Bloomington's American Legion baseball team spent its summer showing it belonged with the state's best, and its pitching staff set the tone early. Post 550 played at home in the Gopher Classic, which organizers call the largest American Legion baseball tournament in the United States. The tournament dates to 1977 and plays its games at host sites across the Twin Cities.
The bats came around too. On July 13 at Braemar Park, Bloomington fell behind Edina 5-0 and came back to win 15-9. Two days later, on July 15, Post 550 reached No. 10 in the Scheel's Statewide Legion Poll with a 15-8 record, helped by wins over 3 other top-20 teams. Before the Edina game, Hemphill had reminded his players about those quality wins. Afterward, he said the team's chances at sub-state were "as good as anyone's."
The ranking came with real production behind it. The team was hitting .350 as a group, a notable change for a program built around pitching in past years. Jack Frein led the lineup at .418, with Josh Bickett at .417 and Cole Peterson at .400. Tyler McGovern started the Edina win and worked 5 innings, leaning on his curveball. Alex "Jojo" Matas hit a 380-foot home run, and second baseman Sam Boerboom drove in 3 runs with a double.
Post 550 took that momentum into the Sub-State 3 Tournament, which opened July 22.
Shortstop Li Schardin anchored the offense all summer, and Max Meier quietly did damage. Bloomington beat some of the state's toughest teams and held its own as a Gopher Classic host.
