Pennsylvania American Legion Baseball

First Scores of 2012 Posted

Tue, 22 May 2012 04:30:00 +0000

The first set of results from around the state has now been posted. Recent scores can be accessed for each region by clicking on the link for that region at the top of each page. Updated standings can be found at the respective league pages, which are grouped by region.

Please send any additional scores, standings updates, or other news to palegionbaseball@gmail.com and we'll add them to the site. As always, thanks for visiting!

Indiana County 2012 Season Opens

Tue, 22 May 2012 03:35:00 +0000

The Indiana County League (Region 7) opened play on Monday night with Young Twp. topping Homer City Post 493 by a score of 11-0. The game was shortened to 5 innings by the 10-run mercy rule. Sam Held held Homer City to a leadoff single by Garrett Omasta and fanned 11 in the win.

New Look York Adams League Releases 2012 Schedule

Tue, 15 May 2012 01:00:00 +0000

The York Adams League in PA's Region Four has added a new team this year. Dillsburg has joined the league, bringing the number of teams to seventeen. Last year, Southwestern York captured the league crown and performed well at the regional tournament, winning two games. They were eliminated by league rival New Oxford, which went on to finish second at the tournament, falling just one win short of a trip to the State Tournament. This year's expanded league promises to be just as competitive. You can find the full league schedule at the link below.

York Adams League Schedule

Wyoming Valley League Hopes for Repeat

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:30:00 +0000

In 2011, the Wyoming Valley League was the strongest in the Region Five Postseason. League members Plains and Back Mountain ran through the Regional Tournament at Bloomsburg, finishing as the top two teams. Although Back Mountain knocked Plains off in the Winners' Bracket Final of the tournament, Plains was better on the final day, defeating Back Mountain twice for the regional title and the trip to the State Tournament. This year's league season is scheduled to begin May 31st. You can find the schedule at the link below.

Wyoming Valley League Schedule

Region Five's District 11 Readies for 2012

Mon, 14 May 2012 23:35:00 +0000

District 11, which is located in Northeast Pennsylvania, begins play on June 2nd. The league is comprised of nine Scranton area teams and the top six will make the playoffs. Last year Green Ridge won the league title and finished with a 2-2 record at the regional tournament. They'll likely be near the top of the league again this year, and Carbondale/Lakeland and Abington have also been strong in the past at the league and regional level. A full league schedule and other important league informaton can be found at the link below.

District 11 Website

Ready For Some Legion Baseball?

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:30:00 +0000

The time is just about upon us, and thousands of teenagers will take to the diamond over the next few weeks to kick off the summer legion baseball season across the state.

We thought it may be interesting to post some questions here and see what fans across the state think. Feel free to chime in in the comments or over on the forum.

What team will win your league and regional tournaments this year? Give us an idea why you think each team from your area may compete with the best in the state.
Who is the early favorite for the state title?
What region will take home the state title this year? Will southeastern PA continue its dominance?
What player will hit the most homeruns this year in the state?
What player will record the most strikeouts this year in the state?

Don't forget to forward us your stats, stories, and information to palegionbaseball@gmail.com or by posting in the comments. The best way to see you or your team's name on the site is to simply let us know how you're doing.

Most of all, good luck to everybody and here's to a safe and enjoyable season. Play ball!

Philadelphia County Set for New Year

Sun, 06 May 2012 04:20:00 +0000

The Philadelphia County League, which will have seven teams this year, will begin its season on May 29th. Last year, the Olney Redbirds captured the league crown and made a good run at regionals. This year, perennial league power Ivy Ridge hopes to return to past glory by winning the league title and the berth at the Region Three Tournament that goes with it. Bustleton and the Del Val Senators should also be in contention at the top of the league. Check out the full schedule and league's website below.

