Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - John L. “Buck” Fraley Field at Cherryville Memorial Stadium in Cherryville, NC, will be home to the 2026 American Legion Baseball NC State Juniors tournament from July 18th to July 21st. Cherryville Post 100 came into the Area IV playoffs as the number three seed and defeated the defending champion, South Caldwell, during the Area IV semifinals. Last year’s title was the fifth for South Caldwell. This sets the stage for an excellent opportunity to crown a first-time champion in 2026. Only one of the six teams competing, Cherryville Post 100, has a state championship to its credit. Post 100 captured their title in 2021. The action will get underway on Saturday, July 18th, at 1 pm for what should be an exciting tournament.
This year’s tournament will only have six teams instead of the usual eight. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, Area III will not be represented. Mocksville-Davie Post 54 won the Area III championship, but a clerical error in filing an unknown form before the deadline rendered them ineligible to compete. The team appealed on the grounds that they had no knowledge of said form; however, the American Legion has strict paperwork guidelines and sticks to its deadlines. The appeal was denied. The Area III runner-up, High Point Post 87, faced the problem that often occurs during end-of-season summer tournaments: not having enough eligible players available. Invitations were offered to other Area III teams, but apparently, there were no takers. This reduced the number of teams by two and shortened the tournament by a day. We’ll look at the six teams that are here. It might be a little confusing, as two teams have similar names and one team plays under a name different from the city where it is located.
The team enters the tournament as the undefeated Area I Champion with a record of 15-0-1. They outscored their opponents 51-16 during the Area playoffs. Post 13 is hitting .382 as a team, with 138 RBIs, and has stolen 65 bases. The Wilson team is strong at the plate and aggressive once they get on base. Leading the way at the plate is Wyatt Moore batting 27-47 for an average of .574, Tanner Pierce has gone 18-35 for an average of .514, Levi Lomoanoco is batting .438 having gone 21-48, Peyton West is 26-60 for an average of .433, and Ethan Rabil’s average of .409 is a result of 9-22 from the batter’s box. Post 13 is also blessed with strong performances on the mound. Peyton West has a record of 5-0 in 35.1 innings pitched, with an ERA of 7.92, striking out 45 and allowing 4 walks. Jacob Talton has pitched 21.1 innings and has a record of 2-0-1, with an ERA of 2.953. He struck out 23 and walked 12. Ashton Wilson is 2-0 with an ERA of .857 over 14 innings of work. He has issued 5 walks and has 12 strikeouts. Tanner Pierce is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.560. He has 7 strikeouts and 6 walks.
Post 15 enters with a record of 17-5 as the runner-up from Area I. No statistics were available. They will be looking for their first state title.
Post 545 enters with a record of 11-8. They also competed in last year’s tournament. As a team, they are batting .253 with 84 RBIs, 1 home run, and 71 stolen bases. They are yet another team that is aggressive on the base paths. Worth Johnson is hitting 18-43 for a .419 average, and Carter Shoffner has gone 15-47 for an average of .319. On the mound, Ben Brown has an ERA of .778 having thrown for 18 innings. He has a record of 2-0 with 10 strikeouts and 7 walks. Jones Stainback is 0-1 with an ERA of .477, with 18 strikeouts and 4 walks over 14.2 innings. Jayden Zilewicz is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.059 in 17 innings with 22 strikeouts and 7 walks.
Post 99 has an 11-4 record as they enter this tournament looking for their first state title. There were no available team statistics to report. They are from Beaufort, NC, in Carteret County, not to be confused with Beaufort County Post 15 from Washington, NC, which is also playing in this tournament.
Post 100 is the only team competing that has won a previous state title. They enter with a 15-5 record, batting .330 with 148 RBIs, 5 home runs, and 45 stolen bases. Isaac Shires is hitting 21-41 for an average of .512, Chandler Wooten is 17-35 for .486, Karter Willis has gone 16-41 averaging .390, Ethan Rollins has an average of .357 having hit 10-28, Ayden Petty has hit 15-42 for an average of .357, Brayden Bass is averaging .333, hitting 19-57, and Canon Whitesides has an average of .315 hitting 17-54. Cherryville has pitching depth as well. Canon Whitesides has a record of 4-1-1 and an ERA of 1.374. He struck out 34 and walked 9 in 35.2 innings. Coleman Shafer is 3-1 with an ERA of 4.038 in 26 innings. He struck out 24 and walked 5. Karter Willis has posted an ERA of 1.448 over 19.1 innings and is 3-1, striking out 20 with 8 walks. Ethan Johnsen is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.355. He has 12 strikeouts and 7 walks.
Cherryville Post 100 Junior Team
Cherryville Post 100 Baseball
Post 82 has a 16-6 record as they enter the tournament. They are also looking to capture their first state title. No statistics were available.
Saturday, July 18th
Game 1 Shelby Post 82 vs Wilson Post 13 at 1 pm
Game 2 Beaufort County (Washington) Post 15 vs Castle Haynes (Port City) Post 545 at 4 pm
Game 3 Beaufort Post 99 vs Cherryville Post 100 at 7 pm
**Sunday, July 19th **
Game 4 Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 3 at 10 am
Game 5 Winner Game 3 vs Loser Game 2 at 1 pm
Game 6 Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2 at 4 pm
Monday, July 20th
Game 7 Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 6 at 10 am
Game 8 Loser Game 6 vs Winner Game 4 at 1 pm
Game 9 Loser Game 8 vs Winner Game 7 at 4 pm
Tuesday, July 21st
Game 10 Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 3 at noon
Game 11, If Necessary, at 3 pm
**Note – If the loser of game 2 wins game 5, the schedule will be altered as follows:
Monday Game 7 at 10 am Winner Game 4 vs Winner Game 5
Game 8 at 1 pm Loser Game 5 vs Loser Game 6
Game 9 at 4 pm Winner Game 6 vs Winner Game 7
Tuesday Game 10 at noon Winner Game 8 vs Winner Game 9
Game 11 at 3 pm, Team with 3-1 record vs Winner of Game 10
As always, schedules are subject to change due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Fraley Field at Cherryville Memorial Stadium is located at the corner of E. Church Street (Hwy 150) and Pink Street, Cherryville, NC. Concessions are available, and both cash and cards are accepted. Some items are prohibited, including no pets other than trained service dogs, no outside food or drinks, no coolers, no backpacks, no large bags, no pull-behind wagons, and any bags should be clear or small. Additional parking is available in the large lot at First Baptist Church. Be mindful that they will be having services on Sunday morning. If you use this parking lot, please park in the area closest to the road to make it easier for church members to access their building.
Teams seem to be very evenly matched and offensive-minded, so there should be plenty of scoring and lots of excitement. Bring the family and enjoy some summer fun as you watch one of America’s oldest and most beloved pastimes. It’s time to Play Ball!
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