Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - The quarterfinal playoff pairings are set for the American Legion Baseball senior division, and the juniors are beginning the semifinal round. July and August will offer plenty of baseball action for Gaston and Cleveland counties. Area IV has historically been one of the most contested areas in the state, and 2026 is no exception, including both seniors and juniors. This year is unique and thrilling for American Legion baseball fans, with 5 playoff tournaments in the Gaston and Cleveland County vicinity. The NC state junior tournament will be held in Cherryville, the NC state senior tournament in Gastonia (Gaston Braves hosting), the Southeast and Midsouth super regionals will take place simultaneously in Gastonia and Cherryville, and, of course, the American Legion World Series will be held at its permanent home in Shelby, NC. If you are a fan of highly competitive youth baseball and are within driving distance of Cherryville, Gastonia, and Shelby, NC, then this is your lucky summer.
Three teams entered the final week of the regular season, fighting for the top seed and Area IV regular-season title. Caldwell County was also in the mix, but would need some help from a few other teams. Caldwell finished strong, winning three of their four games in the final week; unfortunately, the other contests did not turn out in their favor, and they remained in fourth place. First-place Cherryville held a one-game lead over second-place Shelby, with two games scheduled against Shelby and one against third-place Asheville. Post 100 avenged their only loss of the season by downing Asheville 8-6 on Sunday and defeating Shelby on back-to-back nights 15-0 and 8-5 to lock up first place and the regular season title. Heading into the quarter finals, which begin on July 5th, Cherryville seems to have hit their stride winning their final four games and only having lost one division game, Caldwell County finished with a flourish going 3-4 in the final week, Asheville has played well overall, but have struggled to get clutch hits with men in scoring position during several games, and Shelby has shown some slight inconsistency while still playing well. This is Area IV baseball, and that means there really are no bad teams. Any one of the other four playoff teams can upset either of the top four in a best three-of-five-game series.
The state playoffs this season will include each area champion and runner-up. There is a scenario in which a play-in game might occur in the playoffs. If the state host, Gaston Braves, did not finish as either Area IV champion or runner-up, they would play the runner-up in the first game of the state tournament. There have been past seasons when some areas had two or three teams and others only one. This is a solution to give each area equal representation in the state tournament.
Sun 6/28 – Cherryville 8 Asheville 6, Gaston Braves 15 Burke County 0, Caldwell County 8 Gastonia 3, Shelby 7 Hickory 2.
Mon 6/29 – Cherryville 15 Shelby 0.
Tues 6/30 – Gaston Braves 7 Asheville 3, Cherryville 8 Shelby 5, Gastonia 14 Burke County 4, Caldwell County 6 Hickory 3.
Wed 7/1 – Caldwell County 9, Burke County 5, Shelby 4, Rutherford County 2.
Thurs 7/2 – Cherryville 13 Hickory 11, Asheville 11 Caldwell County 8, Gastonia 9 Shelby 8.
Cherryville 15-1 (17-4)
Cherryville Post 100 Seniors vs. Burke County Post 21 - Memorial Stadium - Cherryville, NC - June 19, 2026
Mason Beam (WNN)
Shelby 11-5 (14-8)
Asheville 10-6 (13-8)
Caldwell County 9-7 (9-7)
Gaston Braves 9-7 (9-9)
Rutherford County 6-10 (6-10)
Gastonia 5-11 (5-11)
Hickory 4-12 (4-12)
Burke County 3-13 (3-13) *Team did not qualify for playoffs*
Cherryville demonstrated great defense and hitting in the final week. They outscored their opponents 44-22. Their biggest question is if they have the pitching depth for a series that could go five games. They have a good group of pitchers, but five games over five days, combined with the current heatwave, limit the number of quality innings pitchers can throw. Coach Bobby Dale Reynolds has mastered the art of getting the most out of his pitchers; he knows the game better than most and will undoubtedly have an effective strategy.
