Lower costs, less travel: American Legion baseball regaining popularity in SW Indiana

EVANSVILLE — There's a slew of former high school standouts from Southwestern Indiana playing American Legion baseball this summer.

Eugene Pate and Newburgh boast graduates from multiple area schools — they're coached by Central's Robbie Frank and Evansville Christian's Joe Paulin, respectively. Funkhouser trots Mater Dei and North Posey alumni while Princeton has a former Tiger on its team.

IHSAA baseball: Why Houston Dillman is stepping down as Harrison's coach after four seasons

Many of these players are heading to a collegiate program. They enjoy bonding with each other while developing their skills for the next level. They also don't mind having a little more downtime in American Legion baseball as opposed to travel ball.

"(Legion games) are a lot more relaxed, and you get to spend more time with the boys you know all the time," Central's Josh Ferguson said. "In travel ball, it's a lot of meeting new people, everything is an extreme competition and you want to put your best foot forward all the time. But in American Legion, you can just sit back, have fun and play baseball the way you want it to be played."

How else does travel baseball differ from American Legion baseball?

American Legion baseball started in 1925 and about 82,000 players compete on a Legion-sponsored team annually — more than half of today's MLB players once were on a Legion team. Notable names include Alec Bohm, Bryce Harper, Gunnar Henderson and Corey Seager while the likes of Bob Griese, Don Mattingly, Scott Rolen and Jay Cutler played Legion ball in Southwestern Indiana.

"It's a great experience to know that those great players once played this," Castle's Ryan Lambert said. "Hopefully, we can play at the same level they did."

Travel baseball, however, has taken precedence over Legion, exploding in popularity this century. It was mostly limited to elite players in warm-weather hubs such as Texas, California and Arizona. Today, multiple organizations host hundreds of travel tournaments across the country each year, such as USSSA, AAU, Triple Crown Sports and Perfect Game.

There are differences between travel and American Legion baseball. The estimated costs for a 19U Legion player totals over $1,000 while travel fees can range between $500 and $2,500 a year. Travel teams are constantly on the road across multiple states and staying in hotels. Legion players, however, don't have to go far for their games.

"I definitely think the main reason (American Legion) died down was because of social media," North Posey's Logan Simmons added. "All of these big platforms are posting the top (travel) teams in the state, like the Indiana Bulls. I feel like if more exposure on social media for Legion ball gets out there, I think it will start bringing more guys back into it."

'It's a win-win for everybody': Local standouts embrace playing for Evansville Otters

It's not just high school graduates playing American Legion baseball

Although Pate is mostly comprised of incoming college players, it does have a junior on its roster. Funkhouser has Bryce Gross, who just completed his freshman season at Vincennes University.

Gross was looking for a place to play for the summer and followed in the American Legion footsteps from his older brother Cameron, a former player. His uncle was also a coach and encouraged him to go out for Funkhouser.

"Playing both travel and Legion, it's a completely different feel in the dugout," Gross said. "Guys are super loose, and even other teams are super loose. There's not a lot of controversy during games. You're kind of just out here playing ball."

Six-time IHSAA state champion coach Terry Gobert leads Jasper's team, which has younger players all from the Wildcats. While they take their lumps on some nights, they enjoy playing against good competition.

"Legion is still important because you can still get in some good work and good plate appearances, innings in the field and pitching, too," rising junior Max Buetel said. "It's great to play with people that you're friends with. That's the main thing, honestly."

'Some of the best kids and best coaches are still playing Legion baseball'

Players and coaches alike would love to see American Legion baseball continue to grow and remain popular. All of them encourage more local talent to give it a shot because they know firsthand good things come out of playing Legion.

"They're still getting the reps and still playing baseball just like they would in travel, except they get to enjoy a summer, go on vacations, spend time with friends and do whatever than always being on the road," Frank said. "We've had a lot of interest, and a lot of people have contacted me with Junior Legion teams. They don't want to do the travel anymore and rather stay local."

It's a great time to play baseball in Southwestern Indiana. Both of the local college programs have seen success while former prep standouts are playing in major conferences and hearing their name called in the MLB draft . The high school graduates in particular embraced being in the Southern Indiana and Pocket Athletic Conferences and playing in tough sectionals.

'We mean baseball here': Locals fueling Evansville's NCAA tournament super regional run

"I think it's cool to be a representative of Southern Indiana," Mater Dei's Luke Mayer said. "I don't think you're represented by a singular school, I think it's this whole region, which is a really good thing. I think it's a good community where we are."

That's why it's important to continue to grow the game locally through American Legion baseball.

"For years, Legion ball in this part of the state was the best summer baseball around," Gobert said. "Travel has changed a lot of things. But some of the best kids and the best coaches are still playing Legion baseball."

"It helps to build the high school teams," Funkhouser coach Phillip Wells added. "We're representing Mater Dei and Reitz and a few other high schools that the kids didn't get picked up on their respective Legion teams. I think it just builds a strong bond amongst the players, and I enjoy that."

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Lower costs, less travel: American Legion baseball regaining popularity in SW Indiana