2019 Post 8 Raffle Drawing winners

Congratulations to all of the 2019 Post 8 Raffle Prize winners and thank you for your support of the Post 8 baseball program in Pierre

The prizes/certificates can be picked up at the Bank West Main Branch at 420 S Pierre St. in downtown Pierre.  Please ask to speak with Sam Koenecke. 

Post 8 Roast Beef Fundraiser - Hometown Hero announced!

Post 8 Baseball Roast Beef Fundraiser and Home Town Hero

Post 8 baseball is pleased to announced that we will be hosting our Annual Roast Beef Fundraiser on Thursday, April 25th from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM at the American Legion Cabin in Pierre.

In the tradition of the Roast Beef Fundraiser, we also present our Home Town Hero award to those individuals that have contributed in either time, talent, or financially over the years to the Post 8 Baseball program. This years recipients are Dr. James Trimble and the Russ Snyder Memorial Scholarship donors. 

This is the year the 20^th anniversary of the Russ Snyder Memorial Scholarship which award aids Post 8 players and their collegiate aspirations.

Russ Snyder played Post 8 Legion in 1974 and 1975, went on to become a two-time all-conference selection at the University of South Dakota.

Dr. James Trimble was a teammate of Russ. At Snyder’s funeral in 2000, he and others wanted to do something positive in memory of his love for the game and it was then Dr. Trimble came up with the scholarship to honor Russ’ hard work, leadership and dedication. Russ died at the age of 43.

Please join us for a great meal, including roast beef sandwiches, Bob's baked beans, coleslaw, chips, desserts and soda. We hope to see you there.

New Post 8 Scholarship Opportunity Announced

Robert Disburg Memorial Scholarship 

Post 8 Baseball in cooperation with the South Dakota Community Foundation is pleased to announce this scholarship opportunity for Pierre Post 8 Baseball Alumni. 

The following information is a partial transcript from Kelly Nelson, Program Accountant for the South Dakota Community Foundation. "One of the most rewarding aspect of my job with the South Dakota Community Foundation is the opportunity to work with generous individuals and families who want to impact the lives of South Dakotans. The Robert Disburg Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established to provide scholarships for players from the American Legion Post 8 baseball team, Pierre, SD. This scholarship is a permanently endowed fund within our organization. The scholarship is available annually for players beginning in the 2019 school year and the total amount available for distribution is $450."

This scholarship would typically be awarded to an outgoing high school senior, but because we have no seniors in our program this year, we have opened the application to anyone having participated in the Post 8 baseball program that is currently continuing their education.

The deadline for the application is April 15th, 2019.

Application can be found by clicking on this link.

If you have any questions regarding the application or eligibility requirements please contact Bob Gray at 224-5959.

Post 8 Baseball welcomes new Board Members (See Resources - Board Members)

2018 Post 8 Raffle Ticket Winners Announced

Green Ticket winners -

      Slumberland Rocker Recliner (please contact Slumberland Furniture to collect your prize) - Peter Kienholz

      $100 Gas Card - Don's Sinclair - Jack Magee

      $100 Gas Card - Shel's Gas Stop - William Gordon

      $200 Cash - Reinke Gray Wealth Management - Ross Keegan

      $50 Cash - Boyd Conzemius (American Family Insurance) - Preston Tillman

      $75 Gift Card (Capitol City Florist) - Jan Wintrode

      $75 Beef Certificate (American Bank & Trust) - Olinger Law / Bill Van Camp

      $75 Gift Card (Runnings Farm & Fleet) - Molly Gross

      $35 Gift Card (Red Rossa) - Brian Tracy

      $25 Gift Card (Cattleman's Club) - Jeff Kirschenmann

      One Half Hour Massage (Massage by Kelly) - Cindy Walsh

      $100 Gift Card (Menards) - Daly Beck

      $50 Gift Card - Ashley / Unclaimed Freight - John Zimmerman

White Ticket Winners -

      Hillsview Golf Membership - Tate Kirschenmann

      Two Minnesota Twins Tickets plus $100 cash - game dates TBD (Dakota Radio Group) - Spencer Easland

      Four Tickets to Sioux Falls Canaries Baseball - Vickie Uhrig

      Two Night Stay at the Deadwood Lodge - Rick Renlo

The Post 8 Baseball Board would like to thank everyone involved in making this raffle a success. Special thanks go out to the businesses that generously contributed the prizes and to each and everyone one that purchased a ticket. 

Sincerely,

The American Legion Post 8 Baseball Board.

2018 Hometown Hero Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Post 8 Baseball To Recognize Iverson At Free Roast Beef Feed

Pierre, SD – April 20, 2018 – Post 8 Baseball will be honoring Jim Iverson as its 2018 Hometown Hero during the annual Roast Beef Feed from 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, May 2, at the Pierre American Legion Cabin.

The public is invited to attend. Freewill donations will also be appreciated.

