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OVERVIEW OF AAABA BASEBALL
The All-American Amateur Baseball Association was established in 1944 and has become one of the most respected amateur baseball organizations in the nation. The national tournament, held each August, is considered to be the World Series of amateur baseball in America.
The National AAABA Tournament is sponsored by the Johnstown Oldtimers Baseball Association. The national tournament has been held in Johnstown 59 of the 61 years. In 1946, the tournament was held in Washington, D.C. and the 1977 Johnstown Flood forced the tournament that year to be played in Altoona, PA.
The national tournament draws college and professional scouts from all over the nation. In the past 61 years, over 400 players who have played in the AAABA Tournament have reached the Major Leagues.
Teams from around the nation battle through league play and regional tournaments to qualify for the 16-team double elimination national championship tournament held each August.
The Baltimore franchise has won the national championship 23 times. New Orleans is second with 12 titles. Washington, D.C. (10), Detroit (7), and Brooklyn (4) round out the top five. Johnstown has finished as runner-up four times in the tournament, in 1956, 1995, 2001, and 2003.
The league champion of the Johnstown AAABA League serves as the host team for the national tournament and receives an automatic berth each year.
The City of Johnstown has long supported the AAABA Tournament. The Johnstown franchise plays their games in front of crowds that exceed 8,000 fans that fill the Point Stadium to cheer on the local representative.
The Johnstown AAABA League is comprised of six teams that play a 35-game regular season. The top four teams qualify for the league playoffs. The first place team plays the fourth place team and the second place team plays the third place team in a Best-of-Five Semifinal Series. The semifinal winners meet in a Best-of-5 Championship Series for the right to represent Johnstown in the national tournament. The league champion is allowed to pick up four players from the rest of the league to play in the national tournament.
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