American Legion baseball rides resurgence in SC to big stage for state championship
American Legion baseball has new life in South Carolina and it’s on display this week at Spirit Communications Park.
After a five-year stint at Sumter’s Riley Park, the state tournament is being held at the home of the Columbia Fireflies, the Class A affiliate of the New York Mets.
“For our players, this is fantastic,” said Robert Livingston, the athletic officer for Chapin/Newberry Post 193/24. “We play our games at Newberry College and that’s a good venue, but this is a step up. This is a big stage for the players and it’s been a wonderful experience for the kids.”
Florence Post 1 rallied with four runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat Gaffney Post 109 7-6 Wednesday afternoon in an elimination contest. The second game was suspended in the top of the fifth inning due to rain with Chapin/Newberry Post 193/24 leading Sumter Post 15 4-0.
That game will resume at 5 p.m. Thursday in the top of the fifth inning. The loser will play Florence Post 1 in another elimination 30 minutes following the completion of that game. The winner will play for the state championship at 4 p.m. Friday.
American Legion baseball took a downturn and had less than 50 teams in the state as recently as 2010. This year, South Carolina registered 81 teams with 79 of them participating in the regular season, the second most of any state in the Southeastern United States.
The amateur league for teen baseball players has been around for 88 years and crowned a state champion every year with the exception of 1944. This year, the state will send two teams, the state champion and runner-up, to the Southeastern Regionals to be played in Asheboro, North Carolina from Aug. 8-11. The winner of that will advance to the American Legion World Series in Shelby, North Carolina from Aug. 16-21.
American Legion state baseball director Legree Oswald is pleased to see the rebound in interest.
“We want to give kids an opportunity to play baseball,” Oswald said. “It can be American Legion or travel baseball. We just want kids to have a chance to play somewhere. We want everyone to be successful and we feel like we have a quality program to offer.”
The deal with Spirit Communications Park is currently just for this season, but having the championship at a neutral site has helped. Previously, the state tournament would consist of 14 games over six days and the host team was always guaranteed a spot.
This season, the final four teams qualified from the 16-team state tournament and there will be four or five games played over the course of three days at Spirit Communications Park.
“It was nice to go back to where everybody had to qualify,” Oswald said. “These four teams played their way here and are very deserving of this opportunity to play for a state championship in a venue as spectacular as Spirit Communications Park.”
Columbia Fireflies President John Katz feels it’s a win-win situation for everyone involved. The players and teams get to play in one of the finest minor league ballparks in the country and the Fireflies get to showcase their stadium to new fans who might not have seen the facility before.
“I believe it’s great. It’ll be a phenomenal experience for the players and we’re excited they are here,” Katz said. “Having a venue like Spirit Communications Park in such a central location makes it easy for families and traveling fans to see these young men play.”
Before Thursday’s game, former major league players Billy O’Dell and Bobby Richardson will throw out the ceremonial first pitches before the second game. Former South Carolina player Tommy Moody will throw out the first pitch before Friday’s championship.
This story was originally published July 25, 2018 at 9:49 PM.