HAMLET — Historic Memorial Park will be the site of a centennial celebration this weekend.
Out of dozens of American Legion baseball programs across the state, the Hamlet Post 49 baseball program was chosen to host the North Carolina Legion Baseball Hall of Fame Classic.
A seven-team showcase, the HOF Classic will begin Friday night and span through Saturday and Sunday.
Hamlet will host Anson County Post 446, Chatham County Post 292, Eastern Randolph Post 81, Moore County Post 12 and teams from Mocksville and Garner.
American Legion Baseball was founded in 1925 and will celebrate its 100th anniversary this summer. The HOF Classic is North Carolina’s ode to the organization turning a century old.
“This is a really big deal not just for our program, but for Hamlet and our county,” Hamlet head coach Chip Gordon said. “I’ve said since we started this program back up in 2021 that one of our goals was to put Hamlet back on the map for Legion baseball, and we did that when we secured this event.
“For American Legion Baseball wanting to celebrate the 100th anniversary with a showcase in Hamlet, that’s a lot of credit to what our program and players have done the past four years,” he continued. “We’re excited to be able to host so many teams and we hope to put on a good show for our fans and hundreds of others from across the state.”
Gordon noted that the HOF Classic will become an annual event. Starting next year, the name will be changed to George Whitfield Classic to honor the legendary former Richmond County and Hamlet coach.
Post 49 will kick off the three-day event with a game against Garner Nationals Friday at 7:30 p.m. Before first pitch, Whitfield and Hal Stewart, another longtime local baseball coach, will be recognized.
Hamlet’s junior team will play Moore County Post 12’s junior team Saturday at 9:30 a.m., followed by four more games. The night will end with Hamlet facing Eastern Randolph Post 81 at 7:30 p.m.
Four more games Sunday will feature the Hamlet Juniors at 12:30 p.m. against the Garner Nationals junior team. Again, Post 49 will cap the day of baseball with a game against Chatham County Post 292 at 5:30 p.m.
The entry fee for individual game tickets is $7 per person. All start times are approximate and will be determined by the end of the prior game.
Below is a complete schedule for the entire HOF Classic:
