Total Baseball Development

Sponsored by Ayrshire Post #173

The Ayrshire American Legion Post #173 in Ayrshire, Iowa will be hosting a Baseball Fund-Raising Breakfast for the Ruthven Blues American Legion Baseball Team on Sunday, September 25 at the Ayrshire Community Center located at 1502 SilverLake Avenue from 8:00am to 12:30pm. Come hungry!

The Ayrshire Legion breakfasts are famous in the area.  On the menu will be pancakes, omelets, sausage, coffee, and orange juice. This will be a Free Will Donation breakfast with all proceeds going directly to the Ruthven Blues American Legion Baseball Team. Cash and checks only.

Come support and meet the boys as they will be in uniform working the breakfast and will also be eating that morning. It’s a great chance to sit and talk to these young athletes. And it’s an All You Can Eat event so be ready!

The Ruthven Blues American Legion Baseball Team formed in February of 2022 with the sponsoring signatures coming from Ruthven American Legion Post #33 in Ruthven, Iowa and the team is co-sponsored by the Ayrshire American Legion Post #173.  The idea and goal of this team is to offer young ball players from the GTRA High School and the extended community of surrounding area high schools with extra baseball opportunities.  In the process, as an official program of the American Legion, baseball teaches these young ballplayers Americanism, the value of service to the United States of America, and the opportunity to be involved in an American tradition, rich in life-long experiences.

The Ruthven Blues play a spring schedule on the weekends in March and April with tryouts in February. The ball club is comprised of local high school players primarily from the Graettinger-Terril-Ruthven-Ayrshire (GTRA) High School. In the inaugural Blues season of 2022, players also came from Spencer High School and Spirit Lake High School to play. Home games are played at Titan Field in Ruthven, Iowa with the schedule in large having games on Saturdays and Sundays, not to conflict with the busy sporting lives these young men lead at their respective high schools. In 2022 the Blues fielded a 17-man roster while American Legion Baseball has an 18-player roster limit.  This first year there were fourteen GTRA players, two players from Spirit Lake, and one player from Spencer.  Then immediately following the Legion spring season the Iowa High School baseball summer season begins on May 1, so this also serves as a great way to get ready for games in May, June, and July.  With the Blues having five graduating seniors the club will have to add more players for next spring, so the process begins now for the 2023 season.  The Ruthven Blues are coached by Mike Saul and Aaron Rosacker.

American Legion Baseball was founded in 1925 in Millbank, South Dakota and by 1929 participants were in every state and the District of Columbia. It is a national institution, having thrived through a World War, several national tragedies, and times of great prosperity as well as great despair.  Now today there are more than 5,400 teams from all 50 states and Canada, with this year culminating in the 95th American Legion World Series in August at the famed Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium in Shelby, North Carolina; the dedicated home of this championship. Eight regions from around the nation are represented each year in this series.  Here in 2022 the country tuned in to ESPN on August 16 to see Troy, Alabama Post #70 defeat back-to-backdefending World Series champions in Idaho Falls, Idaho Post #56 to win the 2022 American Legion World Series.  Alabama, for the first time in fifty-five years, is now home to the American Legion World Series champions!

The Ruthven Blues co-sponsoring American Legion posts of Ruthven Post #33 and Ayrshire Post #173 greatly appreciate your support and investment in the lives, positive ambitions, and endeavors of these fine young men.  

For more information on the Blues, this great breakfast fund-raising event in Ayrshire, and to learn how to make a donation that is tax-deductible to the American Legion to support such things as baseball, flag days, military services on national holidays, color guards, and all of the civic projects that the American Legions do, please contact Ayrshire Post Commander Allen Stangl at 712-363-3803 / acstangl71@gmail.com or contact Ruthven Blues General Manager Bob Protexter at 712-490-7199 / protexter.tbd@gmail.com  And see much more like complete rosters, schedules, and Ruthven Blues photos online at: www.totalbaseballdevelopment.com

We look forward to seeing you in Ayrshire for breakfast on September 25!  Napkins provided!!!

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Ruthven Blues American Legion Baseball Team

Roster 2022

1   Aiden Egertson - INF/OF/P - JR – GTRA
2   Cormick Currans OF/2B/P - SR – GTRA
3   Collin Hoffman - INF/OF/P - SO – GTRA
5   Blake Rosacker - INF/C/P - SR – GTRA
7   Jordan Saul - INF/C/P - JR – GTRA
9   Caleb Swedin - INF/OF - 8th – GTRA
10 Lewis Vulk - C/INF/P - SO - Spencer
11 Kinnick Peton - OF - 8th - GTRA
12 Koda Saul - INF/OF - 8th - GTRA
13 Matt Valen - OF - SO - GTRA
14 Brody Simington - INF/OF/C/P - SR - GTRA
17 Dalton Young - 1B/3B/P - SR - GTRA
20 Patrick Fiddler - 1B/OF/P - JR - GTRA
22 Aidan Gigstad - INF/P - SO - Spirit Lake
27 Landen Dietrich - INF/P - 7th - GTRA
51 Austin Jorgensen - 1B/OF/P - SO - Spirit Lake
00 Kaden McCoy - INF/OF/C - SR - GTRA

10 Aaron Rosacker - Coach
0   Mike Saul - Coach
  

   Bob Protexter - General Manager