Mathson sets record with 145th Legion hit

Josh Mathson made a name for himself by hitting home runs, becoming the all-time longball leader in Minnesota high school baseball history.So it was fitting Monday that Mathson moved into first-place on Ely’s American Legion baseball career hit list with a round-tripper.Mathson’s 410-foot homer at Cloquet Monday was his 30th in an Ely uniform, easily the most in program history, but it was also his 145th career Legion hit.That gave Mathson more hits than any other player in Ely Legion history, and he passed previous hit king Steve Dunstan, a 1998 graduate who collected 144 hits during his tenure with the Legion squad.Mathson, a 2004 graduate of John F. Kennedy High School in Babbitt, already owns Legion career marks for home runs, doubles (42) and runs batted in (144), and his 14 home runs this summer are a single-season record.And Monday, he passed Dunstan to take first place on the career hit charts.Mathson is hitting .581 for the Legion squad with 40 runs batted in, and he has compiled a career batting average of .485, which also ranks first in Ely history.The son of Kirby and Tami Mathson plans to attend Iowa Central Community College and play baseball there.A NEW HIT KINGAll-time leading hitters in Ely Legion baseball historyName (Grad. Class) Hits1. Josh Mathson (2004) 1492. Steve Dunstan (1998) 1443. Bill Mobilia (1989) 1314. Lucas Stellmach (2003) 1265. Bill Palo (1988) 116