Raiders await regional

Only one team — the Kansas champion Lawrence Raiders — has qualified for the Region 6 American Legion baseball tournament next week in New Ulm, Minn.

Championship tournaments in the other states ticketed for that regional aren’t scheduled to begin until late this week.

“I like our chances up there because we’ve seen quality competition all year,” Raiders coach Carl Brooks said. “But the 10-day break concerns me a bit.”

The eight-team regional will begin a week from Thursday with three days of pool play that will culminate in Saturday semifinals and a Sunday final.

The Raiders (39-10) will meet the Wisconsin champion at 1 p.m. Aug. 14, then collide with the North Dakota champ at 10 a.m. Aug. 15. Finally, the Raiders will tangle with the Minnesota state winner at 5 p.m. Aug. 16.

Whether rest or rust will be a factor remains to be seen, but the most important factor, as far as Brooks is concerned, is that every player on his roster plans to make the journey.

A handful of his Raiders graduated from high school in May and are scheduled to report to college next week, but they’ll delay their enrollment until the season is officially over.

If the Raiders win the Region 6 Tournament, the college-bound players will be delayed even longer in order to participate in the American Legion World Series starting Aug. 23 in Bartlesville, Okla.

The Raiders became the first Lawrence team in 39 years to win the State Legion Tournament when they ran the table in Hays last week. This is basically the same Raiders team that lost its first two games at last year’s state meet in Emporia.

“Last year we didn’t have any pitching depth,” Brooks said. “This year we’re five or six deep.”

Nevertheless, the Raiders’ bats were booming in Hays. Lawrence averaged 11 runs a game in disposing of Salina (14-9), Olathe North (16-6), Derby (9-3) and Salina again (5-3) in Sunday’s championship game.

Lawrence third baseman Kyle Unruh fields a grounder during the American Legion state tournament. The Raiders won the championship Sunday at Hays and will advance to the regional tournament in New Ulm, Minn.

Veteran outfielder Derek Bailey earned the tournament equivalent of the most valuable player award. Bailey, a 2002 Lawrence High grad, was a red-shirt freshman on Kansas University’s baseball team last spring.

Bailey, the lone Raider with college experience, doubled and homered in the championship game. He was 4-for-5 and scored five runs in the romp over Olathe North.

As proof of the pitching depth, the four victories were spread among four hurlers — staff ace Aaron Madill (8-0), Matt Lane, Blake Dickson and Dominick Harrell.

“The interesting thing is that all four of them are eligible (under age rules) to come back next year if they choose,” Brooks said.