Aviston Post 1239 Express team photo with 2026 State Championship trophy For the second time in program history, the Aviston Post 1239 Express sits atop the State of Illinois as the best senior legion team.
The Express went 4-0 last weekend to claim the 2026 State Championship, much as they did back in 2022.
Aviston never trailed after the first half inning of the first game en route to moving their record to 24-2-1 on the season and stamping a ticket to the Midwest Regional in Lexington, Kentucky, starting on Wednesday, Aug. 5 against the host Post 8 Saints out of Lexington.
Miles Browne and Clayton Gaetti were selected the Tournament’s Co-Most Valuable Players for their efforts in four games.
Browne caught all four games of the tournament while hitting .571 with seven RBI and also getting a closing opportunity.
Gaetti hit .667 with 10 hits in 15 at bats with four RBI and seven runs scored while playing flawless defense in right field.
“This was the epitome of a complete-team effort to win four games against four great baseball teams,” said first year head coach Alex Elsing. “We got hits from up and down the lineup and our defense was great all week. Our pitching did an amazing job against some great lineups.”
Aviston 16, Rock Island 11: The Express had their hitting shoes on in their State Championship win over Post 200 on Sunday at “The Hill.”
The up-and-down contest featured Aviston out hitting Rock Island 21-8. But Aviston committed four fielding errors, walking six batters and hitting four more batters to keep Post 200 alive.
On a blistering 95-degree afternoon, the Express never trailed after a scoreless first inning before they put up six runs in the top of the second inning.
After the first out was retired, Bryce Wieter and Drake Curry each singled before Max Albers dropped in an RBI single into left field for a 1-0 lead. Craig Schroeder followed with an RBI single of his own while Benny Lehman walked to load the bases.
Catalyst — Miles Browne looks a pitch in during the Aviston Express’ State Championship run last week at “The Hill”. Browne caught all four games and was the Co-MVP of the Tournament with a .571 average.Clayton Gaetti singled to make it 3-0 before Rowdy Sussenbach blooped a ball over first for another RBI single and a 5-0 lead. Miles Brown followed with an RBI single up the middle for a 6-0 lead for starting pitcher Wieter.
Rock Island received three walks and three singles and an Aviston error as they got right back into the game at 6-5 after two innings of play.
Wieter started a rally again with a double to left before scoring on a single from Curry for a 7-5 lead.
Aviston went back to work in the fourth inning when Gaetti led off with a single and Browne was hit by a pitch with one out.
Conlan Haar singled in Gaetti before Curry plated two with a double to the gap for a 10-5 lead.
Rock Island got an unearned run in the bottom of the inning to get within 10-6 entering the fifth inning.
Aviston changed the number again when Gaetti doubled and later scored on a two-out single from Browne. Haar added an RBI triple with Aviston in control at 12-6.
Rock Island plated two runs and got within 12-8 entering the sixth inning.
Aviston answered once again when Curry doubled, Schroeder singled and Lehman cashed in a sacrifice fly for a 13-8 cushion.
Post 1239 got three more in the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly from Curry and a two run single from Albers for a 16-8 lead.
Rock Island got three runs off Curry in relief before the lefty got a fly out to end the contest and set the fireworks off for a trip to Lexington.
“It was a tough day to pitch and Drake and Bryce got the job done against a Rock Island team that can flat out hit,” added Elsing.
Gaetti led the 21-hit attack with three singles, a double, an RBI, three runs scored and two stolen bases. Curry was 4-for-5 with two doubles, two singles, four batted in and one run scored.
“I’m new to this team and I’m on top of the world right now,” said Gaetti. “Couldn’t ask for better teammates and more from this group of guys. We all competed today and the entire tournament. It was hot, but we fought through and stayed together as a team and got the win.”
Browne and Haar each had three hits with Haar having two runs scored and both chasing two runners in. Haar pilfered a pair of bases. Schroeder, Albers and Wieter each had two hits in the win.
“This is unbelievable,” said Browne. “I remember coming out here in eighth grade and watching those guys play and wanting to be a part of it. It’s truly unexplainable how great of a feeling this is.”
Wieter was the winning pitcher as he allowed seven earned runs on six hits, four walks and one strikeout. Curry allowed three earned runs on two hits and two walks while retiring the final seven outs of the contest.
“They both had already pitched in the tournament and to come back and pitch the way they did today, was just awesome,” concluded Gaetti.
Aviston 7, Galesburg 4: The Express used a strong start to punch their ticket to the championship with their win over Post 285 on Saturday in Aviston.
The Express ran out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning and never looked back, despite being out hit 13-10.
