“This year we’re excited to be back:” Bandits are back in American Legion after a year of playing independent ball

IDAHO FALLS – Welcome to the summer of 2025, where baseball is king and the Idaho Falls Bandits are back in the American Legion.

It wasn’t that long ago that the Bandits were celebrating back-to-back American Legion World Series titles and enjoying victory parades through downtown.

With the team’s success, the Bandits etched their name into local sports history.

But time changes things.

With last year’s addition of an American Legion AA team at Hillcrest, the Bandits decided to play as an independent team. Previously, as the only AA team in Idaho Falls, the Bandits’ roster consisted of the top players from the town and surrounding areas. The addition of another team changed boundaries.

Bandits coach Ryan Alexander noted at the time that the move to an independent team allowed for an expanded roster and more flexibility in scheduling, with the goal of player development still being a priority.

But essentially playing as a travel ball team wasn’t the same as competing under the American Legion banner, Alexander said.

“This year we’re excited to be back,” he said.

Yes, the Bandits are back in the American Legion and playing in the district with Pocatello, Hillcrest and Twin Falls.

While the independent Bandits did put together a competitive schedule last season, including playing against American Legion teams, the structure just wasn’t the same, especially when it came to the postseason.

Last year the only postseason option was to play in the Connie Mack regional tournament and compete to earn a spot in the Connie Mack World Series.

This year the Bandits can play for a spot in the American Legion state tournament, regional tournament, and potentially another coveted berth in the American Legion World Series.

“I’m not a big fan of just playing to play,” Alexander said. “I want something bigger for these guys to play for.”

The Bandits’ recent postseason history has been impressive. They became the first team from Idaho to with the American Legion World Series in 2019. The 2020 season was suspended due to COVID, but the Bandits returned to the World Series and repeated as champion in 2021.

No team had won three straight World Series titles, but the Bandits advanced to the 2022 championship game, only to suffer a heartbreaking loss to Troy, Ala.

“There’s just something about American Legion … it’s real baseball,” Alexander said.

It’s probably way too early to look ahead to the postseason. The Bandits entered Friday’s game against Medford, Ore. with a 19-6 record.

Like prior championship teams, the Bandits have solid pitching, Alexander said. The team has previously won with future Division 1 talent on the mound and they’ve also won with depth.

Time will tell how this season plays out.

But for now, everything seems right in the baseball universe.

“We’re excited to be back playing good baseball with something at the end of the tunnel,” Alexander said.