Troy (Ala.) Post 70 is back in Shelby, N.C., despite returning just three players from the 2022 championship team.
A year ago, Troy (Ala.) Post 70 was a first-time American Legion World Series participant and a plucky underdog if you will.
This year, not only is Troy back in the ALWS but Post 70 is back in Shelby, N.C., as the defending champion.
And coach Ross Hixon and one of the three players returning from last year, Tanner Taylor, recognize the difference in how their team is perceived.
According to Taylor, a second baseman, that much was clear last week when Troy went 5-0 while winning the Mid-South Regional in Pelham, Ala.
“Once we got to the regionals, we had a target on our backs and got everybody’s best,” Taylor said. “Last year we were kind of the underdogs because nobody expected us to do it.
“This time, we had two close, hard-fought games that were close. But it was fun and now we’re here again.”
To Taylor’s point, Troy edged Lafayette (La.) Post 241, 7-5 in 10 innings, in its opening round regional game; knocked off Panola (Miss.) Post 118, 8-1 on the second day; then edged Paragould (Ark.) Post 16, 4-3 in 8 innings before cruising to a 16-1, 5-inning victory over Pittsburg (Kan.) Post 64 in the semifinals. Post 70 then rolled past Paragould on Jake Johnson’s no-hitter in a 9-0 regional championship game victory.
“Having some familiarity with the program’s success plus wanting to write their own legacy was big for our program and helped us make it back,” Ross Hixon said. “We have a whole different team this year, more or less. But both teams are very similar in many ways and, hopefully, we can enjoy the same amount of success.”
Taylor, pitcher Tucker Jackson and outfielder Drew Shiver return from last year’s team.
Each played key roles a year ago when Troy went 4-1 in the ALWS, capped by a thrilling 6-5 come-from-behind win over two-time defending ALWS champion Idaho Falls (Idaho) Post 56 in the 2022 championship game.
It also came after Troy, which has won the last seven Alabama state titles, had endured frustration in regional action.
Post 70 had won at least one game in each of their previous five regionals, including a 3-2 record and regional runner-up finish following a 3-2 loss at host Randolph County, N.C., in the 2018 Southeast Regional championship game.
But Troy was methodically building itself into a powerhouse program.
In addition to the 19-and-under team’s success, Post 70’s 17-and-under team has also thrived, also winning multiple Alabama state titles, while developing players for the 19-and-under team.
“A really big part of this program is that the players grow up in our program,” said Ross Hixon, whose brother Rush Hixon is the head coach of Troy’s 17-and-under team. “Having that junior program has been really big for us.
“The Post 70 program has been building and enjoying success.”
Taylor says that continuity builds chemistry as well as success on the field.
“The two other returning guys and I have shared how we did it last year,” Taylor said. “We have a great team chemistry and I think that’s a big reason we are where we are.
“But it’s the full program that helps. Coach Ross’ brother Rush coaches the (17-and-under) team so everybody knows the standards are high, that we’re going to play the right way and the goal is winning.”
Here’s the schedule of games for the 96th American Legion World Series. Each team will play three games in pool play, with the top two finishers in each division advancing to the semifinals:
Stars Division: Northeast (Ellsworth, Maine), Mid-South (Troy, Ala.), Northwest (Cheyenne, Wyo.), Western (League City, Tex.)
Stripes Division: Mid-Atlantic (Brooklawn, N.J.), Southeast (Florence, S.C.), Great Lakes (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Central Plains (Lincoln, Neb.)
Aug. 10 (games available on ESPN3)
Game 1: Cheyenne (Wyo.) Post 6 vs. League City (Tex.) Post 554, 10 a.m.
Game 2: Brooklawn (N.J.) Post 72 vs. Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Post 671, 1 p.m.
Game 3: Ellsworth (Maine) Post 207 vs. Troy (Ala.) Post 70, 4 p.m.
Game 4: Florence (S.C.) Post 1 vs. Lincoln (Neb.) Post 3, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 11 (games available on ESPN3)
Game 5: Ellsworth (Maine) Post 207 vs. Cheyenne (Wyo.) Post 6, 4 p.m.
Game 6: Troy (Ala.) Post 70 vs. League City (Tex.) Post 554, 7 p.m.
Aug. 12 (games available on ESPN3)
Game 7: Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Post 671 vs. Florence (S.C.) Post 1, noon
Game 8: Brooklawn (N.J.) Post 72 vs. Lincoln (Neb.) Post 3, 3 p.m.
Game 9: Troy (Ala.) Post 70 vs. Cheyenne (Wyo.) Post 6, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 13 (games available on ESPN3)
Game 10: Ellsworth (Maine) Post 207 vs. League City (Tex.) Post 554, 1 p.m.
Game 11: Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Post 671 vs. Lincoln (Neb.) Post 3, 4 p.m.
Game 12: Brooklawn (N.J.) Post 72 vs. Florence (S.C.) Post 1, 7 p.m.
Aug. 14 (games available on ESPNU)
Game 13: Stripes division winner vs. Stars division runner-up, 4 p.m.
Game 14: Stars division winner vs. Stripes division runner-up, 7 p.m.
Aug. 15 (game available on ESPNU)
Game 15: Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.
- Baseball