American Legion Baseball is played by 13-to-19-year-olds in fifty states in the U.S. And Canada. More than 3,500 teams participate each year. The American Legion first sponsored a baseball league in 1925 in Milbank, SD. By 1929, teams participated from every state and the District of Columbia.
According to the American Legion, the purpose of American Legion Baseball is to give players “an opportunity to develop their skills, personal fitness, leadership qualities, and to have more fun.”
Shelby Post 82 began fielding American Legion baseball teams in 1931. The team achieved its first state title in 1942, and finished as state runner-up in 1944. In 1945, Post 82 achieved a historic victory, winning the American Legion World Series. This victory, and the team’s strong performance throughout the tournament, drew large crowds and brought significant attention to Shelby.
Kings Mountain’s American Legion Post, formally known as Post 155, has a rich history intertwined with the town’s identity, particularly its connection to the Battle of Kings Mountain. Post 155 began sponsoring American Legion baseball teams in 1936. The baseball program saw its most successful season in 1992, with a 21-12 record and reaching the Area IV finals. In 2019, Post 155 merged with Shelby’s Post 82 to form Cleveland County Post 82-155.
Shelby’s long-standing tradition and success in American Legion Baseball contributed to its selection as the permanent home of the ALWS in 2011. The ALWS is now held at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium in Shelby.
In the years prior to the selection of a permanent stadium to hold the world series, Jim Horn and Eddie Holbrook served as co-chairmen of the Executive Committee of the American Legion World Series. Together they worked tirelessly to secure Shelby, NC, as the permanent home of the annual event.
From Wikipedia history:
“In 2011, Shelby, North Carolina was named the permanent home of the American Legion World Series after decades of rotating venues for the event.
The format of the tournament for the eight teams involves separating into two pools and playing round robin within that pool from Thursday to Sunday. The top seed in each pool plays the runner-up in the other pool in the semifinals on Monday, with the two teams advancing to a one-game championship on Tuesday.
With games set at Keeter Stadium on the campus of Shelby High School, the local community has rallied around the event, turning it into a lengthy celebration including the Seventh Inning Stretch festival in Uptown Shelby the Saturday prior to the World Series, a Commander’s Reception the Tuesday before the event and a Parade of Champions the night prior to the first game.
All games are streamed online on ESPN3, with games Sunday, Monday and Tuesday broadcast nationally on ESPNU.“
Cleveland County History 