Charlotte Knights manager has fond memories of Legion Baseball

As Justin Jirschele grew up in tiny Clintonville, Wis., he knew American Legion Baseball was big — so big that the grandstands were packed for American Legion Post 63’s games in the city of 4,500.

And if Post 63 was successful, as it was when Jirschele played, the community swelled with pride.

“The biggest thing I remember is how much the city got behind us,” said Jirschele, a four-year minor leaguer in the Chicago White Sox organization who is now that organization’s manager for the Charlotte Knights of the International League. “Winning the state title in back-to-back years and going out west and fundraising for a bus and a hotel meant a ton of money was needed for that.

“And how much does that say about a city like Clintonville to get behind us and make us feel special.”

A three-sport standout in high school — he was an all-conference honoree in football, basketball and baseball — Jirschele and his Post 63 teammates won consecutive Wisconsin Division II state titles in 2007 and 2008. The 2007 title was Clintonville’s first since 1998.

The victories advanced Clintonville to a 2007 Great Plains Regional in Beulah, N.D., and 2008 Great Plains Regional in Pratt, Kan.

An infielder and pitcher for Post 63, he was team MVP each season and was named state tournament MVP in 2008.

In 2007, the American Legion Baseball season was so successful that he and several teammates missed the first week of high school football practice.

“Well, our football coach was also our baseball coach,” Jirschele recalls. “So he couldn’t say no but he also knew we were missing the first week of training camp for football. He also knew most of us were three-sport athletes and he knew we’d be ready to go.

“It was fun and definitely a great experience.”

Jirschele would eventually play college baseball at UW-Oshkosh in 2009 and at UW-Stevens Point from 2010 to 2012 before the White Sox signed him as a free agent in the summer of 2012.

A 5-foot-11, 195-pound second baseman, third baseman and outfielder, Jirschele played Rookie League for Great Falls, Mont.; Class A in Kannapolis, N.C.; High Class A in Winston-Salem, N.C.; Class AA in Birmingham, Ala.; and Class AAA in Charlotte, N.C.

His best season came for Winston-Salem in 2014 where he hit .315 in 40 games for the Carolina League team.

And after the 2015 season in which he played for Charlotte, Birmingham and Winston-Salem, his career path changed.

As a hitting coach for Great Falls in 2015 and Kannapolis in 2016, his ability to help develop players led the White Sox to make him one of the youngest field managers in all of pro baseball at 27 years old in 2017 when he began a two-year stint as Kannapolis’ manager.

After guiding Kannapolis to back-to-back playoff appearances, Jirschele was promoted to Winston-Salem in 2019, then Birmingham for the canceled 2020 season. He coached Birmingham in 2021 and 2022 before landing in Charlotte for the 2023 season.

Because of his busy professional schedule, Jirschele spends only his offseasons in his hometown. But he does remain in touch with many of his Legion Baseball teammates.

“Obviously we’re all spread out around the country now,” Jirschele said. “But we all grew up playing sports together and there’s certainly a few guys that I stay in touch with. And we do talk about those memories and the joy we had and the joy the city brought to us.

“It was and still is a special time for all of us.”