American Legion baseball begins June 20

By Ron Brocato
Clarion Herald 

Nine stadiums will open their gates to American Legion baseball for an eight- to 10-game season over a 19-day period, beginning June 20.

So its “Play ball!” for 23 teams in an abbreviated season, said Louisiana American Legion Director Sidney Parfait, who has worked diligently to continue the spring-summer tradition of Legion baseball in the New Orleans area. There has never been a season canceled since Legion ball began in1928.

The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March was an ominous sign that the city would have no 2020 season. The Louisiana High School Athletic Association was unable to hold championship tournaments for spring sports and canceled baseball, softball, track and field, golf, tennis and bass fishing seasons before they started.

Fifteen schools, including eight from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and two independent teams will compete for an American Legion state championship, Parfait said. Five schools, including Brother Martin, Jesuit, St. Augustine and Archbishop Shaw, will field two teams. St. Charles Catholic will enter three.

Archbishop Rummel will not field an American Legion team, opting to develop its own intramural program instead. 

Coach Frank Cazeaux has organized five teams of prospects ranging from incoming seniors to freshmen, according to Rummel athletic director Jay Roth. “He felt the best way to improve the baseball program at Rummel to have more athletes involved and to develop players and pitchers,” Roth said. “We’ll have five teams playing three to seven games in June.”

The American Legion office shut down all sponsorships in the summer baseball program on May 11, citing safety precautions taken to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. But it did not prevent baseball teams from participating in a season at its own discretion. However, local programs will not be endorsed or sponsored by the Legion’s national organization.

The national office has allowed local Legion programs that plan to participate in a season to determine their rules, guidelines, schedules and insurance coverage but will offer no assistance.

The abbreviated season will allow many athletes who participate in football the time to prepare for the upcoming fall season.

Parfait said there will be restrictions to assure the safety of participants and spectators at the stadiums. Participating players will have to distance themselves while in the dugout or in a restricted section in the general seating area in the stands if they are not in the starting lineup. They will have to keep their equipment confined to a bag. The players’ temperatures will be taken prior to the start of each game.

“Spectators will be limited to 100 and will enter the stadiums by one gate,” Parfait said. “At Kirsch-Rooney Stadium the side gate will be opened to allow spectators to leave at the end of the game.” 

Eighteen games will be played at Kirsch-Rooney. St. Charles Catholic will host a 14-game schedule. Avenger Field in Audubon Park will have 10 games, John Ryan Stadium, eight, followed by Belle Chasse, 6; Holy Cross, Coquille Playground and Mike Miley Stadium, four each; and Lutcher, three.

Most of the games will be doubleheaders, spaced three hours apart to allow for the safe entrance and exit by spectators. Admission will be $7 per game, Parfait said. But each game will require a separate admission fee. 

Seven games will mark the opening of the season on June 20:

At St. Charles Catholic – Lucky Bags Cornhole (Patrick Taylor School) vs. Tornsend Homes Gold (St. Charles Catholic), 11 a.m.; Northshore Hawks (Archbishop Hannan) vs. Townsend Homes Blue (St. Charles Catholic), 1:15 p.m.

At Ryan Stadium – Noranda Bulldogs (Lutcher) vs. Retif Oil 2 (Jesuit) 10 a.m.; Refuel (Archbishop Shaw) vs. Retif Oil 1 (Jesuit), 1:30 p.m.

At Kirsch-Rooney – Alliance Graphics Titans (Lakeshore) vs. Delta Tire World (Brother Martin), 3:30 p.m.; Bill Hood Titans (Lakeshore) vs. College Funding Coach (Brother Martin), 6:30 p.m.

At Holy Cross – Ernest M. Henry Post 438 (St. Augustine) vs. Ponstein’s (Holy Cross), 4 p.m.

Subsequent games will feature teams sponsored by Gibbs Construction (St. Charles Catholic), Warren Daniels Post 500 (St. Augustine), Peck’s Seafood (Northshore), Patriots (John Curtis), Ryan Forest Baseball (Archbishop Shaw), Gauthier Amedee (Dutchtown), Belle Chasse and two independent teams representing Gulf Coast Office.

Ron Brocato can be reached at rbrocato@clarionherald.org.