By Michael Letendre

The Connecticut Senior American Legion State Regional Qualifier – a different tournament than the traditional postseason set-up – will begin on July 24 and the squad from Bristol is still in the hunt to qualify.

Ten teams will be competing in a qualifying tournament with the victor advancing to the Northeast Regionals with a shot at the World Series.

That winning squad will not play in the state tournament in 2021 as the American Legion baseball regular season was extended this year due to the pandemic.

Also, the Connecticut State champion will not advance to the Northeast Regional which is slated to commence on August 3 from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.

Teams eliminated from the tournament qualifier are eligible to play in the traditional state tournament which begins August 3 – the same time as the NE Regional.

Who gets to play in the Regional Qualifier?

The top two teams in each zone as of July 22 will get an invitation to the qualifying tournament which will run July 24-31 from the friendly confines of Muzzy Field in Bristol.

And the winner of the Northeast Regional will advance to the American Legion World Series in Shelby, North Carolina.

Teams that are eliminated from the qualifier can continue its regular season trek and qualify for the 32-team state tournament.