05/21/2026
Good morning Choppers,
I come to you in a moment of confusion and I need some assistance getting my confusion resolved so please hear me out.
The North Carolina American Legion Ladies Fastpitch league was started nine years ago with the purpose of putting softball back in the communities, honor our veterans for their service, and provide the ladies an opportunity to play high level softball. Based on the one-hundred-year-old tradition of American Legion baseball, American Legion softball also wanted to provide the great female athletes an avenue to further advance skills and experience the benefit of the game. This league has also provided an atmosphere of fostering friendships and to be a part of something historic. You see, North Carolina was the first state in the nation to start a ladies fastpitch softball program and now 8 states have active programs. Those states are expanding every year with the end goal of having a ladies fastpitch world series just like baseball. We are getting closer.
Davidson County has participated in every season of the league. The early years were spent learning the league, players, and honestly, the coaching staff. Progress was made every year and in 2021 we won our first state championship and have won it every year since. Our goal this year is to make it 6 straight years of winning.
This is where the confusion comes in for me. Our 2026 season is here, and we find ourselves struggling to have enough senior players to sustain the season. I truly do not understand this and need some help and ideas quickly. We do understand that the ladies are trying to get recruited to a college and this places a tremendous amount of stress on the them. We provide an environment that allows the athlete to enjoy the game and not stress over it. It is not our mission to get your player recruited for college even though that does happen some. Multiple D1, D2, and D3 college coaches have expressed interest and support for the American Legion program, and some attend our games from time to time.
So, we are going to be very open for suggestions because we want the Davidson County program to continue success. Why are we not getting players? Is it a leadership issue? Is it a coaching staff issue? Is it a cost issue? A vast majority of our multi-year players tell us that nothing prepared them to play in college like our program here in Davidson County. They also tell us the competition we face, especially towards tournament time, is some of the best they have experienced.
With all that being said, this is how you can help.
1. If you know of ladies that would like to play at a very high level, receive some of the best instruction from the best coaching staff, and honor our veterans, please reach out to them and get them involved.
2. Spread this message far and wide
3. Respond to this message in the comments with support and/or concerns and ideas on how to make this team better. If you are expressing concerns, please be honest but polite.
4. Come support on game nights.
5. Volunteer on our steering committee.
With the players we have so far, this could be a very special year. We need about 4-5 more to make this happen and it will be worth it.
Thank you for reading this and thank you in advance for your responses.
Jerry Tysinger
AD
Davidson County Post 8
Area 3 Director
North Carolina American Legion Softball
