Every summer is an exciting summer of Barbers baseball, but this summer is lining up to be extra special for the American Legion AAA team loaded with Westside talent.

“I couldn’t be more excited about our roster and the state tournament is going to be off the charts,” Barbers head coach Joe Duran said. “It’s an exciting time.”

The Barbers won the bid to host this summer’s state tournament to be held at Joe Etzel Field on the campus of the University of Portland. That would be big news in any given year, but is especially compelling this year due to it being the 100th season of American Legion baseball.

Duran said they plan to commemorate the occasion in various ways before and throughout the tournament, but will specifically do so by honoring the 1969 Contractors Inc. team which was the last and only national champion from the state of Oregon.

The Contractors Inc. squad consisted of mostly Madison High School student-athletes who just months prior had won the Oregon high school state title. That summer, the Contractors went 41-14 and went on to win the American Legion World Series held in Hastings, NE.

“There’s a bunch of them still around,” Duran said. “My hope is to get them to come out and throw out the first pitch.”

If you’re not familiar with American Legion baseball, the organization was started in 1925 and built around the game of baseball, obviously, along with a commitment to community service.

It began in South Dakota and aimed to use athletics as a means of developing youth into active citizens.

In 1926, American Legion posts in 15 states began to make the organization’s vision a reality by organizing and sponsoring teams, drafting local schedules, and conducting championship tourneys. Postseason tournaments at the state, sectional and regional levels culminated with a national championship. Since, only a few changes have been made to the format over the years. The tournament still has a similar setup: 64 teams play at eight regional sites, with eight teams going on to the World Series, and the winning team receiving a trip to Major League Baseball’s World Series, a tradition dating back to the organization’s initial season.

American Legion baseball is for players age 13 to 19, and since its inception more than 10 million teens have competed.

The Barbers were established in 2010, and since their inaugural season have cemented themselves as one of the most recognizable and successful AAA American Legion programs in the state.

In 14 seasons, the Barbers have a .722 winning percentage, have won twelve Zone-2 league titles, and in 2023 won the state championship and advanced to the national championships.

The team splits time between Joe Etzel Field and Tigard High School, and will play between 40 and 50 games in the days, weeks and months shortly following the end of the school year.

This year’s team has players from Sunset, Aloha, Tigard, Tualatin and Scappoose high schools, amongst others, and is expected to be amongst the best that Duran has coached as manager of the team.

As the host of the state tournament, the Barbers receive an automatic bid to the event, and will be joined by three additional Portland area teams, the top two teams from the Salem/Corvallis area, the top two teams from the Eugene/Medford area, and a wildcard team to be named later at the tournament scheduled for July 26-30.

Duran is already excited about the event, and is anxious to get the surrounding baseball community involved

“It’s moving fast and is a lot of work, but we’re just trying to get the word out there,” the coach said. “If you’re a baseball fan it doesn’t get much better than this. It’s going to be electric.”

And that electricity is what American Legion baseball is about.

The Barbers boast more than 100 former players who’ve gone onto play collegiately.

Roughly 50 percent of Major Leaguers played American Legion baseball, and nearly 70 percent of all college players did the same.

Some notable Oregon participants include Mickey Lolich, Dale Murphy and Harold Reynolds, all of whom went on to have long careers in the big leagues. And that matters to Duran who believes in creating an experience that is not only enjoyable, but also provides a platform for players who hope to continue their baseball playing careers.

“We hope to provide a fun and competitive summer baseball experience,” Duran said. “We want to help our players get the exposure they want and need, especially for the guys that aspire to play in college or even farther.”

For more information on the Barbers and/or the upcoming state tournament, visit barbersbaseball.com.