Coaches and Managers: Here is the link to the website to complete the background checks for your teams registration, the link will be connected to the national registration site — https://opportunities.averity.com/TXAmericanLeg
HOW TO REGISTER A TEAM
Visit – baseball.legion.org
Additional resources (rulebooks, forms, scholarship applications) – www.legion.org/baseball/resources
WHO WE ARE
Anyone who really knows baseball, especially the old pros, will tell you, “Baseball is a game of character.”
Anyone who truly knows amateur teenage baseball, especially the college coaches and pro scouts, will tell you that American Legion Baseball remains the best program in the country. Why? Not only is it the oldest, largest and most competitive teenage baseball program, but its primary purpose is to build character in young men.
Does it achieve its purpose? Indeed it does, better than any other program. Character has been built in over 10 million young men who have played American Legion Baseball.
Over 55 former Legion players have been inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, far more inductees than any other youth baseball program.
Nearly 75 percent of current college players are graduates of the Legion Baseball program. More than half of current major-leaguers played Legion Baseball. So did almost every working Major League Baseball manager, along with several former MLB commissioners.
American Legion Baseball is the only youth baseball program that pays for travel, lodging and meals at the State, Regional and World Series tournaments.
In the 88 year history of American Legion Baseball, no team from Texas has ever won the American Legion Baseball World Series.
Learn more about American Legion Baseball by visiting the American Legion Baseball national web site at www.legion.org/baseball
IMPORTANT DATES
IMPORTANT DATES FOR THE DEPARTMENT 2021 SEASON:
| Jan 1 | Online Registration Opens |
| Jan 1 | Coaches, Managers Background Checks and Abuse Awareness Certificate needs to be submitted. |
| Mar 31 | Establishment of players legal domicile & school |
| May 15 | All Coaches, Managers, Staff and Volunteers Background Checks and Abuse Awareness Certificate must be submitted. |
| May 15 | DEADLINE for Team registration, including payment of registration fee and insurance. ($200.00 late fee after May 15th) |
| June 1 | Coaches, Managers, Staff and all Volunteers Background Checks and Abuse Awareness Certificate must be approved (if application was submitted by May 15 and it has not been approved call Department) |
| June 1 | LAST DAY for team registration |
| June 25 | Deadline to submit official roster Form 1 to the National Office to be eligible for play. |
| July 15 | Applications for Baseball Scholarship must be received at Department Headquarters (Austin) by this date. |
The American Legion State Tournament will be held July 19-24 2022 in McAllen TX
Regional Tournament: Fair Field, CA August 3-7 2022
World Series: Shelby, NC August 11-17 2022
*Expenses paid by The American Legion
Download 4 Team Double Elimination Bracket (doc)
BASEBALL RULE BOOK 2022 (.docx)
STARTING A TEAM
Tips for starting a team.
· All teams should have the objective of winning the World Series. The competition and teamwork to achieve this lofty goal is what builds character.
· Recruit players who are committed to playing on your Legion team, who share the objective of winning the World Series. If at any time a team has less than 12 players available to play during the playoffs, the team is disqualified from further play.
· Seven-inning games are played in the 8 team double elimination championship tournaments at the national level. Therefore, in order to win the Regional and World Series tournaments, the team must have a very deep pitching staff.
· Try to have the maximum 18 players on your team in order to maximize the number of youth we support through this great program.
· Try to maximize the number of games played by your team. There is no reason why a Legion baseball team can’t play in another league; however, once the Legion playoffs begin, the Legion team must be committed to playing in the Legion playoffs.
· It doesn’t have to cost the Post anything to sponsor a Legion baseball team. However, it is traditional that the sponsoring Post pay for the team registration fee and insurance, at least.
· Work with your coach to establish a budget, and together develop a plan for raising money to fund the team’s expenses. It is permissible for the players to contribute financially to the program. All contributions to the team via the Post are tax deductible.
· Baseball has many rules. Integrity in the program is maintained by strictly and fairly enforcing the rules. Therefore, read and know the rules. The National Rule Book and Department (State) Rule Book will be published after January 1.
· Start early. Start now.
· If you have any questions, feel free to ask your local Baseball Chairman.
CONTACTS
Department Baseball Chairman – Don Toohey, 903.450.5950, ddt2e@rocketmail.com
Department Baseball Committee members:
Baseball Director – Esperanza Zuniga
Baseball Member – Cyndi Miller, cmiller23@live.com
Division Baseball Chairmen:
1st Division – Carl Smith, 903.826.4901, c.smith@heritageconsturctorsinc.com
2nd Division – TBD
3rd Division – Rich Huntley, rich.huntley@att.net
4th Division – Walter Herman, rustyh92n@hotmail.com
STATE CHAMPIONS
SCHOLARSHIPS
WORLD SERIES
Watch game highlights, view statistics, and learn more about the World Series by visiting the American Legion Baseball national website.