Following a precarious late spring, American Legion Zone III baseball leads off its summer season tonight.

Six of the zone’s eight teams open their seasons at 6 p.m. tonight, with Gayton Post hosting defending zone champion Bessey Motors, Smith-Tobey (formerly Mid-Coast) hosting Poland and Locke Mills traveling to Andy Valley. Cole Farms opens its season Thursday and plans to reschedule tonight’s tilt with New Auburn later in the season.

Speaking of last year’s runner-up, New Auburn is holding tryouts today at 3 p.m. at Pettengill Park. Manager Larry Ricker said he expects to have 12 to 14 players once the roster is formed.

New Auburn wasn’t the only team that came perilously close to folding this season. Two other teams, Poland and Andy Valley, had to recruit heavily to fill out their rosters in time for Opening Night. Andy Valley coach Jeff Gilbert only had nine players show up for early tryouts, but was able to nearly double his roster size for the start of the season.

Other teams, such as Gayton and Bessey, were overflowing with prospects. Whether this creates an imbalance on the field remains to be seen.

Here is a brief rundown of how each team has taken shape. The Zone III tournament will be held July 30-Aug. 1, with the state tournament to follow Aug. 4-8 in Augusta.

•Andy Valley – Gilbert has cobbled together a roster of 17 players drawn from Leavitt, Jay, Livermore Falls and Buckfield. The pitching staff is led by Zach Charles, Dustin Gilbert, Scott Wetherell, Brad Bryant and lefty Brandon Smith. The infield should be solid with Mike Chamard, Gilbert, Wetherell and Smith. Chamard, Bryant and Tony Pirruccello should be the backbone of the offense.

•Bessey Motors – The defending champs’ roster is deep (18 players), and so is the pitching. The entire mound staff from Oxford Hills, Corey Tielinen, Joe Baker, Matt McDonnell and Corey Saunders, will be reinforced by Fryeburg brothers Andrew and Mike Stacy. The outfield is always deep, with the Stacys, McDonnell, Jim Bower, Chris Jennings, Kevin Skalski and Brent Grenier. This could be one of the top scoring teams in the zone.

•Cole Farms – Coach Aaron Talon has a young team, with a high number of 16-year-olds from his Gray/New Gloucester High School team dotting his 16-man roster. Louie Bernardini and Devin Gill will spark the offense. Bernardini will get some help on the hill with the addition of North Yarmouth Academy ace Tim DeLuca and Cheverus graduate Jared Wales. They might be headed for the middle of the standings, but could be tough at playoff time.

•Gayton Post – With 17 kids, many of them veterans of legion ball, Gayton could make some noise this season. Zack Timmermeyer, Dustin Longchamps, and Luke Potter will be asked to hold down the pitching fort until Ryan Turgeon rebounds from shoulder problems that have bothered him since the high school season. The infield, led by Jack Lavoie, David Kell, Pat Ouellette and David Labonte, should be a strength. Lavoie, Kell, Ouellette and Tyler Turgeon are among the top bats.

•Locke Mills – With a large group of 19-year-olds returning from a nucleus that finished third last year, coach Bob Remington said “this might be the best team we’ve had in quite a while.” The pitching staff is deep and versatile, with Cory Wing, Kyle Kipikas, Terry Collins, Richie Ross, Gavin Palmer and Karl Olson all set to toe the rubber. Travis Brooks and August Reiss add to the offense.

•Poland – Here’s another team that had to scramble to find enough players, so improving on the six wins it had last year will be a challenge. Alex Smith and Jerry Goss will see mound time, but the rest of the pitching staff is a bit unsettled. The infield, led by Nick Colby and Eric Piper, should be solid. Brent Cary and Mike Carpenter should add pop to the offense.

•Smith-Tobey – The former Mid-Coast squad has drawn players from Lisbon, Bath, Brunswick, Topsham and Woolwich. The heart of the lineup, led by Lisbon products Jon Tefft and Chris Kates, should be formidable, especially with Ben Jacobs, Brunswick’s leading hitter this season, and Pierce Wiegman batting on in front of them. Tefft, Dustin Zubrod,Wiegman and Kates should see time on the mound. Shortstop Justin Clark, outfielder Brady Williams and catcher/first baseman Nate Brunette will lend a hand offensively.