Philadelphia County League Schedule

Philadelphia County League Website

Lebanon Co. Ready for 2012 Campaign

Sat, 05 May 2012 17:15:00 +0000

Region Four's Lebanon County League will begin its 2012 season on June 2nd. The six team circuit is comprised of Annville, Campbelltown, Fredericksburg, Myerstown, Richland, and Lebanon's Fifth Ward. Annville and Fredericksburg represented the league a year ago at regionals, which were hosted at Fredericksburg's Earl Wenger Field. This year, the Region Four Tournament will shift to Fayetteville, and only the LebCo League's champ will qualifty. The league's season will conclude with the "Lefty" Grumbine Championship Series beginning on July 10th.

Check out the link below for the league's full schedule and other information.

Lebanon County Legion League

Lehigh Valley League Prepares for New Season

Sat, 05 May 2012 15:30:00 +0000

The Lehigh Valley League, an eleven team league that plays in Pennsylvania's Region Two, has released its 2012 schedule. Last year's league title was won by Northern Valley, which along with Fullerton represented the league in the state regionals. The league, which has existed since 1941, will only have one regional representative this year, so the run to the title should be especially fierce. One major highlight of the season will be the league's second joint All Star Game with the Schuylkill-Berks League. That game is scheduled for June 19th at the home the Reading Phillies and benefits the Lebanon VA Medical Center. The league season begins May 31st.

Lehigh Valley League 2012 Schedule

Lehigh Valley League Website

Send Us Your Schedules and Team News

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:55:00 +0000

As we progress closer to the start of the 2012 legion season, we are compiling schedules and news for teams around the state. The best way to have your team's information on our site is to send it along to us for inclusion.

Send all correspondence to palegionbaseball@gmail.com and we'll be sure to get back to you quickly.

Thanks!

Introducing Our New Partnership: Seeds and Starters!

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:40:00 +0000

We're excited to announce a new partnership forged between www.palegionball.com and Seeds and Starters. Seeds and Starters is a Delaware Valley based company that provides high quality gardening and plant products, as well as landscape design and construction services. You can see their new ad on the right side of the site.

Among the services Seeds and Starters offers are:

Discount high quality local vegetable, fruit, and flower plant seeds
Seedling starter plants in flats and pots
Garden design, construction and consultation
Landscape design, consultation, and construction
Landscape maintenance and upkeep services
Flower, tree, and plant installation and pruning

As part of the ongoing partnership, any order received from a PA Legion Baseball fan will receive a 10% discount and 5% of the purchase price will be donated to the upkeep of this site. Simply mention our site when ordering. You can help us maintain our site, while saving yourself time and money.

Seeds and Starters can be reached at seedsandstarters@gmail.com.

Thank you for your patronage and your help in keeping this site up and running!

Big Time Move: NorChester To Join Berks County League

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:35:00 +0000

A major shake-up in PA Legion Baseball has officially been announced. The NorChester Bulldogs, long-time participants in Region 3's Chester County League, will make the move to the Berks County League this summer. The move will solidify the Berks County League as one of the nation's top legion leagues with several state and national powers in NorChester, Boyertown, West Lawn, and Shillington.

The rivalry between Boyertown and NorChester should intensify, as the teams have played some hotly contested games throughout their histories. Boyertown High School and Owen J. Roberts High School (where NorChester draws the bulk of their players from) are both members of the PIAA Pac-10 League.

The moves may not yet be complete for the Berks County League as they attempt to restore their standing as a twelve team league in order to regain a spot in the two regional berth rotation. They now sit at eight total teams.

Be sure to give us your opinion in the comments section. For more information, see Don Seeley's article in the Pottstown Mercury here.

Readying For 2012, How Can You Help?

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:25:00 +0000

We here at www.palegionball.com are hard at work getting ready for our third season of comprehensive legion baseball coverage this summer. As we look to continue to expand our reach, we're looking for additional assistance with the site.

We're currently searching for individuals interested in doing freelance or full time writing/blogging for the site. In addition, in order to provide the most up to date scheduling, results, and standings, we ask that a representative from your team or league contact us regularly with updated information. If you submit your boxscores to other media outlets, please be sure to include us on your email and we'll take care of the rest.

Contact us at palegionbaseball@gmail.com if you're interested in helping in any capacity or have any questions, we'll get back to you quickly.

Thanks for your interest!

Offseason Update: Drastic Changes Coming to PA Legion Baseball

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:45:00 +0000

While players and coaches around the state have been unwinding after a long and successful season for Pennsylvania American Legion Baseball, the groups that oversee the state and national programs have been hard at work. Over the next couple of summers, legion baseball in the state will phase in two rather drastic changes.

The national legion program has announced that beginning in the summer of 2015, legion baseball will again become exclusively available to high school aged players. This means that age-eligible players who have been able to play for their legion team after their first year of college will no longer be able to do so in a few years. The hope and belief is that allowing teams to only field their squads from high school aged students will give more opportunity to younger players and create less turnover and turmoil for teams across the country.

Also of note, the national legion passed an agreement that all states must participate under the same national legion rules. In the past, states or leagues within each state have taken liberty with such rules as courtesy runners, game re-entry, and the number of eligible players on each team. The new rule reiterates that programs must all compete under the same guidelines. States and leagues are still entitled to determine game length, which is at seven innings for most leagues but must be at nine innings for playoff games.

We had been alerted recently to a drastic rule change for PA Legion Baseball taking effect in 2013, and though the news has not yet been officially released by the state, several news outlets have posted information regarding it so we feel the need to confirm that information. It has been highly publicized (and scrutinized) that the national legion's bat standards had become confusing and daunting over the past few years. We heard many horror stories from across the state regarding what bats (BESR vs BBCOR and composite) were usable, and which weren't. It has been known for a while now that in 2012, legion baseball will adopt BBCOR bat rules that the NCAA adopted last year. This new change will bring continuity to the bat standards and also provide a great deal more safety to pitchers in harms way.

While that news is welcoming, PA Legion Baseball has decided to become one of the largest baseball organizations in the country to adopt even stricter bat rules. In 2013, PA Legion Baseball will be switching solely to wooden bats for all of its baseball games. The change will have many benefits to teams and players around the state. Wooden bats currently retail for 15-20% of the cost of a BBCOR metal bat. In addition, the new bats will provide a great deal of improvement in safety to the pitcher and surrounding players. PA Legion Baseball players will have many years of wooden bat hitting practice which should greatly aid in increasing the number of players drafted into the professional baseball ranks. Simply put, our state's players are being put in a situation where they will be ahead of the vast majority of high school hitters in the country. It should also be noted that state officials intend to make bat purchase agreements solely with Pennsylvania based company which will add jobs at a time when they are desperately needed. This is certainly not a decision that came easily, and is not one that will be without opposition. But as it stands, PA Legion Baseball will serve as a national leader in wooden bat usage, and for that, we should all be proud.

For any questions or comments regarding the rule changes, please do not hesitate to contact us at palegionbaseball@gmail.com and we'll help in any way we can. Thanks for stopping by, enjoy the snow!

Eden Prairie, Minnesota Wins 2011 ALB WS

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:05:00 +0000

Things couldn't have started out much worse for the defending national runner-up this week in Shelby, North Carolina. Eden Prairie, Minnesota began the 2011 American Legion Baseball World Series with an eight inning mercy rule defeat at the hands of Midland, Michigan.

The team was able to reverse their fortune on Saturday morning when a seventeen hit outburst propelled them to an eight run victory over Waipahu, Hawai'i. The Region 6 national regional champions then defeated the home town favorite Gaffney, South Carolina by a ten run margin. Gaffney is located just half an hour or so from the Shelby.

Eden Prairie's next matchup was against the tournament's lone undefeated team, Tupelo, Mississippi. The Minnesota champions used two six run innings to storm to a ten run mercy rule victory in just seven innings. Eden Prairie started off Championship Tuesday by squeaking out a one run victory over Las Vegas, Nevada. By virtue of the win, the team had played their way into the national championship game against Tupelo, Mississippi. In a thirteen inning thriller, Eden Prairie continued their incredible run by winning for the fifth time in a row.