The 78th AAABA Tournament will bring 16 teams to the Greater Johnstown region to compete in a historic event dating to the summer of 1945.
This year’s event will be played from July 31 to Aug. 5 at Sargent’s Stadium at the Point as well as outlying fields throughout Cambria County.
The field will include two teams apiece from host city Johnstown, Altoona and Brooklyn. Other franchises in this year’s field include Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Maryland State, New Brunswick, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Youngstown and Zanesville.
The New Orleans Boosters are the defending tournament champion. The Louisiana franchise won its third straight title (2019, 2021, 2022) and 18th AAABA crown overall.
The 2023 tournament will feature games played at Sargent’s Stadium at the Point, a facility that received a significant upgrade prior to the 2022 tournament. New artificial playing surface, new lighting and an improved sound system were the most noticeable improvements.
Other fields to be used in the tournament include Roxbury Park in the City of Johnstown, as well as nearby Westmont Hilltop High School. Teams will have an opportunity to play on an artificial surface at both Mount Aloysius College in Cresson and at Forest Hills High School in Sidman. Another favorite venue is the Lilly Washington War Memorial Park.
The official opener of the 78th AAABA Tournament will be held at 7:30 p.m. on July 31 at Sargent’s Stadium. A parade including all players who are not participating in the game as well as AAABA Ambassadors will be held prior to the first pitch. The Flood City Corvette Club traditionally participates in the parade and brings the AAABA Ambassadors onto the field.
Once the action begins, those among the crowd that usually reaches as many as 5,000 or more people not only see great baseball, but will hear the participation of the well-known Bomb Squad situated on a hillside above the stadium, setting off loud booms to coincide with the hometown team’s successes on the field.