The American Legion Post 70 baseball team will host an alumni game this Sunday at Troy University’s Riddle-Pace Field.

Post 70 will travel to Tampa Florida for the American Legion Region 3 Tournament and begin play on August 8. But before then they are going to play in a fun, albeit competitive, alumni game.

“We are going to get some guys to come back,” said Post 70 head coach Rush Hixon. “It’s a relaxed way to get some good game reps in against guys that used to play for Post 70 and kind of helped build it. It should be a fun time.”

Post 70 has a long and storied tradition that spans decades. Hixon and the current crop of Post 70 players feel it’s important to take a day to bring back some former players and coaches and honor them.

“Without the first guys that started it we wouldn’t be here today,” Hixon said. “Those first couple of teams that didn’t necessarily win the state tournament, they still helped us win it because they put us on the map. For us, it’s really important to get those guys back and honor them. If we win this year, it’s for the whole program.”

Hixon will also use the game to celebrate the current teams success.

“It’s a chance for them to be around the guys that paved the way for them.”

It will be a relaxed atmosphere, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be competitive. Hixon believes there will be a lot of guys from teams from the past few years, hungry to prove they had the better team.

“We have a pretty good roster and most of the guys we have coming back are still playing college ball,” Hixon said. “It should be a competitive game and I know there will be some trash talk about which team is going to be better. Hopefully it will a competitive environment and still be fun.”
The game will also serve another purpose for Post 70. Since most programs have officially stopped playing for the summer, games leading up to the regional tournament have been difficult to schedule. For that reason, Post 70 will use this game as a tune-up before heading to Tampa.

“It’s hard finding games this time of year,” Hixon said. “Any chance to get in-game reps is good and it’s a bonus to be able to get good competition. All-in-all I think it’s a win for everybody.”

The game is open and free for the public. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.