Bushy Run American Legion team disqualified from Mid-Atlantic Super Regional

The state champion Bushy Run American Legion baseball team was disqualified from the Mid-Atlantic Super Regional because of a deadline issue with clearances for players 18 and older.

Adult players must have clearances completed and approved before the start of the Mid-Atlantic tournament, which begins Aug. 6 in Hanover, Md.

Pennsylvania American Legion Director of Activities Lewis Jones said Bushy Run had seven players who required clearances — background, criminal and child abuse history checks — but only one had his paperwork approved in time as the team rushed to satisfy the rule.

Others filled out the forms but were waiting for approval.

They would have had eight eligible players for their super-regional debut, two fewer than the tournament minimum.

Suddenly, an improbable run is over for a group manager Scott Peyman admittedly did not expect to get this far. Post 260 finished with a record of 26-7-1 but ended the season with a dangling what-if.

Peyman, who has resigned after 11 years, more than 200 wins, five district titles, two regional titles and a state win — his decision was not related to the disqualification — said he appealed to the American Legion but was denied.

Peyman said he knew about the clearances and believed he had enough time for his players to comply. He didn’t rush to get them done because of his team’s low expectations.

“It costs $25 per player,” he said. “Why spend $175 for no reason?

“I guess it’s my fault, but there needs to be a better system in place, so everyone knows what is going in,” Peyman said. “Nothing on the website tells you (about players’ clearances). There should be an automatic link sent out to these kids, flagging who is 18. Legion baseball makes it hard to play Legion baseball. There are so many rules that are not explained. You need a degree in Chinese algebra to figure it all out.”

The clearances rule went into effect in 2023, Jones said, and is enforced in the super regionals and beyond in the postseason when teams travel and stay in hotels together.

Teams are urged to get clearances done before the season starts, but that is more suggested than compulsory.

“Some of these players are adults, even though some of the parents don’t look at them that way,” Jones said. “The rule is in place to protect the players.”

Last year, Bushy Run had 10 players who needed clearances for post-state tournament play, Jones said. But the team did not win the state tournament, so the rule was not enforced.

“If they had won, they would have been in the same situation,” Jones said.

Bushy Run won the state title Wednesday, and Jones said he reminded coaches clearances had to be done before the team could enter super regional play.

“It all has to be done by the end of the state tournament, before super regionals,” Jones said. “The coaches know this, and it is up to them to make sure it is done ahead of time. It can take up to 14 days for these things to come back.

“This is not a ruling I wanted to make. I have not had to do this before.”

Peyman was floored by how well his team played in the postseason.

“From the district playoffs on, they found something,” he said. “They really came together. I never expected this. We still won states.”

Peyman said he made the decision to step down before the season began. As rewarding as the summer was, it also was a struggle at times.

“It was a full-time job this season,” he said. “I couldn’t get kids there all the time. For the first time in 11 years, we had a forfeit. I didn’t think we were good enough to win the region; we didn’t have the pitching. Things started to fall our way. It was pretty remarkable.”

Bushy Run center fielder Carmen Mecalfe, who played his final season at the Legion level, said the team is “understandably disappointed.”

“Coach Peyman has been focused on addressing the situation with the players, ensuring they understand the implications and encouraging them to stay positive,” Metcalfe said. “The team’s spirit remains strong, and they are determined to learn from this experience and come back even stronger next season.”

Jones said because of this precedent-setting ruling, the state could move to make clearances mandatory before the state tournament in the future. He said a team from New Mexico also was disqualified from super regionals for similar reasons.

“This is not meant to punish the kids,” Jones said. “I have to look at it from a safety perspective and follow our rules that are in place.

“When these teams go to regionals, and win, they don’t come home. Twenty-four hours later, they are on the road to Shelby, N.C. (for the American Legion World Series).”

He also indicated there may be verbiage added to player contracts next year regarding clearances. Players sign Legion contracts at the start of the season.

Coaches and umpires also must have approved clearances, which have to be refiled each year.

Peyman said assistant Zach Susalla is expected to take his place as manager.