American Legion baseball sparks local interest, support

American Legion baseball appears to have taken its hold here in Nevada.

The Nevada Red Sox and their coaches are very pleased at the tremendous support that the team has gotten from the community and all of their many sponsors. And the team's 26-11 record on the season seems to indicate that the support is warranted.

The Nevada American Legion had originally planned on forming two teams, one in the AA and one in the AAA division, but was forced to cut that goal down to just one team due to a lack of older, more experienced players for the AAA club. "We just had so much response from the younger kids," head coach Jim Rayburn said.

Both Rayburn and his assistant coach Jason Irwin told the Daily Mail that they are very appreciative of the sponsorship that have have acquired from local businesses and the community as a whole, and attribute that to the success that the team has enjoyed this year.

Rayburn also said that they keys to the Red Sox success as a team this year lies in the unity that the players have shown with one another. According to Rayburn, every member of the team has always been willing and even eager to learn new things and improve whenever possible and there have been no fights or disagreements among players, despite the fact that the team is made up of such young members.

In just their first year playing Legion ball, the Red Sox have already won the AA district championship and are playing in the zone tournament this weekend. At 19-0 in AA games this season, the Red Sox have very high hopes going into the tournament and are very optimistic about their chances of making it all the way to state.

Rayburn said that the team has shown tremendous improvement throughout the year, showing a true drive to succeed and always wanting to learn more. "There's nothing better than being around those kids," Rayburn remarked.

Rayburn and Irwin both stressed tremendously that the families of the players, board members, and all of the staff that helps out with the team are a big part of what has kept them going as well. Without the help from the board of directors and all of their staff, both coaches said that the team would never have made it this far.

The Red Sox have been especially good in AA play this year, but have seen some success at the AAA level as well. Nevada is 7-11 in AAA ball this season, a mark that Rayburn and Irwin are very happy with.

The structuring of American Legion baseball is done by age group, with A ball allowing players 14 and under, AA 17 and under and AAA 19 and under. The Red Sox have just six players who are old enough to be ineligible to play AA ball, thus putting them at a distinct disadvantage against the older, more experienced players of the AAA teams.

Overall, Nevada's coaching staff is very happy with the team's showing in its first year. The zone tournament began on Thursday in Nixa, Mo., and the Red Sox are hopeful of being able to earn a bid to the state tournament with a strong showing.

Rayburn made a substantial point of thanking everyone who has sponsored them in their efforts this year, Kevin McKinley and Nevada High School for allowing use of their fields and local media. "I'd just like to thank the radio station and the newspaper and all of our sponsors," Rayburn said.