KEARNEY – Changes have arrived for the Kearney American Legion Baseball programs, including new leadership, sponsors, coaches, and management.
The Kearney American Legion Board has now combined their two boards into a unified board to represent all four of the Kearney communities legion baseball programs; two seniors programs and two junior teams.
Sue Higgins, a longtime supporter and former officer for the Legion baseball board, was appointed as the standing president. She replaces Marty Albrecht and Terry Becker as the previous board presidents. Becker remains on as the vice president, as well as Albrecht remaining on the current board.
Sue Higgins, Kearney Legion Baseball Board President
Higgins was an elected member of the board in the Spring of 2023 as its treasurer, and has agreed to a one-year term to help guide the Kearney Legion through the changes in their next phase.
“We hope to see our numbers rebound to fully field all four legion teams and be competitive,” said Higgins. “I also strive to have our board be visible and approachable, and to set the program up for success for the next fifty years.
Higgins added that the Legion Boards mutual agreement to combine was due to the reduced number of players participating across all the programs the past years. She added that the leadership agreed it was an opportune time to join with both boards meeting separately, then agreeing to a merger after consideration. Higgins feels that this change will benefit Kearney Legion Baseball as a whole, providing a better focus, purpose, and setting clearer goals for the competing athletes.
With the change of leadership for the Kearney Legion Board, changes also arrived for its legion sponsorship teams.
Formerly known as the Runza Seniors, the flagship senior program for the Kearney Legion Baseball program had its sponsorship contract expire.
“This gave us an opportunity to seek new sponsorships for both juniors and seniors teams,” said Higgins. The goal, she added, was to approach other sponsors for joint support of the junior and senior programs.
A request for proposal (RFP) was sent out on Nov. 1, 2023, prior to the merging of the boards. The Jersey’s seniors and juniors programs were included in the RFP after. When the proposals returned at the end of November, the board reviewed each sponsorship and later extended mutual agreements with the involved parties.
The board had multiple considerations to select – including their long-standing relationship with Runza who had been the senior team sponsor for twenty years. Ultimately, the Kearney Legion Board selected Misko Sports, Pinnacle Bank, and Jersey’s Sports Bar and Grill as their sponsorships moving forward.
Misko Sports, based in Kearney, will now be the lead sponsor for the POST 52 Seniors program, known now as the Misko Sports Seniors of Kearney. Misko Sports has agreed through their partnership to provide uniforms for the players and coaches, while also being the local source for Kearney Legion Baseball fan gear. “The opportunity to keep a sponsorship local and in Kearney was an important factor,” added Higgins.
Misko Sports, Kearney
Scott Bauer, General Manager of Kearney Misko Sports, said they are excited to sponsor the teams after bringing Misko Sports back to the community. Bauer said they will also be providing the equipment for the teams, which allows the sponsorship and equipment procurement to all remain local.
Replacing long-time head Coach Brad Archer after his retirement from the Kearney High School and Legion Baseball programs will be Kearney native and alum to the program Josh Redman. Redman, a current assistant coach for the Kearney Bearcats program, was an assistant under Archer as well as previously having experience with the Grand Island legion programs.
“Josh’s involvement with the Kearney High School and summer programs – as well as his past experience with other programs and his time as a player – will aid in our goals in keeping the kids involved with the Legion Program,” Higgins said of Redman’s promotion.
Pinnacle Bank will co-sponsor the POST 52 Juniors program. The team will be referred to as the Pinnacle Bank POST 52 Juniors. “Keeping the POST 52 name was important to our board and program,” added Higgins. “This maintains our history of the Legion program and pays homage to veterans and our Legion.”
Randy Jackson with Pinnacle Bank in Kearney said that the bank sponsors other area teams throughout the region, but since Pinnacle Bank came to Kearney four years ago, this is their first opportunity to be able to sponsor Kearney teams.
Pinnacle Bank, Kearney
First-year Kearney High School Baseball head coach Matt Connot – who has continued to lead the POST 52 Juniors as their head coach – remains the coach for the juniors program.
Jersey’s Sports Bar and Grill remained on as the sponsor for the other senior and junior legion teams, with juniors coach Bill Bonner remaining on as head coach. A seniors coach had not yet been named, but is expected to be filled in the near future.
Jersey’s Sports Bar & Grill, Kearney
“We felt it was a good fit, we have sponsored the B team since 2018 and were recently approached about sponsoring the freshmen teams,” said owner Pat Cabela. He added that his own children have played Legion baseball for years.
The Kearney Legion Baseball board is excited for its next step to the future of Legion Baseball in the Kearney community.
