Young Sluggers eliminated but hopeful of return
The Wichita Sluggers may have ended their summer season with a 11-3 loss to the Colorado Cyclones, but the memories of playing in their first National Baseball Congress World Series will be remembered.
“This was an unbelievable experience for our guys,” Sluggers manager Tonto Baxley said. “We may have went 1-2 in pool play and been eliminated today, but our guys got a lot of experience and exposure.”
The Sluggers were possibly the youngest team to ever play in the NBC World Series. Five of 27 players graduated high school in the spring, the rest are headed back this month. Sluggers pitcher Parker Herbst spent his 17th birthday at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium on Monday, something that he had only dreamed of.
“It was crazy,” Herbst said. “I’ve been coming to the World Series for most of my teenage years and then being able to play in it was something special and something I’ll always remember.”
Herbst is the second-youngest player on the Sluggers roster, behind 16-year old Nate Kelly. The oldest player is Jarod Cooper, an Allen County baseball signee, and graduate of Shawnee Heights High near Topeka.
“Only eight of these guys are actually classified as adults,” Baxley said. “They came out and played their three games against guys that have been playing in college, or have even graduated college.”
All five of the 2016 graduates have signed to play in college: Austin Cross (Hillsboro, Allen County), Dylan Sinclair (Rose Hill, Ottawa), Chandler Post (Andale, Ottawa), and Brandon Teter (Maize, Independence).
The Sluggers opened the tournament with an 11-10 victory over the Salina Blue Jays in 10 innings on Friday, proving a bunch of “kids” can beat college players.
“A lot of people were saying that we had no chance of even coming close to any of the teams here,” Herbst said. “So when we were able to win the first game of the tournament, it gave us confidence and it was a stepping stone of what we’ve been working on all summer long.”
The Sluggers qualified for the NBC World Series’ first week after winning the NBC Hap Dumont showcase tournament July 17.
“This was a big difference for us,” Herbst said. “We’ve played some college teams in the fall, but this is a big step up from high school ball. When we’re out there pitching, we’ve got to make sure we’re hitting our spots and mixing up our pitches, or they’ll make us pay for it.”
The hope is that the 22 players who have not graduated will work all fall and during the school season in the spring to be back in the same spot next summer.
“That’s our goal,” Baxley said. “We’ll have a majority of the guys coming back next year, so if we continue to work hard and get the reps in the fall against some local colleges, I think that we’ll be good to go next summer and hopefully be back.”
Sluggers | 020 | 000 | 1 | — | 3 6 2 |
Cyclones | 420 | 022 | 1 | — | 11 15 2 |
W — Chacon. L — Crisp.
Sluggers batting: Denk 2-4, Baxley 2-4, Maki 1-1, Pacha 1-1, LaMunyon 0-3, Whitchurch 0-3, Postlethwait 0-3, Theis 0-3, Driefort 0-2, Teter 0-2, Lynch 0-1, Gongelton 0-1.
Cyclones batting: Jurney 3-5, DeNovellis 3-3, Richardson 2-4, Bladt 2-3, English 1-2, Porreco 1-2, Lundeen 1-2, Duran 1-1, Walter 1-1.
Sluggers pitching: Crisp 1.2 IP-6 ER, Herbst 2.1-2, Doss 1.1-2, Tangy 1.1-0.
Cyclones pitching: Geraghty 1.1-0, Mireles 0.2-0, Chacon 1-0, Monje 1-0, Smythe 1-0, Thomas 1-1, Rohleder 1-0.
Park City 9, Laurel (Miss.) 1 — John Branum threw a complete game, allowing four hits and striking out nine as Park City improved to 2-1 in its pool.
The Rangers would be part of a pool tie-breaker if Fort Worth beat Liberal in Tuesday’s late game. All three teams would be 2-1 and the winner would be decided by run differential.
Park City | 100 | 200 | 402 | — | 9 8 1 |
Laurel | 000 | 000 | 100 | — | 1 4 2 |
W — Branum. L — Morgan.
Park City batting: Williams 0-3, Arnold 1-3, Jones 1-3, Lacy 2-5, Klusner 2-4, O’Dell 1-4, Herrington 1-3, Paul 0-3, Frias 0-3.
Laurel batting: Lindsey 1-4, Marshall 1-4, Hardy 0-3, Jordan 0-4, Woodland 1-4, Bailey 0-3, Lawrence 0-3, Parrish 0-2, Graham 1-1, Gray 0-3.
Park City pitching: Branum 9 IP-1 ER.
Laurel pitching: Morgan 6-5, McGee 2-1, Tumey 1-2.
This story was originally published August 2, 2016 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Young Sluggers eliminated but hopeful of return."