Iverson has been instrumental in the success of the Post 8 baseball program.  After coaching the A Teener team for a year, Iverson became the head coach of the Legion team. In his five years as head coach,  Iverson lead the Legion team to three third-place finishes  in the state tournament. Iverson’s Legion teams also won the Terry Jablonski Wood Bat Classic three times and the Doug Koester Memorial tournament three times. 

Iverson holds a coaching record of 227-128.  Iverson came out of retirement in 2014 and coached the 14-year-old Teeners to a third-place finish in the state tournament.

According to former Post 8 Legion player Sam Koenecke, Iverson was known for his hard-working mentality and player “chalk talks.”  His motto was “Baseball is a representation of life.  If we play well, winning takes care of itself.”

Pierre Fans welcome home 2017 State Champs

Pierre fans officially welcomed home the reigning state American Legion champions on Wednesday evening at Hyde stadium. The festivities began with master of ceremonies Jim Protexter introducing the members and coaches for Post 8.

Former Pierre Mayor Laurie Gill was presented with a baseball signed by the members of the 2017 state champs by coach White.  While in office, Gill was instrumental in the Hyde Stadium restoration project.

Pierre Post 8 Baseball Board President Bill Sarringar spoke to the Pierre fans about the accomplishments of the boys during play at the Region, State, and Central Plains Regional tournament.

Pierre Coach Brian White addresses the team and fans.

Also present and honored at the ceremonies were members of the 1968 State American Legion champions.

Pierre Post 8 2017 Class A American Legion State Champions

Pierre Post 8 defeated Mitchell 12-10 in 11 innings to bring the first American Legion state championship home in 49 years. 

Pierre went undefeated in the state tournament beating perennial powerhouse Rapid City Post 22 10-3 on Friday.

The team will now travel to Dickinson, ND to compete in the Central Plains Regional Tournament which will be held starting this Wednesday. Teams from North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa will also be competing in the Central Plains Regional.

Paraphrasing one enthusiastic and loyal past Post 8 baseball alumnus who so eloquently stated "It only took 49 years and 11 innings to bring this championship home to Pierre" - Rich Shangreaux

Pierre Post 8 Legion 2017 Region Champions

2017 Region Champs.jpg

Kirley Tournament Bracket and State A Baseball Rules - Kirley Tournament

THE 2017 KIRLEY MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

June 23-25th, 2017 in Pierre, South Dakota 

Friday

10:00- Onida vs. Pierre U13

12:00 – Pierre U13-14 vs. Aberdeen

2:00 – Brookings vs. SF Red

Saturday

9:00 – Onida vs. SF Purple

11:00 – Harrisburg vs. Brookings

1:00 – Pierre vs. SF Purple

3:00 – Pierre 2 vs. Watertown

5:00 – Watertown vs. Aberdeen

7:00 – Harrisburg vs. SF Red

Sunday

Rules

Class A Baseball Rules apply

5 inning games no inning will start after 1 hour and 35 minutes.

Extra innings - Start with bases loaded (last 3 kids that hit) and each team will start with 1 out.

Class A Baseball Rules

Tie Breakers

1) Head to Head

2) Run differential in 1st inning

3) Run differential in 2nd inning

4) Run differential in 3rd inning

Joseph Kirley
(June 15, 1924 - May 26, 2006) 

Joseph Kirley was born on June 15, 1924 at Ft. Pierre, SD to Frank and Muriel (Sonnenschein) Kirley. He attended school at Orton Flat and graduated from PHS in 1942. Joe was a 60 year member of the American Legion and he was also a lifetime member. He was Post 8’s commander in 1970 and served as Legion athletic officer for 15 years. He was also a lifetime member of the VFW and the DAV, serving as the latter’s commander in 1986-87. He belonged to the Pierre Senior Center where he was a former member of the board, and he was also a member of the Pierre Athletic Booster Club and a past president. He also was a former member of the Pierre Jaycees, serving as its president in 1957-58, and the 40 and 8, serving as its Chef du Gare in 1974. Joe served the young people in Pierre in many different ways he helped establish the Boys and Girls Club and was on the executive board for 40 years until retiring in 1996. He served two terms on the city’s recreation board. He was active in Legion ball ever since the 1960’s, he enjoyed taking the boys to their out of town games, he also served on the Post 8 baseball board from its inception until retiring in 1997. He was chosen as Legion Baseball Booster of the Year. Before his total involvement in Legion ball, Joe was charter member of the Basin League board of directors when the Pierre Cowboys played here in the semi-pro league in the ‘50s and ‘60s. His biggest thrill was the chance to be base umpire at three games-twice with Lucky Kortan and once with Bob Sage. Joe also served on the selection committee for the Pierre High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Above all Joe was a fan of all sports, especially the Twins and Vikings.

In Memory of Joe Post 8 Baseball has established the 13/14 Joe Kirley Memorial Tournament.

State A Baseball Rules - Kirley Tournament.pdf