Ely’s Junior Legion baseball team had already dispatched district rivals Cherry and Esko in recent days.
And then on Tuesday, Ely perhaps cemented its hold on the top seed for the upcoming substate playoffs with a pair of dominant performances against Proctor.
Twice in a matter of hours, Ely blasted the host Rails 11-0 in rematches of last year’s substate title tilt.
Defending champion Ely improved to 10-6 for the summer, got dominant pitching outings from Hunter Halbakken and Owen Marolt along the way, including a second-game no-hitter by Marolt. Post 248 also firmed up its bid to be the number- one playoff seed when the postseason begins at the end of the month.
In the opening game, Hunter Halbakken blanked the Rails while Ely erupted for all 11 runs in the top of the fourth inning.
The first 10 Ely batters all scored in the frame, with turf and playing surface. Further work is scheduled in the days leading up to the tournament.
$10 passes on sale While a state tournament will make cash registers ring throughout the area, the local committee must cover a roughly $40,000 budget that includes lodging for all seven visiting teams and tournament officials.
They’re in the process of lining up numerous major sponsors and they’re also offering a pre-tournament special, with tournament passes available for $10 until July 25.
Passes are good for all tournament games and include a chance at numerous other prizes.
Organizers are marketing the pass to baseball fans, those who would like a chance at the prizes and those who simply want to support the tournament.
“From a fan’s perspective it’s a great deal,” said Coombe. “If you wait until the tournament, you’ll be paying $7 a session or $10 a day to get in, so the pass pays for itself. Add the prizes into the mix and you can’t beat it.”
Passes are on sale at the Ely Echo, from local baseball players and at Veterans Memorial Field this weekend as the ballpark hosts the Ely Echo Midsummer Classic.
That tournament is a dry run of sorts in advance of the state event.
The host Ely team, which is 11-3 this summer, has an automatic bid into the state tournament and will have one of the top seeds among Northeast Substate teams.
Ely will play its first state tournament game on Thursday, July 31, at 7:30 p.m., against the substate champion from east central Minnesota.
The game caps a full day of baseball that will also include the tournament opening ceremony, involving all eight teams as well as a veterans’ tribute.
The tournament wraps up with the state title game, presented by Twin Metals Minnesota, at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2.
50 years of tourneys Coombe, who is part of the state’s board of directors for Legion Baseball, worked behind the scenes to secure the 2025 state tournament in a nod to the community’s rich baseball history.
“I knew it was 1975 when Ely hosted its first state tournament, and that event really put the town on the map when it came to baseball,” he said. “There was another state tournament here not long after and of course it all led to Lenny Zup and Matty Stukel flying to Indianapolis and getting the bid for the 1980 Legion World Series.”
Ely remains the smallest town to ever host a Legion World Series, and the 1980 event is cemented in the community’s history for bringing thousands of people to town, including then Vice President Walter Mondale, Olympic hero Bruce Jenner, baseball legends Ted Williams and Bob Feller and several future major leaguers that were on teams from Hawaii, California, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Florida, Rhode Island and Louisiana. Since then, Ely has become a baseball mecca of sorts, with Veterans Memorial Field undergoing numerous improvements and hosting upwards of 100 games and several tournaments each year.
“I think Ely has its own brand or reputation now as a baseball venue,” said Coombe. “People seek us out to come up to one of our tournaments.”
While no formal activities outside the state tournament are planned, organizers are encouraging Ely baseball alumni or anyone with a connection to local baseball to return for the state tournament.
“It’s very possible we’ll have some people who were part of that 1975 tournament back on the field for this one,” said Coombe. “And it’s going to be a great week to celebrate baseball in Ely, its past, and what is yet to come at that field.”
