The high school baseball season may have been wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic, but area sluggers will still have the American Legion Baseball season to look forward to.
Both the AA and A teams have begun organizing their schedules for the summer, anticipating that Gov. Laura Kelly’s three-phase plan will follow through. Phase 3 would allow gatherings of 80-plus beginning June 1.
The AA Indians have their first tournament scheduled for June 5-8 in Emporia. The only other tournament on the schedule is set for June 25-27 in Wichita. Coaches Jason Bauer and Troy Smith highlight that it has been difficult creating a schedule with so much uncertainty surrounding when Kansas would relax its guidelines.
Neither the roster or the schedule is yet finalized, but Smith says that’s not unusual for this time of year.
“With the coronavirus, we didn’t even know if we were even going to have a season,” Smith said. “That has been our biggest issue.”
Still, both coaches have a solid idea of what talent will be at their disposal. Bauer served as the AA head coach during last season’s state semifinals run, and expects to have Iola High graduating seniors Cal Leonard, Zane Whitney, and potentially Brady Wiggin. Also joining will be Humboldt’s Conor Haviland along with Jackson Aikens and Crest’s Zach Beckmon.
Last year’s group will be joined by AA newcomers Bradyn Cole, Nathan Louk, Ryker Curry, Eli Smith and Dillon Bycroft who all played at the A level last year.
“I think it will take them a little time to mesh,” Bauer said. “The last three years, it has been the same kids. So now you have some of the younger kids coming up, so it may take awhile, but not long.”
Smith served as the A head coach for the 2019 season, and has a good grasp of his team’s talents. He says the underclassmen will have no issue adjusting to the step-up in competition.
“They have all played at such high levels — and as a matter a fact — I think they could have played AA last year,” Smith said. “I do not think that they will have any issue whatsoever, I really don’t.”
With Smith bumping up with his son Eli on the AA team, last year’s A-team manager John Taylor will take over the head coaching role for the A Indians. Taylor will be accompanied by Josh Wrestler and Bob Johnson Jr.
“I like to lean on other people, so I try to surround myself with the best people I can,” Taylor said. “The guys we have are going to work well together, and just because I am the head coach, doesn’t mean I am making all the decisions.”
The A Iola Indians will be filled with many first-time Legion players. Iola’s TJ Taylor, Cooper Riley, Drake DeLaTorre, and Crest’s Trevor Church are the only returners from a season ago. In fact, Church and Taylor will be the only pitchers to have thrown the full 60-foot distance from the mound to home plate prior to this season.
Taylor has already organized a complete schedule for the summer. The A Indians will start its season with two doubleheaders against Chanute on June 1 and 3, and travel to a tournament in Ottawa on June 5-7.
The optimism couldn’t be any higher for Taylor, who is eager to get the kids back on the ball field.
