Wednesday afternoon Iola’s American Legion team opens play in the AA state baseball tournament at Pratt against Hays, the same team the Indians defeated last year for the state championship.
With just three losses all season and a whopping 37 victories, it would appear the Indians have an excellent chance to repeat as state champs. What a wonderful outcome that would be for a group of players who are close-knit and have represented Iola and the area in remarkably fine fashion all season.
Baseball is a sport unlike any others. A season, even at the amateur level, plays out over months of preparation and play and includes several games — sometimes six or eight — in a single week. It’s a little like a marathon, and requires endurance and dedication, traits the Indians players have shown to possess.
They have had a wonderful season, and a state championship would be a stellar way to cap it off — and then who knows what might occur in the multi-state regional.
The Indians have tasted “the thrill of victory” often and there is every reason to think their taste buds won’t be soured anytime soon. Let’s sure hope not.
— Bob Johnson
Indians poised to add victories
