Meet the teams in the 2024 American Legion World Series

Defending American Legion World Series champion League City (Tex.) Post 554 brings in a team with nine returning players from last year’s historic championship winner to head the eight-team field for the 2024 ALWS in Shelby, N.C.

Erik Anchondo, Tyler Austin, Braden Castle, Jackson Higgins, Alexander Kudler, Tyler Robinson, Logan Sanders, Gavin Shuttlesworth and Brice Smith return for coach Ronnie Oliver from last season’s first-ever Texas ALWS champion that edged Lincoln (Neb.) Post 3 1-0 in the title game starring left-handed pitcher Jacob Cyr.

The 1-0 result was the fourth in ALWS championship game history, joining South Chicago (Ill.) Post 493’s win over Columbia (S.C.) Post 6 in 14 innings in 1931; Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Post 34’s win over Northbrook (Ill.) Post 791 in 1967; and Wilmington (Del.) Post 1’s win over Las Vegas (Nev.) Post 40 in 8 innings in 2018.

And Cyr’s shutout victory came five days after the he threw the third no-hitter in ALWS history in the opening game of the 2024 event.

This season, League City comes in after rolling to a 5-0 record in Western Regional competition in Fairfield (Calif.).

Post 554 rode the strong pitching of Tyler Ryden to two of its five victories as he threw five innings with 12 strikeouts while yielding one hit in a 7-0 first-round victory over Reno (Nev.) then threw a two-hitter with 13 strikeouts in a 7-1 championship game victory over Wellsville Hyrum (Utah) Post 47.

In between League City edged Honolulu Team Central (Hawaii), 6-5; Hyrum, 5-4; and host Fairfield, 13-12.

Other teams in the field include 2022 ALWS champion Troy (Ala.) Post 70; 12-time ALWS participant and 2009 ALWS champion Midland (Mich.) Post 165; 2019 ALWS runner-up Fargo (N.D.) Post 2; and first-time participants Hudson (Mass.) Post 100, Wilmington Delvets (Del.) Post 1, Bossier City (La.) Post 202 and Billings Scarlets (Mont.) Post 4.

Troy, which has won eight straight Alabama state tournament titles, and League City also are making their third straight ALWS appearances.

Troy rallied from an early 4-1 deficit to beat Wayne County (N.C.) Post 11, 5-4 in nine innings in the Southeast Regional final. Wayne County had beaten Troy 4-1 earlier on Sunday.

Midland overcame a winner’s bracket regional final loss to Evansville (Ind.) Post 265 to win the Great Lakes championship. Midland went 5-1 overall with two victories on Sunday, including a 6-3 win over Evansville in the title game. Midland is making its record ninth ALWS appearance in Shelby since that city began hosting the event in 2008.

Fargo is back for the first time since it finished as 2019 ALWS runner-up.

Fargo, Wilmington Delvets and Billings Scarlets also advanced after losing their regional openers. It marks the first ALWS with three first-day regional losers in the field since 2014.

Fargo lost 2-1 to Elkhorn (Neb.) Post 211 in its regional opener, then won five straight games by three or more runs, including a 9-3 victory over Cedar Rapids Swisher (Iowa) Post 671 in the final.

The Delvets, longtime rival of 2018 ALWS champion Wilmington Post 1, needed 18 nail-biting innings of action on Sunday just to advance. The Delvets won 7-6 in 11 innings over Fort Cumberland (Md.) Post 13 in Sunday’s opener, then edged Northeastern (Pa.) 3-2 in the championship game.

Billings, which made the regional field as a host team after losing in the Montana state tournament, lost 1-0 in its regional opener to Fort Collins (Colo.) before winning five straight games to take the Northwest Regional. Four of those victories were by comfortable margins, including the 7-0 win in the regional final over Eugene (Ore.). Earlier on Sunday, the Scarlets edged Eugene 5-4 in nine innings.

Bossier City advanced to the regional by edging perennial power New Orleans Retief Oil 5-4 in the Louisiana state tournament, then went 5-1 to take the Mid-South Regional. Bossier City lost in the second round to Bryant (Ark.) Post 298 before winning four straight, among them Sunday victories over Bryant and Tupelo (Miss.) Post 49.

And Hudson enters the tournament with the Northeast Regional title as its first postseason championship. Post 100 advanced to the regional as the Massachusetts runner-up following a 14-3 loss to perennial power Shrewsbury in that state’s tournament championship game. Then Hudson took four straight one-run victories before rolling past Cumberland (R.I.) Post 14, 15-9 in the regional title game.

Here are the pairings for the 97th American Legion World Series (all times Eastern, schedule subject to change):

Stars Division

Northeast: Hudson (Mass.) Post 100 (29-5)

Southeast: Troy (Ala.) Post 70 (30-5)

Central Plains: Fargo (N.D.) Post 2 (48-8)

Western: League City (Tex.) Post 554 (27-3)

Stripes Division

Mid-Atlantic: Wilmington Delvets (Del.) Post 1 (21-6)

Mid-South: Bossier City (La.) Post 202 (23-4)

Great Lakes: Midland (Mich.) Post 165 (26-6-1)

Northwest: Billings Scarlets (Mont.) Post 4 (63-13)

Thursday, Aug. 15

Game 1: Fargo (N.D.) Post 2 vs. League City (Tex.) Post 554, 10 a.m.

Game 2: Bossier City (La.) Post 202 vs. Midland (Mich.) Post 165, 1 p.m.

Game 3: Hudson (Mass.) Post 100 vs. Troy (Ala.) Post 70, 4 p.m.

Game 4: Wilmington Delvets (Del.) Post 1 vs. Billings Scarlets (Mont.) Post 4, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 16

Game 5: Hudson (Mass.) Post 100 vs. League City (Tex.) Post 554, 4 p.m.

Game 6: Troy (Ala.) Post 70 vs. Fargo (N.D.) Post 2, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 17

Game 7: Hudson (Mass.) Post 100 vs. Fargo (N.D.) Post 2, noon

Game 8: Wilmington Delvets (Del.) Post 1 vs. Midland (Mich.) Post 165, 3 p.m.

Game 9: Bossier City (La.) Post 202 vs. Billings Scarlets (Mont.) Post 4, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 18

Game 10: Midland (Mich.) Post 165 vs. Billings Scarlets (Mont.) Post 4, 1 p.m.

Game 11: Wilmington Delvets (Del.) Post 1 vs. Bossier City (La.) Post 202, 4 p.m.

Game 12: Troy (Ala.) Post 70 vs. League City (Tex.) Post 554, 7 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 19

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.

Tuesday, Aug. 20

Game 15: Championship game, 7 p.m.