Ethan Wheelan did his part as he earned the victory with 4-2/3 innings of work where he allowed four earned runs on 11 hits, no walks and no strikeouts. Drake Curry bridged the game with 1-2/3 shutout innings while Miles Brown got the final two outs to secure the save.
Clayton Gaetti and Browne paced the offense with each having three hits. Gaetti was 3-for-4 with two singles, a double, one run scored and three batted in. Browne added two singles, a double and three runs batted in.
Conlan Haar and Rowdy Sussenbach each singled and stole a base in the victory.
Aviston scored once in the top of the first inning when Benny Lehman walked and went to third on a single from Gaetti. Browne singled in Lehman with a shot to left for a 1-0 lead.
After Wheelan retired the side in order in the bottom of the inning, Aviston went back to work in the second inning.
After the first two were out, Max Albers and Craig Schroeder each singled and Lehman walked to load the bases. Gaetti burned the right fielder to chase all three runners home for a three-run double to give the host team a 4-0 lead.
Galesburg got a run back in the bottom of the inning before they got two more runs in the fourth inning to get within 4-3.
Gaetti started a rally in the fifth inning with an infield single before Sussenbach singled up the middle. Browne doubled in both runners for a 6-3 lead before the added their final run on an RBI single from Haar.
Galesburg got one more run in the bottom of the fifth inning before two innings of scoreless ball ended the contest.
Big win — Aviston righty Rowdy Sussenbach delivers a first-inning pitch in the Express’ 4-2 win over Palos on Friday afternoon in the State Tournament. Sussenbach went six innings and struck out seven batters.Aviston 4, Palos 2: The Express needed one big swing to head to the semifinal with their win over their Chicago foes on Friday evening.
Aviston got two runs in the first while Palos got two in the second before three scoreless innings in a game were both teams had seven hits.
Rowdy Sussenbach set the Coyotes down in the top of the first inning before the Express’ offense went to work.
Benny Lehman walked and Clayton Gaetti single before Sussenbach singled to load the bases with no outs. After two outs, Conlan Haar came up with a huge single up the middle to post the Express to a 2-0 lead.
The Coyotes answered with two of their own in the top of the second inning with the help of an Aviston fielding error and three hits from Palos as the game was square 2-2.
Pitching dominated the rest of the way until the bottom of the sixth inning. After the first two were retired, Miles Browne singled prompting a mound visit from Palos coach Mike Jeffers with Haar waiting in the box.
Haar jumped on the first pitch he saw from Aidan McGovern and sent it over the right-field fence for a two-run homer, his first of the season that gave Aviston a 4-2 lead entering the seventh inning.
Brady Ceto came on to close it out for the Express where he walked the first batter he faced before getting three fly outs to end the contest for the save.
Clayton Gaetti was 2-for-3 with two singles and a run scored while Haar was 2-for-3 with a single, a homer and all four RBIs in the victory.
Sussenbach was the winning pitcher as he went six innings and allowed two unearned runs on seven hits, two walks and seven punch outs. Ceto earned the save with a shutout seventh.
Aviston 10, Rantoul 5: The Express trailed for 10 minutes before taking care of business in their State Tournament opener on Wednesday night.
Post 287 scored a single tally in the top of the first inning before Aviston took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning.
Benny Lehman was hit in the head leading off the inning before Clayton Gaetti drew a walk. Lehman scored on a ground out from Miles Browne before Gaetti scored on a wild pitch for a 2-1 lead.
Aviston made it 3-1 in the second inning when Bryce Wieter singled and later scored on an other wild pitch.
Wieter walked the first two he faced in the third inning before striking out the next three to get out of the jam.
Rowdy Sussenbach singled in the bottom of the third and later scored on the third wild pitch of the game from Rantoul starter Holden Cargo for a 4-1 lead.
Aviston got two more runs in the fourth inning when Drake Curry walked and Craig Schroeder were hit by a pitch. Jack Reynolds sent a shot to the gap for two RBIs and a 6-1 lead. They made it 7-1 on a walk and a ground out.
The Express put the game away in the bottom of the sixth inning when Reynolds walked, Gaetti singled and Sussenbach singled in a run for an 8-1 lead. Browne singled in another run for a 9-1 lead before a sacrifice fly from Wieter made it 10-1.
Rantoul got four runs in the top of the seventh inning on two singles, a walk and two hit batters before Conlan Haar got the final out of the contest.
Sussenbach was 2-for-4 with two singles, two runs scored, two batted in and three stolen bases. Reynolds and Browne each has one hit and two batted in. Drake Curry walked twice while Lehman scored twice.
Wieter was the winning pitcher as he went 3-1/3 innings where he allowed one unearned run on one hit, four walks and eight strikeouts.
