·¬ÇÑapp

On a cool Tuesday evening in Fitzgerald Stadium, located near the heart of Rapid City, a plethora of spectators filed in to take in the sights and sounds of American Legion baseball.

This season, the Legion side of the national pastime turned 100 years young.

The contest was the second half of a two-game season series between the hosting Post 22 Hardhats with the visiting Post 320 Stars. The two clubs share the same parking lot, with players on opposing sides attending the same high schools.

Between the two, there is plenty of familiarity.

Compared to their first meeting of the season — where the Hardhats prevailed in a 16-1 decision in five innings on May 6 at Pete Lien Memorial Park — the rematch was closer.

Post 320 got on the board first, by way of a grounder Max Schoenhard and fielder's choice that brought home Tegan Sayles. The Stars weren't able to build from the early lead, though, before the Hardhats regained control.

Post 22 responded with two runs in the bottom frame, before adding two insurance runs in the bottom of the third and producing another three runs in the bottom of the fifth.

The highlight of the stretch came from the hard running of Carter Johnson, who reached on an error, before another Stars error allowed the speedster to rounds the bases and score on the play.

The Hardhats chalked up another three runs, building up a 10-1 advantage with three outs left in the game.

With little room to operate and Post 22's standout hurler Ryan Neugebauer on the mound, the Stars were down to their final out. With Max Speed on first, Ayden Byrd smacked a line drive into center for an RBI triple.

Schoenhard then struck a single into center, bringing home Byrd. 

Neugebauer never lost his composure, though, striking out Jhett Peterson to seal a 10-3 win in favor of the Hardhats.

Despite their differences in venue and uniform, Post 22 and Post 320 share plenty of common threads. The most important the similarity to their place within the Rapid City baseball landscape.

While everywhere else in South ·¬ÇÑapp houses T-ball, little league, high school baseball and American Legion baseball under one association, the Gateway to the Black Hills hosts several individual organizations.

Regardless of mission statements and approaches to the game, the overarching goal is to have as many kids playing and enjoying baseball as possible.

Post 22's baserunners a key to splendid start

Heading into their three-game series with Casper Post 2 this weekend at Fitzgerald Stadium, Post 22 is off to a fantastic 16-1-1 start. 

The Hardhats have it all, from pitching, hitting and fielding to making plays in clutch situations. According to Post 22 head coach Kelvin Torve, there's multiple layers to the early success.

"We have a bunch of guys who compete," Torve said. "Our pitchers are competing on the mound by throwing strikes. For the most part, we played good defense, but we've had lapses here and there. We're swinging the bats and having good at-bats. We have guys who take pride in not striking out."

"In the Legion level, if you put a ball in play, occasionally you get the other team to kick one," Torve added.

Heading into the weekend, the Hardhats had outscored their opposition 156-60.

The special ingredient to Post 22's fast start this year has been on the basepaths, with speedsters in Aiden Roberts, Carter Johnson, Wyatt Reeder, Kain McLeod and Lars Kieffer — just to name a few. The Hardhats have stolen 73 bases so far this season.

"I'm really pleased with the baserunning," Torve said. "We've got seven guys who can steal a base. You can play defense every day. Pitching kind of comes and goes, and hitting comes and goes. You can run the basepaths every day. So, we do that. That's part of our secret to our success, is that we run the bases really well."

On the organizational side, things have also been good. Just ask Wayne Sullivan, general manager for Post 22.

"It's been really good, so far," Sullivan said. "All five of our teams have played quite a few games already, which is really good for the months of April and May. I'm very excited on the trajectory of our teams right now."

Within the centennial season, Post 22 has another milestone to celebrate. On tap for July 2 to July 6 is the 50th annual Firecracker Tournament. 

Over the stretch of four days, the Hardhats will square off against two teams from Colorado, a squad from Napoleon, Ohio, and a familiar foe in the Missoula Mavericks of Montana.

"It's a great tournament," Sullivan said of the Firecracker. "I have a waiting list. We have team from all over the country that want to come, but it's hard, because of the teams who keep coming back."

The Mavericks are just as much of a staple as the hosting Hardhats, as Missoula has taken part in half of the tournaments.

"It's just great competition," said Sullivan. "It's great for Rapid City, and it's great baseball."

