 win over Brooklawn for the 2026 New Jersey state tournament title last month at Kean University created a heartfelt reaction from Post 284 supporters.
"So many veterans come out to our games and people were crying when we won the state tournament," Farsiou said. "So this year has been a very emotional experience for all of us.
“These kids have been great and it's been a joy to coach them."
Farsiou had played for the coach for whom he inherited the program in legendary former New York Yankees minor leaguer Jake Manning. Manning, who died in 2011, was Flemington's head coach from 1983 to 2007 and had a 458-64-2 record with 13 league championships, 13 district championships, two state titles, four state runner-up finishes and three regional berths.
"This is a really good group," Farsiou said. "We were able to do well in the states and we got really hot in the regionals and now we're here.
"And getting here was one of our goals."
ALWS Schedule
Aug. 13: Game 4, vs. Tupelo (Miss.) Post 49, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 15: Game 7, vs. Fairfield (Calif.) Expos, noon
Aug. 16: Game 10, vs. Lincoln (Neb.) Carpet Land Post 500, 3 p.m.
Roster
No./Camo* Name Pos. Ht./Wt. B/T Graduates / School
35/7 Arato, Gabe P 5'10"/175 R/R 2026 I Cranford
19 Basile, Mike C 5'8”/170 R/R 2026 I Governor Livingston
21/13 Bazydlo, Reid SS/P 6'0"/175 R/R 2026 I Governor Livingston
26 Dalfonzo, Matty SS/2B 5'9"/165 R/R 2027 I Hunterdon Central
3/3 Jacobus, Cole P 5'8”/155 R/R 2026 / Hunterdon Central
4/4 Komline, Kellan P/CF 5'10"/185 L/L 2026 I Bridgewater
12/12 Kozak, Chris P/CF 5'11"/170 R/R 2026 / Middlesex
18/15 Lewis, Jackson C/CF 5’11”/170 B/R 2026 / lmmaculata
9/9 Markovich, Jack SS/2B 5'10"/170 L/R 2026 I Gill St. Bernards
22/22 Masone, Miles P 6’3”/200 R/R 2025 I Pope John XXIII
1/1 Nielsen, Carter 3B/ SS 5’11”/170 R/R 2026 I Voorhees
10/10 Novotny, Mike 1B / RF 6'0"/195 L/L 2026 I Governor Livingston
14/14 Portman, Jack RF/P 5'11"/185 L/R 2025 / Pope John XXIII
34/6 Schilling, Owen C/3B 5'11"/185 R/R 2026 / lmmaculata
16/16 Trego, Jackson P 6'3"/205 R/R 2026 / lmmaculata
8/8 Vernick, Dylan P / LF 5’10”/160 R/R 2026 I Voorhees
11/11 Walsh, Aidan LF / P 6'1"/165 R/R 2025 I Hunterdon Central
Manager: Steve Farsiou
Assistant: Evan Vaccarella
*Players will wear camo jerseys for Military Appreciation Day. Some late-arriving players had not received their camo jerseys by publication.
Regional results
Aug. 6: Whitehouse (N.J.) Post 284 d. Greater Pittston (Pa.), 13-3 (5 innings).
Aug. 7: Whitehouse (N.J.) Post 284 d. Kingston/Saugerties (N.Y.) Posts 150/72, 11-0.
Aug. 8: Whitehouse (N.J.) Post 284 d. Dover (Del.) Post 2, 9-8.
Aug. 9: Whitehouse (N.J.) Post 284 d. Dover (Del.) Post 2, 13-8.
- Baseball