The Fluvanna High School Baseball season might be over since school is out for the summer vacation, but competitive high school baseball can still be found, oddly enough at baseball diamond at the Central Plains campus. For the last five years, American Legion Post 2003 in Fork Union has sponsored a premier high school team. Coming from a baseball tradition that arose from the veterans’ organization commitment to community service, the Fluvanna team, like all other American Legion baseball teams, was created to train teenage players in sportsmanship, athleticism and an active form of citizenship, along with over 100,000 players from other Legion teams across the United States and Puerto Rico.

From humble beginnings in 1925, American Legion baseball has grown and has even attracted the attention of Major League Baseball. Many past American Legion players went on to join Major League clubs, such as Carl Yastrzemski (Red Sox), Mike Flanagan (Orioles), Ron Guidry (Yankees), Dusty Baker (Reds) and a host of other top players. Sparky Anderson, an American Legion baseball alumnus, who managed championship teams in both the National and American leagues, said at his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame that winning the American Legion World Series in 1951 was the greatest experience he had as a player starting out, according to Ron Haseltine, who coordinates Post 2003’s team. One can see the fun that the Fluvanna boys of summer have out on the field, but you can also see that the teenagers have an intensity that proves that they are as serious about the game as the Major League players that once played American Legion ball themselves.

The Fluvanna Post 2003 team plays roughly a 20-game schedule against other post teams from Staunton to Fredericksburg. Teams with a winning record are eligible to go to the district championship and later advance to the state playoffs. Teams that advance beyond the state playoffs will be eligible to go all the way to the American Legion World Series, which, this year, takes place in Kansas City, MO. The teens that become a part of this team are not only there to enjoy a good game of baseball, but they are also preparing themselves to become better players. Yet, despite the quality of the play, it seems very few in Fluvanna County know about the games.

This is first-class baseball; enjoyable to watch and highly competitive and the players are out there to win. Fluvanna Post 2003 welcomes all Fluvanna County residents to come out and support the team at Fluvanna County High School. The home field is the Fluvanna’s diamond out behind the main building. Parking is just a short distance away from the field, and admission is free. A variety of concessions, such as hot dogs, hamburgers, sodas, other snacks, and the baseball mainstay, peanuts are sold for a nominal price. The atmosphere is electric, especially at the game being played against American Legion Post 74 out of Albemarle County on July 7.

The Albemarle Post 74 versus the home team of Fluvanna was a show of topnotch work with the bat, as offense was the name of this game. The strong Albemarle team was quickly out of the gate with a 5-1 lead, and it appeared that the game would be a runaway for the visitors. Even though they suffered from a slow start, Fluvanna was not about to go down so quickly, as the bats coached by Manager Rodney Carter answered with a quick succession of runs cut the opening lead down to 5-4. Although Albemarle kept racking up runs, Fluvanna was never too far behind and kept nipping at their heels. Despite the continued driving effort from the yellow and navy blue Fluvanna team, Albemarle turned up the heat, pouring on the offense. They held them off and took the game with a score of 12-7. Fluvanna Post 2003’s team current record is 0-2, while Albemarle improves to a 4-2 record.

Visit the Fluvanna Post 2003’s website for more information at http://www.alpost2003.org.