U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) will present the Spirit of Idaho Award to the Idaho Falls Bandits at 7:05 PM at Melaleuca Field on Wednesday, August 24, prior to the Idaho Falls Chukars v. Boise Hawks game.

The back-to-back American Legion World Series Champions became the second team in the history of American Legion Baseball to play for a third consecutive title last week, and lost a hard-fought championship game to Troy, Alabama.  They earned their trip to the World Series after becoming the Northwest Regional Champions by defeating Cheyenne, Wyoming, 6-5, in the Northwest regional championship game.

“The heart and dedication it takes to return to the American Legion Baseball World Series Championship game for the third year in a row is to be commended,” Crapo said.  “I applaud The Bandits for embodying the Spirit of Idaho through their talent, determination and upstanding examples as ambassadors for the city of Idaho Falls and state of Idaho on the national stage.”

“Since 2012, the Idaho Falls Post 56 Bandits have been building teams with the discipline and commitment it takes to be champions,” Bandits Coach Ryan Alexander said.  “Our players apply this to everything they do in life. Every new team embraces the history of the last team. Our success passes on from year to year, team to team, and player to player. Every Bandits team is different, but the dedication to hard work and sacrifice of each player only grows, creating a legacy, representing our Post 56 heroes and the great state of Idaho. It is an honor that Senator Crapo recognizes this legacy as well.”

The Spirit of Idaho Award was created by Crapo in 2000 to honor the acts of service by Idahoans for their commitment to improving their community and serving their fellow citizens.  Crapo has presented more than 600 Spirit of Idaho Awards since the award’s inception.

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