Capahas to make home debut tonight in Bolen's 50th, final season

Jess Bolen is pretty certain he still can remember starting lineups and roster numbers from his first season as the manager of the Capahas baseball team.

That's pretty impressive, since the 74-year-old Bolen will be writing up a new starting lineup for the Burger King Capahas for the 50th season in their home opener tonight as they host the St. Louis Spikes at 8 p.m. at Capaha Field.

Bolen began his final season at the helm with a 10-2 victory against the St. Louis Bulls on Monday. It was the 1,500th victory of his Capahas tenure.

"It's been a fun ride," Bolen said. "Fifty years, believe me, have flown by. They really have."

This year's squad has a mix of returners and newcomers and has several players still in the early stages of their collegiate careers.

"I like the youth of our team. We're really heavily into local area kids, which I like that, too," Bolen said. "... It gives people around this area the chance to see some of these kids more than bringing in guys from other schools far away."

Notre Dame graduates Chase Simmons, Cody Heisserer, Ross James, Cam Womack, Chase Urhahn and Josh Haggerty, who is also a Southeast Missouri State baseball commit, will all suit up for the Capahas as well as Cape Girardeau Central graduates Lance Young and Calvin Loving, Jackson grads Kyle James, Laban Petzold and Tyler Qualls, Oran grads Alex Heuring and Steven Dooley and Oak Ridge graduate Kelby Brown.

Right-handed pitcher Brady Wright, who recently completed his collegiate career at Southeast, and Woodland graduate Garret Reynolds, who just wrapped up his freshman season, will represent the Redhawks on the squad.

Bolen is looking forward to imparting some of the knowledge he's acquired as longtime manager on one more group of guys like the "fine art of bunting" and other base running and defensive techniques that are invaluable to young players as they continue their careers.

"The more you can know about this game and the individual fundamentals that you can accumulate is only going to make you better," Bolen said.

For example, Bolen described Urhahn and Haggerty, both players from Mineral Area College, as "young outfielders with a lot of potential" that can run and are solid defensively, "but they're still very young and they need to learn. ... It's as simple as sitting in the dugout talking baseball."

Heisserer, Ross James, Lovig, Young, Dooley, Wright, Billy Rolls and Ebon Brooks will all pitch for the Capahas, and others like Drew Morecraft, Heuring and Haggerty could all get some innings out of the bullpen.

"I don't know that I've ever been satisfied with what I've had pitching-wise. Ever," Bolen said. "And I've had some great pitching staffs."

Brooks, who pitched at John A. Logan College, and Wright, who was a reliever at Southeast, will each start a game in the Capahas' home doubleheader vs. Fairview Heights (Illinois) that starts at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Dooley will start Sunday's road game vs. the Cahokia Red Sox.

"I think we've got enough arms," Bolen said, "because we've got a pretty good offense and I think we can score enough runs to win most games."

This season will be the first as the Burger King Capahas. Burger King was announced as the team's title sponsor for the next two years on March 14, the same day Bolen anounced it would be his final season.

The future of the Capahas, the nation's oldest amateur baseball team, has been in jeopardy the last few years due to funding.

In April 2014, Plaza Tire Service announced that it would be ending its sponsorship of the team after 10 years, but less than two weeks later it was announced by the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce that Plaza Tire and a group of anonymous individuals would fund the team for one more season. Last year it was the Bolens and donations that kept the team alive.

"We're tickled to death that Burger King stepped forward and kept us afloat because honestly we were four days from pulling the plug completely," Bolen said. "...I really appreciate them getting involved and doing a couple years."

Bolen's son, Tom, will lead the team next season.

"There'll be a sad moment, I'm sure, when the season comes to an end," Bolen said, "but Mary and I will be involved in it [in the future]."