The Kenai Post 20 Twins captured the 2026 Alaska Legion Baseball state championship on July 30, defeating the Service Post 28 Cougars 4‑2 at Mulcahy Stadium under a bright afternoon sky.
The victory ended a ten‑year championship drought for Kenai, a milestone that had eluded the program since its last title a decade earlier.
Pitching Takes Center Stage
Right‑hander Matthew Shilling delivered a stellar outing, striking out six batters over six innings and surrendering no runs until the seventh, when the Cougars mounted a late rally.
Jayden Stuyvesant, named tournament MVP, drove in the game‑opening RBI and closed the contest on the mound, earning both offensive and defensive honors.
Stuyvesant also claimed the Big Stick award as the tournament’s top hitter despite a single at‑bat in the final, while Shilling received the same award for his hitting contributions throughout the event.
The Cougars narrowed the gap in the seventh inning, plating two runs on an RBI triple by Brayden Cleppe and a subsequent score by Austin Duffus, but the Twins’ defense held firm.
Assistant coach Jesse Dockins praised the team’s resilience, noting that they had overcome the odds posed by larger programs from Anchorage and highlighting the combined effort of the Kenai and Soldotna communities.
Both Stuyvesant, a Shasta College commit, and Shilling, headed to Dickinson State University, expressed optimism about their upcoming collegiate endeavors, with Stuyvesant postponing his Northwest Regional appearance in Oregon to begin classes.
The Twins’ season was marked by early promise, a mid‑season slump, and a late‑season surge that culminated in the championship, a narrative that Dockins described as “pretty impressive” given the program’s growth.