Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Shelby, NC (WNN) - The dust from the base paths has settled, the cheers have faded to silence, the rocking chairs have been removed, and all is quiet in Veteran's Stadium in Shelby. All 96 players representing the 8 American Legion Baseball Regional Champions have stored away lifetime memories. Yet, for one team, those memories are different: the Carpetland Rugs of Lincoln, NE, Post 500 are 2026 ALWS Champions. Both teams in the Championship game were the number-two seeds in their divisions during pool play. Arguments can be made about the pros and cons of pool-play tournament formats. Still, there is no argument that the teams participating in the American Legion World Series must earn their way into the tournament. If a team is playing during the series, they are among the best of the 2,989 teams in the country. Pool play is not perfect and might benefit from a few tweaks; the reasoning behind it holds merit. It guarantees each team a minimum of three games to play in the ALWS.
Nearly 900 volunteers came out to make this tournament a success. Players, coaches, media, and fans all seemed to agree they did an excellent job. Host families for the teams also received praise from the teams they entertained for the week. It was projected that 140,000 people would walk through the turnstiles during the week. No official word yet on the attendance, but it appeared more fans were in the stands throughout the week than last year. Again, that is just an estimate based on general observations of the stands during the daily games. Shelby is the permanent home of the ALWS, and once again, there were comments about the cleanliness of the facilities, great food options, well-organized tournament, and most of all the friendliness of the Shelby volunteers and staff. Although there were a few unavoidable rain and lightning delays, the grounds crew did an excellent job of restoring the field to a timely and safe playing condition. Their workload will be easier next year, as the natural grass infield and dirt base paths will be replaced with artificial pellet turf. This will greatly reduce the turnaround time after rain delays.
Once again, this year, the Golden Knights performed and awed the crowd with their aerial entrance into Ketter Field at Veterans Stadium during USAA Military Appreciation Day on Saturday evening. On Tuesday, before the championship game, fans were entertained by the highly skilled All-Veterans Group Aerial Performers. The game ball was flown in by Operation Helo, a rescue, relief, and restoration organization that was vital during Hurricane Helene.
The games this year differed from last year's home run fest. In 2025, the record for home runs was shattered: 37 times a batter went yard, for an average of just over 2 home runs per game. This year, the ALWS provided stellar pitching and amazing defense. A few games had some costly errors, but overall, defense and pitching were more prevalent than runs scored. Only 14 home runs were hit during the tournament, and Tupelo, MS Post 49 accounted for 6 of those. Colin Flurry of Post 49 hit 4 of those to go along with his 6 RBIs for the week. Yes, that is a record for the number of home runs hit by a single player during the 7-inning era of the ALWS.
Throughout the week, host families took their teams to local restaurants and activities. Many players tried Liver Mush, Cheerwine, Orangeades, and Sun Drop for the first time. The reviews were mixed, with most being surprised that liver mush tasted much better than the name suggested. One team enjoyed orangeades so much that they had 25 sent to the dugout before their Saturday game. The heat and humidity were another thing some of these players experienced for the first time. Temperatures were in the 90s, and the heat index ranged from 102 to 108 on some days. Whether it was trying new foods and beverages or enjoying local entertainment, these young men leave NC with a boatload of memories. This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some to play on a national stage on national TV, ESPN Plus, and ESPNU carried the entire tournament live.
Game Highlights
The first pitch of the 2026 ALWS was thrown on August 13th at 10 am. Midland, Michigan, Post 165's Jimmy Sequin collected the first base hit of the series, knocking in an RBI on a hard-hit triple. Owen Dominowski blasted the first home run of the series with a rocket for around 355 feet in the bottom of the second inning. Cayden Nieto launched a grand slam home run that went even further later in the same inning. Midland was also relentless on the mound as their pitcher's combined to strike out 11 batters in their 11-2 blowout of Bedford, New Hampshire Post 54. Game 2 was closer as the Carpetland Rugs of Lincoln, NE Post 500 defeated Fairfield, CA Expos 4-2. The Expos left 7 base runners and failed to get timely hits.
Game 3 was set to begin just as the sky opened for a tremendous, heavy downpour. After a lengthy weather delay of almost 4 hours, the first pitch was finally tossed. All 7 runs in the game were scored in the second inning, and all were unearned. Jacksonville, FL Post 316 Rattlers squeaked by Portland, OR Post 158 Barbers 4-3. There was a rush to prepare the field for Game 4, the night's final game. Legion rules state that a game must begin before 11:00 pm or it will be postponed. First pitch came at 10:52 pm. As the humidity and moisture formed fog in the outfield, one might have thought this game was being played in the Smoky Mountains. A record was set in this contest, one that neither team wanted to be a part of. The mistake-filled game led to 9 combined errors, the most ever in an American Legion World Series, and a few hits could have easily been ruled errors as well. The match-up concluded around 1:25 am with Tupelo, MS Post 40 winning 10-4 over Whitehouse, NJ Post 284.
Friday, August 14th, was day 2. In game 5, the injury bug seemed to be after the Portland Barbers. Starting pitcher Camden McCormack only threw 12 pitches and seemed to have an issue with his right arm. He left the game, and the trainers immediately looked at his lower right arm. In the bottom of the first, Portland lost shortstop Ryan Hemsley for the series as he jammed his shoulder sliding headfirst into third base. Portland would recover to win 8-5 over Bedford, NH. Game 6 was tight throughout the 7 innings. This was also an unusual game, with Midland, MI defeating Jacksonville, FL while getting only 1 hit. The only hit came off an attempted sacrifice bunt that turned into an infield single. MI won this one 5-4.
