American Legion Tryout Dates Released
Statewide American Legion Baseball tryout dates are being established in your local communities. Information on Wisconsin American Legion Baseball is found here: wilegion.org/legion-baseball.
Marshfield Post 54:
Tryout date - Sunday, April 28th 11am and Sunday, May 5th 11am
Location - Jack Hackman Field, Marshfield
Complete registration at: marshfieldlegionbaseball.com/signup
Stevens Point Post 6:
Tryout date - Sunday, May 5th and Sunday May 12th 2:30pm
Location - Bukolt Park, Stevens Point
Complete registration at: stevenspointsixers.com
Plover Black Sox:
Tryout date: Sunday, May 5th and Sunday May 19th 3pm
Location - Memorial Field, Plover
Please contact Manager
Wayne Sankey with any questions at wsankbasbal@hotmail.com or at 715-340-8066.
Eau Claire:
Tryout date: Sunday May 12th and Sunday May 19th 2pm
Location - Fairfax Park, Eau Claire
More info: X @ecalb
American Legion Baseball enjoys a reputation as one of the most successful and tradition-rich amateur athletic leagues. Today, the program registers teams in all 50 states plus Canada. Each year young people, ages 13 to 19, participate. Since its inception in 1925, the league has had millions of players, including countless who have gone on to play in college and professional baseball, with 82 inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Legion Baseball also has a reputation for serving the young people who play for it. In college scholarships, the league annually awards a total of $25,000 - $500 for a player selected from each department based upon leadership, character, scholarship and financial need. Recently, the Legion passed a resolution allowing corporate sponsorship, in the hope of creating more financial aid for college. Diamond Sports currently funds $25,000 in scholarships for the American Legion Baseball All-Academic Team. Eight players receive a $2,500 scholarship and the "Captain" of the All Academic Team receives a $5,000 scholarship.
In 1949, the national player of the year was first named through the arrangement of Robert Quinn, director of The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Fittingly, winners receive a trip to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., making them the only amateur athletes invited to the exhibit. The award is now named after George W. Rulon, who served as program coordinator from 1961 to 1987.
Three other recognition awards were established in the 1970s: the Dr. Irvin L. "Click" Cowger RBI Award, the Rawlings Big Stick Award and the Bob Feller pitching awards. All recognize strong performances in the regional and national tournaments.
Over the years, plenty of other major corporations have joined Gatorade in sponsoring Legion Baseball. In the 1940s, Ford Motor Co. dealers supplied uniforms for local teams. Diamond Sports signed on as the "Official Baseball of the American Legion World Series."