Lyle Tolsma, chairman of the South ·¬ÇÑapp American Legion Athletic Commission, knows how important the Firecracker Tournament is around Independence Day. For visiting teams, it's an opportunity for players to compete inside a revamped Fitzgerald Stadium, and for those athletes and families also enjoy Rapid City and the Black Hills.

"It's not only huge for Post 22, but also for Rapid City," Tolsma said. "It brings a lot of good to the economy to bring all of those teams and families in. It's in a great location, with Storybook Island right next door in between games."

While the Hardhats have to travel for both the 100th Anniversary Celebration on July 17 (Post 22 will be in Sioux Falls) and for the American Legion Class A Senior State Championship Tournament from July 29 to August 2 in Watertown, Fitzgerald Stadium will see some championship baseball.

The Post 22 Expos, the defending Class A Junior American Legion State Champions, will host the 2025 edition of the state tournament.

According to Sullivan, a town will place a bid to host a state tournament, submit it to the American Legion council, then it's put up to a vote. This year, the Expos were rewarded with homefield advantage.

"Anytime you can host a state tournament, it's a blessing," said Sullivan. "Not only for your town, but for your team to be able to sleep in their own beds and kind of stay in the same routine. It's really nice."

The South ·¬ÇÑapp American Legion Class A Junior State Championship Tournament is scheduled from July 31 to Aug. 3 at Fitzgerald Stadium.

Post 320 displays improvement under Jansen

Across the parking lot at Pete Lien Memorial Field, Post 320 head coach Mike Jansen preaches consistency to his team. It's been working.

Despite dropping all but two of their last eight games, the Stars are currently 6-8 overall. Compared to last year, where Post 320 won 12 games, the Stars are well within reach of eclipsing and surpassing that mark.

The Stars boast notable talents in Max Speed, Tegan Sayles, Ayden Byrd, Gaven Heintzman, Max Schoenhard and Ian Feeger. There's also players on the rise in Noah Wald, Kason Kostenbauer and Anders Lockhart.

Jansen knows that the potential is there. It's all about converting that potential into practice, and putting together a steady flow of strong performances.

"I've been happy with facets of our game," Jansen said. "We played some really good games, but then we turn around and play some bad baseball games. Some of that comes with some of the youth on our team, but I'm hoping that there's going to be less of it going forward."

Jansen knows that younger players need to develop, and all across the board, he's seen the work put into practices and games with out-of-state opponents pay off.

"The kids can see that the hard work they have been doing does pay off," said Jansen. "They can see the fruits of their labor and go, 'okay, this is what it looks like when we do this the right way.'"

Once the high school baseball season is over, which concludes with the South ·¬ÇÑapp High School Baseball Association's Class A and Class B State Tournaments, Post 320 will see a few more faces on the roster.

From Rapid City Stevens, which qualified for the SDHSBA Class A State Baseball Tournament, Morgan DelaPena and Nolan Williamson will soon jump aboard. Another three players from Rapid City Christian will also put on the Stars uniform for the summer.

No matter what happens, Jensen will continue to teach consistency.

"If we have enough of those (solid performances) here in the next two, three, four weeks as we start playing in-state games, that'll help us a lot throughout the summer," Jansen said.

The Stars are also away during the Legion's 100th season festivities on July 17, but will prepare themselves for the Black Hills Veterans Classic alongside Post 22. From June 5 to June 8, the Stars will take on teams from Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming at Pete Lien Memorial Field.

A century old, and stronger than ever

South ·¬ÇÑapp is the birthplace of American Legion baseball. It was first proposed at an American Legion State Convention in Milbank. From there, the sport had its ebbs and flows, but never wavered or faded.

To celebrate the centennial season, the National Commanders Tournament will be held at the Birthplace of American Legion Baseball. At the newly revamped Legion Field, Milbank Post 9 will host a team from Nebraska, another from North ·¬ÇÑapp and a squad from Minnesota for a three-day tournament.

James A. LaCoursiere Jr., American Legion national commander, and his entourage will be in attendance for the tournament.

"It's a big celebration for Milbank, and for baseball in South ·¬ÇÑapp," Tolsma said of the event.

Overall, Legion baseball has continued to grow.

Among the 20 new teams this year, Belle Fourche added a junior team to bolster the Post 32 program. The most notable West River addition comes from Hot Springs Post 71, who will introduce a senior and junior team.

Throughout the Legion baseball's history, there is a constant — Rapid City and its unique presence within the Mount Rushmore State and beyond.