Cherryville Post 100 has found its bats. During the final four games, there were 5 home runs, 5 doubles, and 3 triples. Over the course of the season, the team has hit 19 home runs, 46 doubles, and 7 triples. Home run sluggers are led by Tucker Sigmon with 7 (he has had 2 games with 2 home runs), followed by Elliott Dellinger and Beckett Rinkus with 3 each. Nate Rollins and Eli Black each have 2, and Talon Dalton, Adam Rodgers, and Tyler Gates have added 1 each. Preston Henson has ripped 4 triples. Cason McGinnis and Nate Rollins have 8 doubles, Adam Rodgers 6, Beckett Rinkus 4, Tyler Gates, Talon Dalton 4, and Kenan Fowler 3.
The quarter finals will take place July 5th-July 9th. The higher seed will host the first game, and the games will alternate thereafter. All playoff series are best-of-3, 5-out-of-7, and will begin at 7 pm unless otherwise noted. Reminder that schedules and venues are subject to change due to weather.
#1 Cherryville v/s #8 Hickory (Game 1 in Cherryville July 5th)
#4 Caldwell County v/s #5 Gaston Braves (Game 1 at Caldwell County July 5th)
#2 Shelby v/s #7 Gastonia (Game 1 at Shelby July 5th)
#3 Asheville v/s #6 Rutherford County (Game 1 at Asheville July 5th)
The semifinals will be July 11th – July 15th.
The Cherryville/Hickory winner will play the Caldwell County/Gaston Braves winner.
The Shelby/Gastonia winner will play the Asheville/Rutherford County winner.
The finals will be held July 17th – July 22nd.
The juniors have completed the quarterfinals, and the pairings for the semifinals are now set. There are two divisions, North and South, in Junior Area IV, so only the top four teams from each qualified for the playoffs. The semifinals will begin with one series starting on July 5th and the other on July 6th due to scheduling conflicts. The two semifinal winners will play in the finals July 9th – 11th. Each round will be the best of 2 of 3 games. The winner of the finals will represent Area IV in the state playoffs hosted by Cherryville July 18th - July 23rd. More details on that once we are closer to the tournament.
Burns 11-2 (13-2)
Shelby 11-3 (12-4)
Cherryville 10-4 (10-5)
Gaston Braves Red 7-6 (7-7)
Lincolnton 7-7 (7-7)
Gaston Braves Blue 6-8 (7-9)
Gastonia 3-11 (4-11)
Bessemer City 0-13 (0-13)
East Rutherford 0-0 (4-4)
Cherryville swept R-S Central 10-0 and 13-0
South Caldwell defeated Burns 2-1. South Caldwell 7-0, Burns 2-1, and South Caldwell 6-3.
North Wilkes defeated Gaston Braves Red 2-1. North Wilkes 7-5, Gaston Braves Red 10-5, and North Wilkes 13-3.
Shelby defeated Asheville 2-1. Shelby 6-4, Asheville 12-2, and Shelby 5-4.
Cherryville Post 100 juniors opened the Aera IV playoffs with a 10-0 victory over R-S Central. Canon Whitesides pitched a shutout, allowing 0 runs, 6 hits, 0 walks, and 7 strikeouts over 5 innings. Cherryville collected 9 hits. Brayden Bass went 2-4, scored 1 run, and had 1 RBI. Gracen Walker went 2-3 with 3 RBIs. Chandler Wooten stole 2 bases and Coleman Shafer 1. Cherryville completed the sweep in game 2, winning 13-0. Coleman Shafer earned the shutout win, allowing 0 runs, 3 hits, 0 walks, and 1 strikeout in 5 innings. Post 100 had 10 hits. The most damage was done by Isaac Shires, going 2-4 and driving in 7 RBIs. He hit 2 doubles, each scoring 3 runs. Coleman Shafer went 3-3 with 3 RBIs, and Canon Whitesides went 2-4 with 1 RBI.
July 5th – 7th North Wilkes v/s Shelby
Game July 1st, 5th at North Wilkes
Game July 2nd 6th at Shelby
Game July 3rd, 7th at North Wilkes (if necessary)
July 6th – 8th Cherryville v/s South Caldwell
Game July 1st 6th at Cherryville
Game July 3rd, 7th at South Caldwell
Game July 4th, 8th at Cherryville (if necessary)
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