Post 15 Indians look to start postseason run

After a successful 17-5 regular season, the Post 15 Iola Indians are set to head into postseason play starting with the zone championship tournament held at the Humboldt Sports Complex this weekend.

Last year, the Indians saw a zone championship slip from their hands and into Garnett’s before beating Frontenac, 1-0, to earn a trip to state in Marysville where they finished second.

Now, driven by Iola High’s 2018 state championship and Humboldt’s state tournament appearance, the Indians hope to make a return trip to the state tournament and take a zone championship plaque along with them.

“Winning zone would show that we’re not messing around,” Isaac Vink said. “We missed out on the championship last year and that’s driving us to take it home this year.”

The field includes the Indians, Garnett, Yates Center, Frontenac and Columbus. This season Iola has beaten Garnett four times and Yates Center twice. The Indians have not played either Frontenac or Columbus.

Despite their success against half of the field, Vink and the Indians are doing their best to stay focused on zone and not look forward two weeks toward the state tournament in Sabetha.

“It’s tough to not look ahead to state,” Vink said. “We’ve all gotten so used to winning, the Humboldt guys were just as successful as we were during the regular season, so when we get on the field we expect to win. But we have to stay focused.”

The Indians return almost everyone from last year and it shows.

“I think this team is different because this is our second and third year of playing together over the summer with each other,” Vink said. “We know each other better and know what to expect from each other. There’s a lot of talent on this team.”

New additions like Jackson Aikins and Conor Haviland have fit nicely into the puzzle and have helped make the Indians better as the season has progressed.

“A lot of the younger guys are willing to work harder,” Ethan Tavarez said. “We have a good group of veterans who know what to do and what it takes but we also have some first-year guys who come in and do what it takes to help us succeed. That’s huge.”

The tournament started on Friday after press time. Iola opens up play this morning at 10 versus the winner of Garnett and Columbus.

If the Indians win there, they’ll play in the zone championship game at 2 p.m.

“I think we’re the best team in our zone and if for some reason we lose, it just shows we aren’t playing baseball the way that we should,” Tavarez said. “If we play to our capabilities, we shouldn’t have a problem.”