"Post 22 has been around for a long, long time," Tolsma said. "(The late Dave Ploof) had basically developed them into a premier program, not just throughout South ·¬ÇÑapp, but the entire nation. Everywhere I travel, people ask me where I'm from. I say 'Rapid City,' and they go, 'Oh, that's the place with the really good baseball team.'"

"Post 22 actually put Rapid City on the map," Tolsma added.

According to Tolsma, it's stronger than ever.

"We're here," he said. "We're strong in South ·¬ÇÑapp with the American Legion."

The Dave Ploof Effect

The late Dave Ploof can easily be identified as the "Godfather of Rapid City baseball."

In his 47 years of coaching Post 22, Ploof built Post 22 into the powerhouse that it is today. With Ploof's guiding hand, Post 22 collected 34 state titles and advanced to the Legion World Series on eight occasions.

In 1993, Post 22 went 70-5 and won the national title — the only South ·¬ÇÑapp team ever to do so. From 1970-87, Post 22 won 18 state titles in a row — a national record. Ploof never recorded a losing season.

Ploof also molded countless young men into great players and people.

For Torve, who played Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins and the New York Mets, Ploof played a massive part in his life — on and off of the field.

"He's the best coach I've ever had," Torve said. "He was aggressive, and he was competitive. When you have somebody like that, it raises the level of play across the board. Everybody wanted to beat Post 22, and to do that, they had to up their game. It really made the game of baseball in South ·¬ÇÑapp better, because of the way he went about it. He challenged the entire state to meet his standard."

"A rising tide raises all boats, and that's what he did," Torve added.

Sullivan, who enjoyed success as a longtime head football coach at St. Thomas More, was another recipient of Ploof's extensive influence.

"It all starts with coach Dave Ploof," said Sullivan. "It was the expectations that he set, the program that he built in all of his years coaching, how he got the town involved with promotion nights throughout the summer, and really up the Firecracker into what it is today."

"I modeled a lot of my coaching from coach Ploof," Sullivan continued. "I was blessed to play for him, then blessed to to coach for him in the mid 90s, and even now in the role as GM for the past nine years."

Sullivan credits Ploof's work ethic, honesty and feedback for his coaching methods and success on the sidelines.

"He was always great when giving advice," Sullivan said.

Even on the organizational level, Ploof left a lasting legacy for the game.

"He's had a huge impact on the game," said Tolsma. "He also developed other teams throughout the state that wanted to emulate (Post 22). I listened to to the game when (the Hardhats) played Cheyenne (Wyoming), and the broadcasters even said that Cheyenne has emulated their program."

"It's in our DNA."

Dave Ploof is a major part of American Legion baseball in South ·¬ÇÑapp. The sport itself has been influential to many in the Mount Rushmore State and beyond.

Many have played it, including legends such as Bob Feller, Ted Williams, Roy Campanella, Yogi Berra, Stan Musial, Dusty Baker, Ryne Sandberg, Albert Pujols, Greg Maddux and Chipper Jones. There are also contemporary superstars in Justin Verlander, Bryce Harper and Corey Seager who donned American Legion baseball uniforms en route to "The Show."

Its influence on the game is without question. For many more, it's part of their fabric as coaches, administrators and human beings.

"I grew up in Vermillion, playing teener baseball and Legion baseball," Jansen said. "My youth was spent on the baseball field and playing for the Legion organization. When I got done playing college ball, I started coaching Legion baseball right away."

"It's been around forever, and it's a great organization," Jensen added. "They do a good job putting down all of the regional tournaments and state tournaments. It's just a good organization to be a part of. It's something you can say you're proud of."

Along with Torve and Sullivan, Tolsma has his roots in Legion baseball — particularly in Post 22.

"I've been involved with it since 1990 in Rapid City," Tolsma said. "My son is a Post 22 alumnus, and my grandson currently plays for Post 22. I'm a veteran of American Legion Post 22, and it's in our DNA."

"My son played there for five years, and he's now a pillar in the community," Tolsma continued. "He's a physician's assistant in Rapid City, and he says that he would do it all over again and again. That's how much it means to him. It means a lot to us all."

For Torve, who has played and currently coaches for Post 22, it's everything.

"I owe everything to the program," said Torve. "We have hundreds of alumni who can say the same thing. We're a proud program, and I'm proud to continue to be a part of it. It's just something that is special in the country."