Season opener at Halliwell Park
The Post 4 Runnin' Rebels and Rigby Mustangs squared off Friday for a doubleheader at Pocatello's Halliwell Park to start their American Legion seasons. The stadium is located at 1100 W. Alameda. The field hosts American Legion baseball in the summer.
Behind a strong pitching effort from Joseph Madsen, the Mustangs took game one of the doubleheader 12-1. Scott Lounsbury led the way offensively for Rigby, going 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs. But it was Madsen who powered the Mustangs, allowing one run on four hits in a complete game effort. He struck out six and did not issue a walk.
The Runnin' Rebels bounced back in the nightcap. The Runnin' Rebels returned the favor in game two, behind the joint pitching effort of Dawsyn Peterson and Justin Baker. Peterson, the starter, allowed two hits while striking out eight in his four scoreless innings. Baker came on in relief, going the final three innings while allowing one hit and one unearned run in a 3-1 victory.
Carson Branson paced the Runnin' Rebel offense, going 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI.
Pocatello's defending champions
The Pocatello Post 4 Runnin' Rebels AA team won back-to-back state championships in 2024 and 2025 despite practically losing everyone from the 2024 team and having a new coach. The Pocatello Runnin' Rebels AA team won their 2024 state championship trophy following a 7-6 victory over the Coeur d'Alene Lumbermen Idaho AA 19U team at Halliwell Park.
The Runnin' Rebels won the state American Legion AA baseball championship in 2023 with a shutout victory over the Coeur d'Alene Lumbermen at Thorco Field, taking down the Lumbermen 10-0 to advance to the Northwest regional competition in Gillette, Wyoming.
The Runnin' Rebels began the 2024 year 3-4 with four consecutive losses, capped by a 14-3 five-inning mercy-rule loss to Twin Falls on June 6. But following a 12-3 road defeat to the Post 40 Hawks on June 22, the Runnin' Rebels rattled off eight straight wins and fell just three times over the next five weeks heading into state.
American Legion Baseball in Idaho
American Legion Baseball celebrates 100 years of service in 2025. Over its first century, conservative estimates are that more than 10 million young people have played American Legion Baseball, and 89 Hall of Fame Major League ballplayers got their start playing Legion Ball.
With an alumni base that includes more than half of current Major League Baseball players, American Legion Baseball is one of the most prominent and tradition-rich amateur athletic leagues in existence, and the program is always growing.
Today, the program registers teams in all 50 states plus Canada, and each year young people, ages 13 to 19, participate.
Idaho fields teams across three divisions. The AA tournament consists of eight teams, and the A tournament consists of eight teams. The B league is primarily designed for seventh, eighth, and ninth grade players.
The 2026 State B tournament is scheduled for July 17 to 20 in Kuna, while the State A and State AA tournaments run July 24 to 28 in Idaho Falls and Nampa, respectively. AA Regionals are scheduled for Aug. 6-10 in Billings, Montana.
Rigby's season outlook
The Mustangs have competed in Idaho American Legion Baseball for years. The Rigby Mustangs dropped consecutive games to open their 2025 state tournament, 11-1 to the CBA Stampede and 15-3 to RA Black.
The split Friday gives both teams a 1-1 record to start the 2026 season. The Runnin' Rebels and Mustangs are part of a competitive eastern Idaho American Legion landscape that includes teams from Idaho Falls, Blackfoot, Madison, and Malad.
The Razorbacks and Rebels, two of Pocatello's American Legion Baseball teams, host teams from Hillcrest, Idaho Falls, Rigby, Blackfoot, Malad, Madison, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Nevada through the week during summer tournaments.
Both teams will continue their regular-season schedules through July. Any team submitting a roster after June 30 is ineligible to compete in any Area or State American Legion Baseball tournament.
The Runnin' Rebels will look to defend their back-to-back state titles when the AA tournament begins in late July. The Mustangs will aim to improve on last season's early state tournament exit.