Capahas' successful season ends after making noise in Wichita

Hall-of-fame manager Jess Bolen didn't consider this year's Plaza Tire Capahas team to be one of his more talented squads.

You sure couldn't tell it by the Capahas' performance on the field.

The Capahas put together one of the better regular seasons during Bolen's fantastic 47-year run leading one of the nation's oldest amateur baseball teams.

Plaza Tire followed with a 4-2 showing during their 32nd consecutive National Baseball Congress World Series appearance.

The Capahas won their first two games during the 79th annual 32-team event in Wichita, Kan. -- and talk about a pair of thrillers.

Plaza Tire scored two runs in the bottom of the 13th inning to beat the Kansas Alumni 5-4, then scored in the bottom of the 14th inning to slip past the Kansas Cannons 1-0.

The Capahas lost to the San Diego Force 4-1, then bounced back to rally past the Liberal (Kan.) Bee Jays 6-2 and the Ozark (Mo.) Generals 9-8 before falling to the San Diego Force again 7-3.

Plaza Tire's final record was 32-5, a mark I don't think anybody -- especially Bolen -- would have predicted when the campaign began.

And there's no way anybody could have predicted the Capahas' 45-game home winning streak spanning parts of three years that they will carry into next season. Plaza Tire's last loss at Capaha Field came June 11, 2011.

The 2013 Capahas were not an especially powerful offensive team, but they thrived largely thanks to strong pitching, solid defense and timely hitting.

All things considered, it was another exceptional run for Cape Girardeau's boys of summer.

And it continues to be an amazing run for Bolen, who has a 1,465-393 career record with the Capahas.

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I'm sure I join many area sports fans in saying how much it was appreciated that Mississippi River Radio broadcast all the Capahas' games at the NBC World Series on ESPN-1220.

I listened to just about every inning of all six contests from Wichita and had a blast doing so.

Erik Sean did his usual great job broadcasting the games, and the player interviews after wins, along with Bolen's interviews following every contest, also were enjoyable.

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As the Southeast Missouri State football team prepares for its first official practice today, it's interesting to note that coach Tony Samuel, who is entering his eighth season in charge of the Redhawks, is tied with Tennessee-Martin's Jason Simpson as the OVC's longest tenured active coach.

Samuel told me that fact somewhat took him by surprise when it was announced at the recent OVC media day in Nashville, Tenn.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Jacksonville State's Bill Clark and Austin Peay's Kirby Cannon are the OVC's two new coaches this year.

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It's also interesting to note that Tennessee State, picked to finish third behind Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Illinois in the OVC preseason poll, has a question mark at quarterback that the Tigers didn't anticipate when the 2012 campaign ended.

Mike German, who threw for 2,751 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season, did not participate in spring practice because he was suspended in March after being charged with felony vandalism.

According to the Nashville Tennessean, German's status remains in limbo entering fall practice.

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The Southeast men's basketball team received an injury scare last week, although things ultimately turned out well.

Junior forward Nino Johnson was feared to have suffered a torn ACL during a pickup game with teammates.

Southeast coach Dickey Nutt said preliminary examinations last Monday suggested a probable ACL tear, which would have forced Johnson to miss the entire 2013-14 season.

But results of an MRI taken the next day revealed only a bone bruise and not a torn ACL. Nutt said Johnson should be fine in a few weeks.

I'm sure all Southeast fans -- not to mention Nutt and his program -- breathed a collective sigh of relief.

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Jared White and Colin Ferguson, the two players who recently left the Southeast men's basketball program after seeing limited action as true freshmen, have signed with junior colleges.

White will play for Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, Mo., while Ferguson is headed to Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, Ill.

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Former Charleston High School basketball standout Greg Tucker is transferring to Iowa Western Community College after spending one season at Northern Colorado.

Tucker, a shooting guard, saw limited action as a true freshman in 2012-13 at Northern Colorado. He averaged two points and 11.7 minutes while playing in 27 of the Bears' 31 games.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.