SerpApi.Org
A pair of old rivals will open the 2026 American Legion Baseball Illinois State Tournament Wednesday in Aviston.
Call it a Legion lunch special.
Alton Post 126 will face Danville Post 210 at noon in the first game of the eight-team Department of Illinois State Tournament, which is set to run through Sunday at Aviston Community Park's Kopf Field.
"We have battled against them throughout the decades," Alton manager Doug Booten said. "We have lots of respect for those coaches, players and the program."
Last summer, Danville handed Alton its first loss at the state tournament in Rantoul 2-0. Post 126 had won two regular-season games against Danville 8-1 and 1-0.
Booten said his Alton team has a good idea of what to expect from Danville.
"Typically they pitch well and hit well and play good fundamental defense every year," Booten said. "If we want to beat them, we are going to have to do the same and come up with a hit when it counts the most."
The rest of the state tournament field includes Wheaton, Galesburg, Palos Heights, Rock Island and Rantoul, as well as host Aviston.
Following the Alton-Danville noon opener on Wednesday, Wheaton will play Galesburg at 2:30 p.m. That game will be followed by Palos Heights vs. Rock Island at 5 p.m. and Rantoul against Aviston at 7:30 p.m.
The state tournament is a double-elimination affair.
The Alton-Danville winner will advance to face the Wheaton-Galesburg winner on Friday. The losing team will play the Wheaton-Galesburg loser Thursday at 5 p.m.
The Alton-Danville winner will have a day off Thursday, then return to action on Friday to face the Wheaton-Galesburg winner at noon.
Alton (19-10) earned its way to the state tourney with a 10-1 five-inning victory Sunday over Orient at the Fifth Division Tournament in Steeleville. Alton scored four second-inning runs after two were out and two more in the third after two were out. Pitcher Landon Sitze went all five innings and hurled a two-hitter.
Alton and Aviston both advanced to the state tournament out of the Fifth Division. Aviston, as state tourney host, receives an automatic berth.
The win over Orient qualified Alton for the division title game against Aviston, but it was agreed that whichever team came out of the losers bracket would not face Aviston (20-2-1) potentially twice to win the division. Aviston was declared the division winner after downing Alton 9-1 on Saturday.
While competition starts Wednesday, the state tournament banquet will officially kick off the affair Tuesday at the State Tournament Banquet at the Post 1239 Legion Hall in Aviston, where Gary Gaetti and Frank Colston will be the featured speakers.
Gaetti, a native of Centralia, played Major League Baseball for the Twins, Angels, Royals, Cardinals, Cubs and Red Sox. Gaetti also played at Lake Land Community College in Mattoon and at Northwest Missouri State University. His grandson, Clayton Gaetti, is a player on the Aviston Legion team.
Colston, a native of Clinton County, played in the minor leagues for the Salt Lake Trappers in 1987 when that team won 29 games in a row – establishing an all-time record for all of professional baseball. He played four seasons in the minor leagues. Colston was also a catcher at Belleville Area College, now Southwestern Illinois College.
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SENIOR LEGION
DEPARTMENT OF ILLINOIS STATE TOURNAMENT
At Aviston Community Park
Wednesday, July 22
Game 1: Danville vs. Alton, noon
Game 2: Wheaton vs. Galesburg, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: Palos Heights vs. Rock Island, 5 p.m.
Game 4: Rantoul vs. Aviston, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 23
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 5 p.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 24
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, noon
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 2:30 p.m.
Game 9: Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 5, 5 p.m.
Game 10: Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 6, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 25
Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 2:30 p.m.
Game 12: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 5 p.m.
Game 13: Loser Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 26
Game 14: Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 13, noon
Game 15 (if necessary): Winner Game 14 vs. Loser Game 14 (if first loss), 2:30 p.m.
Winner advances to Great Lakes Regional in Lexington, Ky. Aug. 5-9
