Smith playing in state tourney opener

The schedule for this week’s American Legion New York State championship tournament in Newburgh is set as Oneida County and District V champion Smith Post (27-3-1) looks to take home the state title a year after finishing runner-up.

Smith plays in the tourney opener Wednesday at 10 a.m. against District VIII representative Jurek Post (Buffalo). All of the tournament’s games will be played at Delano-Hitch Stadium in Newburgh with the winner (eventual state champion) advancing to next week’s Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament in Colonial Heights, Va.

The state tournament's teams are drawn from seven districts across New York State, with the host district receiving an extra bid to round out the eight-team field. Each team is champion of its respective district (with the exception of the host).

Here is a look at the tournament field, by district:

District III: Melvin Roads Post
District IV: Anaconda Indians
District V: Smith Post
District VI: Horseheads Post
District VII: Greece Post
District VIII: Jurek Post
District IX: Rockland OTB Pirates (Eller/Laders Post)
Host team: Newburgh Nuclears

Here is a look at the complete schedule for the double-elimination state tournament:

Wednesday, August 6
Game 1: Jurek Post vs. Smith Post, 10 a.m.
Game 2: Greece Post vs. Anaconda Indians, 1 p.m.
Game 3: Horseheads Post vs. Rockland OTB Pirates, 5 p.m.
Game 4: Melvin Roads Post vs. Newburgh Nuclears, 8 p.m.

Thursday, August 7
Game 5: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 3, 10 a.m.
Game 6: Loser of Game 2 vs. Loser of Game 4, 1 p.m.
Game 7: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 3, 5 p.m.
Game 8: Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner of Game 4, 8 p.m.

Friday, August 8
Game 9: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 7, 12 p.m.
Game 10: Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 8, 3 p.m.
Game 11: Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8, 7 p.m.

Saturday, August 9
Game 12: Winner of Game 9 vs. Loser of Game 11, 4 p.m.
Game 13: Winner of Game 10 vs. Winner of Game 11, 7 p.m.

Sunday, August 10
Game 14: Winner of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 13, 11 a.m.
Game 15: Winner of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 14, 2 p.m.

*So what do you guys think? Can Smith pull off the sweep and take the state title after winning the county and district crowns? Will Smith's limited three-man pitching rotation be enough to survive the grueling stretch that is the state tournament (remember, games are nine innings like in districts)? How about the bats? Can Smith bring the hit parade that we saw in Sunday's District V finals to Newburgh? Let's hear it...