The American Legion Post 70 19U baseball team is busy preparing for the regional tournament in North Carolina, but on Sunday they will take a break to celebrate the alumni who helped get them to where they are today.

Current players will scrimmage against alumni of the program at 2 p.m. Sunday at Riddle-Pace Field.

“We wanted to get back the people that helped start the program,” said Post 70 head coach Rush Hixon. “Some of those guys helped build the foundation for what we were able to do this year. It’s going to be a celebration and we are going to have a little fun with it.”

Post 70 advanced to the American Legion Regional Tournament in North Carolina last week and Hixon said the teams of the past that helped lay the foundation.

“It’s about getting all the Post 70 guys together and celebrate us winning the state championship,” Hixon said. “The way we look at it is, they had a huge part in getting the program back started. They deserve to be a part of the celebration.”

Members of Post 70 from 2013 through 2015 will matchup against the current members of the team and the trash talk has stared.

“The current players are really looking forward to it because some of us alumni have been talking smack to them,” Hixon said. “It’s going to be fun to be on the other side of the guys that I coach. I have been drilling them with information all summer and they will see if I can put it into use.”

Hixon hopes the game on Sunday will be a welcomed distraction for his players and give them the opportunity to have some fun before the regional starts next week.

“It’s really big because when you get to this point in the summer the guys get tired,” Hixon said. “It’s really good to take a step back and not only get some work, but to also do it in a relaxed environment.”

American Legion baseball has been an important program in an around Pike County for years. It gives players the opportunity to play in front of scouts and to continue to learn the game of baseball. Many of the players coming back to play in the game were given the opportunity to extend their careers of the program. Twenty-two players who have played with Post 70 since 2013 have played or are playing at the collegiate level.

“A lot of the alumni have been changed by this league,” Hixon said. “They have played in it and have gotten college offers. It is what gave them the start to play college ball. This is a great opportunity for us to not only give back to the previous players but to American Legion as well.”

First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday. Players that played for Post 70 during 2013 through 2015 can sign up to play in the game on the Post 70 website. The deadline to sign up is this afternoon.

Admission to the game will be free of charge.