Lincoln Post 500 and Portland Post 158 won semifinal matchups Monday night to set up the championship showdown.
Will the last team to arrive in Shelby, N.C., for the 2026 American Legion World Series be the last team standing at the end? Or will it be the team who has used a loss during their high school season to motivate their return to Shelby?
The championship game of the 99th ALWS will feature Portland (Ore.) Post 158, the Northwest Regional champions who arrived in North Carolina late evening Aug. 11, against Lincoln (Neb.) Carpet Land Post 500.
Both teams finished runners-up in their respective divisions in pool play, but notched convincing wins over the division winners in Monday’s semifinals.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
For the Barbers from Portland, Monday’s semifinal win over Tupelo (Miss.) Post 49 followed a script similar to the one that got them to that game.
Post 158 lost its opener in the double-elimination regional, forcing them to win five games in a row to win the title and reach the ALWS for the second year in a row. The Barbers then went 1-2 in pool play in Shelby, but won a three-way tiebreaker to advance to the semifinals.
Only two players — Gabe Coltman and Ryden Nakamura — are back from the 2025 team that also reached the semifinals but lost to eventual champion Chesapeake (Va.) Post 280.
But the tough schedule Post 158 played this season gave the players the resolve to keep fighting, head coach Joe Duran said.
Meanwhile, Lincoln cruised to a five-inning mercy rule win over Midland (Mich.) Post 165 on Monday. The offense featured a grand slam by Dele Odulate, while Kalai Larsen threw four innings of no-hit ball before being relieved by Trevor Roach following a nearly two-hour rain delay.
Whichever team emerges victorious Tuesday night will be earning their program’s first ALWS title and their state’s second championship. Portland Post 105 won Oregon’s only ALWS championship in 1969 while Nebraska has been waiting even longer for a title — Omaha Post 1 won the state’s only title in 1939.
PORTLAND (ORE.) POST 158
2026 record: 42-8
Roster
No./Camo* Name Pos. Ht./Wt. B/T Graduates / School
14/14 Berta, Cooper P / LF 5'9"/165 R/R 2026 I Lakeridge
19/19 Coltman, Gabriel LF / RF 6'5"/230 R/R 2025 I Sunset HS
18/18 Foglio, Ben P / 1B 6'3"/225 L/L 2027 I Clackamas
4/4 Foglio, Nolan C / 3B 5'10"/190 R/R 2026 I Clackamas
32/12 Frye, Ryan P / 1B 6’2”/205 R/R 2027 I Tigard
23/23 Gradwahl, Cal 3B / P 6'6"/190 L/R 2026 I Nelson
6/6 Ha, Andrew CF/P 5'11"/175 R/R 2026 I Lakeridge
3/3 Hemsley, Ryan SS/P 6'1"/190 R/R 2026 I West Linn
1/3 King, Jonny P/C 6'1"/165 R/R 2026 I Lakeridge
21/1 McCormack, Camden P / LF 6'4"/175 R/R 2026 I Tigard
24/24 Nakamura, Ryden RF/P 5'10"/190 R/R 2026 / Ridgeview
16/16 Sousa, Nick P / RF 6'0"/195 R/R 2026 / Clackamas
27/2 Tiede, Caleb 2B / 3B 5'10"/170 R/R 2026 I Clackamas
7/7 Tragesser, Jaden 2B/SS 6'0"/190 R/R 2026 I Lakeridge
9/9 Van Doren, Miles C/LF 6'2”/190 R/R 2027 I Tigard
Head coach: Joe Duran
Assistants: Ben Bertrand, Jason Fritz, David Schoppe
How they got here
Northwest Regional results
Aug. 5: Lewiston (Idaho) d. Portland (Ore.) Post 158, 2-0.
Aug. 6: Portland (Ore.) Post 158 d. Kenai (Alaska) Post 20, 8-1.
Aug. 7: Portland (Ore.) Post 158 d. Medford (Ore.) Mustangs, 4-3.
Aug. 8: Portland (Ore.) Post 158 d. Lewiston (Idaho), 7-5.
Aug. 9: Portland (Ore.) Post 158 d. Honolulu (Haw.) Team Central, 3-2.
Aug. 9: Portland (Ore.) Post 158 d. Lewiston (Idaho), 8-7.
ALWS Results
Aug. 13: Game 3, Jacksonville (Fla.) Post 316 d. Portland (Ore.) Post 158, 4-3.
