EASLEY — Easley Post 52 baseball took center stage this past weekend.
Travis Barbary served as the keynote speaker last Friday at the banquet for the 2026 Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.
He stood up at the podium, looked out into the crowd of close to 150 people and gave a heartfelt speech. Travis said growing up he looked up to Post 52 standouts like Terry Davis, George Davis, Mark Haskett, David and Steve Posey, Danny Holcombe and Todd Freeman. He mentioned a couple of times how he wished his dad (Eddie who passed away in 2012) could have been there at the banquet, and how Randy Bray was like a “father figure” to him growing up.
Travis has been with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the past 32 years.
“I thought it was great,” said Travis. “It was a longtime coming putting something like this together. This community means a lot to me and my family. The people in this community hold a special place in my heart. It was great to see a lot of guys who played for my dad and that I played with as I was able to play for Post 52. I hope we can do it again soon.”
Barbary and Rob Stanifer were both awarded gold jackets. It was only fitting, too, that Stanifer threw the first pitch to Barbary before the start of the Easley-Spartanburg legion baseball game on that night.
Dan Scott served as the Master of Ceremonies. The Marine Corps League Honor Guard, led by Dan Frawley of the American Legion, presented Colors. Post 52 Chaplain Nick Viahos closed out the banquet in his U.S. Navy Uniform.
Marty Clary (in his Atlanta Braves jersey) did the prayer before the legion game that night and Steve Rackley did the National Anthem. Not to be overlooked, too, was Cincinnati Reds scout Lee Seras who got his start coaching legion baseball in 1968 and he attended the banquet. Several other former Post players like Hank Parks just soaked it all in.
Easley Mayor Lisa Talbert, sitting in the front table at the banquet, looked back on the event and said, “It makes me so proud to live in Easley and to be among such greatness. Some of these men are legends and they are great examples for our community. It’s a wholesome family (Post 52 baseball) pastime for our city and I’m so proud.”
Stanifer credits Barbary with his start in pitching: Talk to Rob Stanifer about his baseball career growing up in Easley and he will tell you one thing: He always thought of himself as a much better hitter than a pitcher. Rob did not throw a million pitches in little league or throw a bunch of pitches on some traveling team. He got his first “real start” when his catcher (Travis Barbary) saw some potential in him. And remember, Stanifer went on to pitch for the Florida Marlins in 1997 and he even has a World Series ring.
“I don’t know if Travis (Barbary) even remembers this story, but I do,”said Stanifer. “I didn’t even start pitching until my junior year of high school at Easley. It was halfway through the season and we would throw live batting practice. He (Travis) told me after practice to cut it loose and the next day I was pitching in a game. He is such a great human being on and off the field. I played with a catcher (for the Marlins) named Charles Johnson and he (Travis) reminded me of him.”
That’s a pretty big compliment, too. Johnson was regarded as one of the best catchers of his era in the big leagues with four consecutive Golden Gloves.
Stanifer said he went on to hit the 97 mile per hour mark as a pitcher – in his late 20s and in Triple A baseball.
It’s those types of baseball memories that stormed to the forefront this past weekend.
Added Stanifer, who had 15 family members at the banquet, “It was great to see all the community together. Post 52 means so much to everybody. You can see the emotion with everybody. I really appreciate everything that Post 52 did for my career.”
The Banquet: Legendary Post 52 coach Randy Bray was also a featured speaker. He guided that Post 52 baseball team – with Gregg Powell as an assistant coach – to a state championship in 2001.
Added Coach Bray, “It was fun and great seeing the guys come back – the relationships that I’ve made over the years that have lasted. I’m just thrilled to be a part of it. A special thank you to the 1999 team when we lost our son. I love you guys.”
Coach Powell also spoke at the podium at the banquet and thanked everyone. Powell served on the committee (with Steve Garrison, Mike Barnes, Bill Houston and Jeff Holt) to help make this event happen.
“I think it was a great event,” said Powell. “We’re going to build off of this one for future years. It was great to see all the former players, teammates and the coaches. It is just so emotional. We wish Post 52 (the team) great success in the years to come.”
The ones honored and inducted into the Post 52 Jacket Club were: Kenny Cook, Kevin Loudermilk, Todd Freeman, Rob Stanifer, Travis Barbary, Gregg Powell and Randy Bray.
Bat Girls Boost: Former Post 52 bat girls Julie Ellison, Carol Jo Baumgardner, Sharon Hix and Maria Jennings were all at the banquet with t-shirts on in honor of the late Justin Bray. Julie and Carol Jo also helped out with the Jacket Club ceremony right before the legion game on Friday night.
Quite a compliment: Vince Anderson, a former player for Post 52 and a 1984 grad of Easley High School, had this to say about it all. “It was good to see people you hadn’t seen in a long time,” he said. “I knew Travis (Barbary) growing up. It was nice to see everybody – even the bat girls. I have a lot of respect for Coach (Randy) Bray. He didn’t treat us as kids. He treated us as young men. I learned a lot of things from him. Even when he (Coach Bray) wasn’t talking to me, I was listening. Best coach I ever had.”
Memory lane with Partridge: Former Post 52 legion standout Mike Partridge could not make it to the big event this past weekend. However, he was still able to share some memories from his playing days for the American Legion Post 52 baseball team.
“The memories I have from playing American Legion Post 52 baseball will last a lifetime. With the post commander Coach JB (Red) Owens always greeting his team when we got to the ballpark to the legendary Coach Randy Bray and his assistant Gregg Powell leading our team to many victories and league championships. The years I played for Coach Bray were from 1991-93 with all three years winning our league and making a deep run in the playoffs every year. We would practice hard and be prepared for every game with the wisdom and knowledge of Coach Bray. I was fortunate to be surrounded by lots of great baseball players that were already playing college baseball or on the verge of heading that way.
“There were so many memories I could share but I would say the most important was when we were playing at BHP and they were very good with two of their players going on to play Major League Baseball. Coach Bray would always ask me before every game I pitched if I wanted to hit that game or just lock in on pitching and that particular game I was just focused on beating a guy who was going to pitch in the majors. Coach Bray would ask me after every inning how I felt and, of course, the answer was always great. I pitched the best game of my baseball career with 20 strikeouts in 10 innings and ended up losing 2-1, but the respect I earned from my coach during that game was one I would cherish and remember all the way through my collegiate football and baseball career at Catawba and throughout life in 27 years of my coaching experience. Coach Bray was always hard-nosed but fair and that is what I respected the most about him. He demanded excellence and that is what made the Easley Post 52 baseball program so great!”
Post 52 wins opener: The American Legion Post 52 baseball team rolled past Spartanburg 17-1 in their opening game late Friday night.
“Starting out 1-0 is huge and a big momentum,” said Post 52 coach Jonathan Hall. “They (Spartanburg) were missing some guys. I told these guys I’m going to give everyone a shot. Some are going to get more chances than others and this is your time to either make it or break it.”
The upcoming home games for Post 52 at Alice Mill Park (at 7 p.m.) are:
Tuesday, June 9: vs. Greenville Post 3
Monday, June 15: vs. Chapin Newberry Post 193/24
Thursday, June 18: vs. Chapin Newberry Post 193/24
Tuesday, June 23: vs. Anderson Post 14
Monday, June 29: vs. Greenwood Post 20
Thursday, July 2: vs. Greenwood Post 20
Tuesday, July 7: vs. Greer Post 115
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