Plus, trends to watch in Monday’s semifinals and Tuesday’s championship game.
The semifinals are set for the 2024 American Legion World Series after pool play concluded on Sunday. Troy (Ala.) Post 70 and League City (Tex.) Post 554 will represent the Stars Division; Midland (Mich.) Post 165 and Wilmington Delvets (Del.) Post 1 emerged from the Stripes Division.
Here’s a look at the matchups for Monday’s semifinals and how the teams got there.
Game 13: Midland (Mich.) Post 165 vs. League City (Tex.) Post 554, 4 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Midland (Mich.) Post 165 clinched first place in the Stripes Division even before their final pool play game Sunday afternoon thanks to head-to-head victories over Bossier City (La.) Post 202 and Wilmington Delvets (Del.) Post 1. That meant Midland coach Dan Cronkright didn’t need a victory over Billings Scarlets (Mont.) Post 4 on Sunday, but he got it with a 4-3 win and a 3-0 record in pool play.
Midland (30-8) has been led in the national postseason by Cayden Smith (.455 batting average), Nathan Ball (10 RBIs) and Aidan Robinson (8 runs scored). On the mound, Midland could turn to ALWS Game 2 starter Chad Brown, who threw a 3-hit shutout on Thursday.
This is Midland’s ninth appearance in the ALWS in Shelby. Post 165 is seeking its second ALWS championship after winning the title in 2009.
League City (Tex.) Post 554 is seeking its second straight title after winning their state’s first ALWS championship in 2023. But they almost didn’t get the chance to emerge from pool play.
League City headed into Sunday’s pool play finale with a 2-0 record, facing 1-1 Troy (Ala.) Post 70. Troy cruised to an 8-0 victory to create a three-way tiebreaker between League City, Troy and Fargo (N.D.) Post 2, all of whom were 2-1. The tiebreaker came down to fewest runs allowed — Troy allowed six runs, League City allowed 13 runs and Fargo allowed 14 runs to just miss out on second place.
Game 14: Troy (Ala.) Post 70 vs. Wilmington Delvets (Del.) Post 1, 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
While League City vies for a second straight championship, Troy (Ala.) Post 70 is seeking the program’s second ALWS title in three years.
Troy’s only loss in Shelby this summer is the 5-4, 14-inning marathon they played against Fargo on Friday night and Saturday morning.
Wilmington Delvets (Del.) Post 1 didn’t clinch a semifinal spot until their final game of pool play. Entering Game 11 Sunday afternoon, both the Delvets and their opponent, Bossier City (La.) Post 202, were 1-1 in the Stripes Division.
Bossier City took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third, but the Delvets answered with two runs in the top of the fourth and a third in the top of the fifth and held on for the victory.
The Delvets are aiming for Delaware’s second ALWS title; a different team sponsored by Post 1 won the 2018 championship.
Trends
Ever since American Legion Baseball first adopted a pool play format to determine its champion for the first time in 1998, the probability of winners indicates that there’s no probability.
The format was first used from 1998 to 2003 and has been used again every year since 2014.
And in the 15-year history of using the format, a few trends have emerged:
Being 3-0 in pool play rarely results in a title. Twenty teams have done so in ALWS history and, so far, only four of them eventually took home the title with three losing in the finals and 12 losing in the semifinals. The pool play unbeatens to finish up with 5-0 records with a semifinals and finals victory have been Danville (Calif.) in 2000, Brooklawn (N.J.) in 2001 and 2014 and Idaho Falls (Idaho) in 2019.
It’s rare for a team with a losing pool play record to advance. But it has happened three times. Columbia (S.C.) lost in the 2000 semifinals, Henderson (Nev.) won the 2017 title and Las Vegas (Nev.) was 2018 runner-up.
Familiarity can result in a title game rematch. Five teams have meet in pool play and again in the championship. Three times, the pool play winner followed up with a finals victory: Danville (Calif.) in 2000, Brooklawn (N.J.) in 2014 and Idaho Falls (Idaho) in 2019. And twice, the pool play loser avenged their defeat in the finals: Chapin-Newberry (S.C.) in 2015 and Henderson (Nev.) in 2017.
It’s more common for runner-up teams from pool play to face each other in the championship game than it is for pool play champions. Out of 15 title games, the runners-up met each other seven times and the title-winners met each other four times. It means a champion met a runner-up in the other four championship games.
It’s also more likely that a pool runner-up wins the championship than a pool champion. Pool runners-up who have won the title are Edwardsville (Ill.) in 1998, New Brighton (Minn.) in 1999, West Point (Miss.) in 2002, Rochester (Minn.) in 2003, Chapin-Newberry (S.C.) in 2015, Texarkana (Ark.) in 2016, Henderson (Nev.) in 2017, Wilmington (Del.) in 2018 and Idaho Falls (Idaho) in 2021. Pool champions to become title-winners are Danville (Calif) in 2000, Brooklawn (N.J.) in 2001 and 2014, Idaho Falls (Idaho) in 2019, Troy (Ala.) in 2021 and League City (Tex.) in 2023.
Finally, based on the format of pool play, it would seem easier than ever before to win a ALWS title after losing on the first day of competition. Since pool play began, it’s only happened twice: Texarkana (Ark.) in 2016 and Henderson (Nev.) in 2017. Previously, when formats were best-of-3, best-of-5 or best-of-7 series or double-elimination play, 14 teams dropped their games on the first day before rallying to win the ALWS title in their respective years.
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