Aug. 14: Game 5, Portland (Ore.) Post 158 d. Bedford (N.H.) Post 54, 8-5.
Aug. 16: Game 11, Midland (Mich.) Berryhill Post 165 d. Portland (Ore.) Post 158, 4-3.
Aug. 17: Game 13, Portland (Ore.) Post 158 d. Tupelo (Miss.) Post 49, 3-1.
Oregon in the ALWS
American Legion World Series titles (1): Portland Post 105, 1969.
Other American Legion World Series appearances (20): Corvallis, 1978, 1990, 2003; Klamath Falls, 1960, 1967, 1968; Lake Oswego, 1974; Medford, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2009, 2015; Portland, 1957, 1965, 1973, 2025; Roseburg, 1956, 1963, 1984, 2010; Salem, 1994.
LINCOLN (NEB.) CARPET LAND POST 500
2026 record: 54-7
Roster
No./Camo* Name Pos. Ht./Wt. B/T Graduates / School
21/21 Anderson, Cade 1B/P 6'2"/215 R/R 2028 I Lincoln East HS
15/15 Arranaga, Santino P 5'11"/190 L/L 2026 I Lincoln East HS
13/3 Bjorkman, Greyson P 6'3"/225 L/R 2026 I Lincoln East HS
7/7 Christensen, Abe P 6'1"/185 R/R 2026 I Lincoln East HS
2/2 Erickson, Bradyn C/2B 5'9"/185 R/R 2028 I Lincoln East HS
12/12 Griesch, Brennan P/2B 5'9"/195 R/R 2027 I Lincoln East HS
5/5 Irons, Fisher P 5'10"/175 R/R 2028 I Lincoln East HS
14/14 Katt, Huxton 1B/RF 5'11"/200 R/R 2027 I Lincoln East HS
1/1 Larsen, Kalai SS/P 5'11"/165 R/R 2027 I Lincoln East HS
3/3 Lunn, Easton RF/2B 5’5”/160 R/R 2028 I Omaha Westside
19/16 Makovicka, Jackson SS / P 6'4”/205 R/R 2027 I Lincoln East HS
6/6 Mcintire, Brodie 2B 5'10"/175 R/R 2026 I Lincoln East HS
9/9 Meves, Reid 1B / LF 5'10"/180 R/R 2027 I Lincoln East HS
42/8 Odulate, Dele CF/ LF 5'10”/200 R/R 2026 I Lincoln East HS
10/10 Roach, Trevor 3B/RF 6'4"/205 R/R 2026 I Lincoln East HS
30/4 Sutko, Sam RF/ LF 5'11"/170 L/R 2027 / Lincoln East HS
Manager: Mychal Lanik
Assistants: Rob Knaak, Noah Kulhenek
How they got here
Central Plains Regional results
Aug. 6: Lincoln (Neb.) Carpet Land Post 500 d. Fargo (N.D.) Post 2, 7-3.
Aug. 7: Excelsior (Minn.) Post 259 d. Lincoln (Neb.) Carpet Land Post 500, 5-3.
Aug. 8: Lincoln (Neb.) Carpet Land Post 500 d. Dubuque County (Iowa) Post 137, 6-0.
Aug. 8: Lincoln (Neb.) Carpet Land Post 500 d. Excelsior (Minn.) Post 259, 16-6 (6 innings).
Aug. 9: Lincoln (Neb.) Carpet Land Post 500 d. Rapid City (S.D.) Post 22, 5-1.
Aug. 9: Lincoln (Neb.) Carpet Land Post 500 d. Rapid City (S.D.) Post 22, 5-1.
ALWS results
Aug. 13: Game 2, Lincoln (Neb.) Carpet Land Post 500 d. Fairfield (Calif.) Expos, 4-2.
Aug. 15: Game 8, Tupelo (Miss.) Post 49 d. Lincoln (Neb.) Carpet Land Post 500, 7-4.
Aug. 16: Game 10, Lincoln (Neb.) Carpet Land Post 500 d. Whitehouse (N.J.) Post 284, 4-2.
Aug. 17: Game 14, Lincoln (Neb.) Carpet Land Post 500 d. Midland (Mich.) Berryhill Post 165, 10-0 (5 innings).
Nebraska in the ALWS
American Legion World Series titles (1): Omaha Post 1, 1939.
Other American Legion World Series appearances (22): Hastings, 1960; Lincoln, 1955, 2006, 2023, 2025; Omaha, 1948, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1981, 1985, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022.
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