Saturday, August 15th began with game 7, which proved to be a defensive battle. Both teams came into the game winless in pool play and desperately needed to win. In the end, Bedford, NJ topped Fairfield, CA 3-2. Tupelo, MS, was matched against the Carpetland Rugs in game 8. Tupelo's Colin Flurry hit his third home run of the series. At this point, he was 3-5 with all his hits being home runs and had collected 3 RBIs. A 99-minute lightning delay put the game on hold. After the play resumed, Tupelo clinched a spot in the semifinals by defeating Carpetland 7-4. Tupelo's win, combined with Fairfield's loss, mathematically eliminated Fairfield. Game 9 was a fierce back-and-forth battle for most of the game. Bedford, NH, had pulled ahead late, leading 7-4 going into the final inning. Jacksonville fought back and clawed its way back into a 7-7 tie by scoring 3 in the top of the seventh. Bedford's Jason Topf wasted no time putting this one away by taking the first pitch for a ride over the fence for a solo walk-off home run to give Bedford an 8-7 victory over Jacksonville.
Day 4 came on Sunday, August 16th. Game 10 was the biggest game of the series up to this point. It was a true elimination game, win and you're in, lose and you go home. In the first inning, Nebraska loaded the bases with no outs. They scored a run on an error, but New Jersey was able to turn a double play and get a pop-up to get out of the jam. Bedford, NJ, played amazing defense throughout the game and turned a second double play in the second inning. Lincoln, NE, loaded the bases 3 times through the first four innings and left 7 runners stranded. Despite the great defensive effort from Bedford, Nebraska, it pulled it out 4-2 and advanced to the semifinals, while Whitehouse, NJ, was eliminated. This was one of the games where you hate to see either team lose. Game 11 featured Midland, MI, and Portland, OR. Game 11 also had semifinal implications. If Midland, MI, lost, they would drop to second place; if Portland won, they would get the number-one seed in their division. If Portland lost, they would still make the semifinals as the number 2 seed if they did not give up more than 6 runs. The Portland Barbers were giving Midland, MI, all they could handle.
The game was tied 3-3 heading to the bottom of the seventh inning. Midland loaded the bases with only 1 out. Aryan Punjabi ended the game with a literal walk-off as he drew a walk to end the game 4-3 in favor of Midland, MI. Portland stayed alive by not allowing more than 6 runs. Jacksonville and Bedford were eliminated in the tiebreaker with Portland. Game 12 was the final game of the night and the last of pool play. This was basically just a game of pride for Fairfield, as they were already eliminated. Tupelo. MS saved their pitching for the semifinals by using a different pitcher in each inning to keep everyone under their pitch counts. Fairfield had base runners but had trouble knocking them in as they left 10 runners stranded. Tupelo went on to win 6-2.
Monday, August 17th, was semifinal night. Game 13 featured Tupelo, MS, which had gone 3-0 in pool play, facing the Portland Barbers, which had finished pool play with a record of 1-2. Tupelo looked like one of the favored teams throughout the series. Colin Flurry set a home run record for a single player after hitting a 352-foot shot for his 4th dinger of the ALWS. Tupelo had a great performance from pitcher Wyatt McDaniels. He allowed 4 hits, walked none, threw 82 pitches, 57 were strikes, he faced 30 batters, and gave up 3 unearned runs. Unfortunately, Tupelo committed 4 costly errors and lost to Portland 3-1. A major upset as a 1-2 team knocked out a 3-0 team to advance to the finals. Game 14 was between Midland, MI, and Lincoln, NE. Midland came in 3-0, and Lincoln had finished 2-1 in pool play. The Carpetland Rugs of Lincoln, NE, jumped all over Midland early. A thunderstorm began to roll in in the fifth inning. Lincoln was leading 10-0 and had 1 strike on the first Midland batter of the fifth inning when the rain began. Heavy rain forced a halt to the game, and a few lightning strikes caused a weather delay lasting an hour and forty-five minutes. After playing resumed, Midland could not score, and Lincoln pulled off the second upset of the day with a 10-0 victory. This sets up a finals game with both teams being the number two seeds.
Championship Tuesday, August 18th, was a great game played in front of a packed stadium. The Portland Barbers were facing the Carpetland Rugs of Lincoln, NE. It was all Portland early, at the top of the second, Jaden Tragesser ripped a 3-run double, then stole third. Andrew Ha then knocked him in with a double. In the bottom of the second, Carpetland got on the board with a run to trail 4-1. Portland opened a 6-1 lead after adding 2 more runs in the top of the third. Things took a dramatic turn at the bottom of the third as Jackson Makovicka hit a 2 out 3-run home run. Suddenly, it was a 6-4 game, and Nebraska was right back in it. In the bottom of the fourth, a run was scored off a single, followed by Cade Anderson's first hit of the series, which just happened to be a 372-foot bomb for a 3-run home run to give Carpetland an 8-6 lead. An RBI triple in the bottom of the fifth by Dele Odulate put Nebraska up 9-6 after 8 unanswered runs, and that would be the final score. Carpetland Rugs of Lincoln, Nebraska, claimed the national championship after two previous tries. They didn't give up after getting down early and tied the biggest comeback. Troy, Alabama, came back from a 5-0 in 2022 to capture the title. Next year will be the 100th American Legion World Series. In preparation, work will begin to replace the natural grass and turf field with artificial pellet turf.
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