Cape Junior Legion baseball ends two-decade drought, prepares for state tourney

Cape Girardeau Junior Legion Post 63 coach Josh Meyer knows all too well what it feels like to miss the state tournament. He played on some of the Post 63 legion teams that came oh so close -- getting to the zone championship -- only to fall short. Now he knows what it feels like to be on the other side.

It's been 20 years since the last time Post 63 junior legion won a zone tournament -- it hosted the state tournament in 1997, but only qualified as the host -- but on Thursday the team, helmed by Meyer, will travel to Washington, Missouri, to compete for a state championship as zone champs.

"We told them, 'We're jealous of you guys as players, but we're glad to be a part of it,'" Meyer said. "We're glad to be on this ride with these kids who are highly-determined, good baseball players.

Members of the Cape Girardeau Junior Legion Post 63 baseball team look on during the team's final practice Tuesday evening at Capaha Park in preparation for the state tournament, set to begin Thursday in Washington, Missouri.JOSH MLOT

"You can't say enough about the legion baseball program -- Doc Yallaly, Bill Bohnert and Justin Lieser, who heads it. Those guys are first class and give us every opportunity to win."

The players have done the rest. The team nearly saw its season end on the weekend, when it dropped its zone tournament opener in extra innings, only to win four straight games out of the loser's bracket to extend its season another week.

"It weighs pretty heavy knowing one more loss and your season is done. But we've won a lot of doubleheaders this season, and that's the way we looked at it," said Nathan Lindsay, who plays for Notre Dame during the high school season. "Just keep winning."

That's what Post 63 has done. The expectations were high from the start for a squad that currently sits at 30-9. Despite those high expectations, the group has checked off every box along the way, building confidence with each benchmark and each victory.

"We put the team together and I was not shy at all of telling them what I thought they would be," Meyer said. "I told them, 'Our expectations are high. You can meet those expectations or you can fall beneath them.' They've answered the bell every time, and I can still tell you the expectations are high. I guess they've [grown] accustomed to that and are confident in themselves."

Lindsay, who had two hits in the first of two zone championship games, echoes those sentiments, saying his goal when the season started was to win a few games, but as Cape has reached each of its goals, the hunger to get to the next level has only grown.

Jawone Newell, a Cape Girardeau Central representative, believes the challenge ahead of the team is nothing it can't handle. Newell was 3-for-4 with a double in the zone-clinching finale.

"I think [state] will be more solid teams, better pitching and better hitting, but I think we can adjust to it," Newell said.

"[Just] do what we've been doing -- hit the ball, scoring runs, being solid on defense and throwing strikes."

Post 63 scored 51 runs in its final four games of the zone tournament, but believes its pitching can hold down the fort in games where the bats struggle.

The Cape Girardeau Junior Legion Post 63 baseball team works under the lights at Capaha Park on Tuesday night during its final practice prior to the state tournament, set to start Thursday in Washington, Missouri.JOSH MLOT

"Our pitching has been outstanding this year as well," Meyer said. "Our [team] ERA is in the mid-2s, and they've given us a lot of chances to win games. So even if our bats don't show up one game here or there, we expect our pitching to help us. And I think we've improved a lot defensively throughout the summer."

The pitching was on full display as Cape punched its ticket to state. Noah Arnzen threw a no-hitter in the team's decisive 12-0 win over Imperial on Saturday.

"We just have a strong starting rotation," Lindsay said. "We've got five guys who can pitch, and batters 1 through 9 who will hit the ball real hard. Everybody works together."

The belief is as strong as ever. If Cape learned anything from its nail-biting zone experience, it's that it can handle the sort of pressure it's sure to face during state.

"I think what we can learn is that we're a real good ball club and can battle with anyone, whether our backs are against the wall or we're the front runners," Meyer said. "I think we've done both this year. I think we realize how we can win in both situations.

"We expect to win it, bottom line. We put together this team in the spring and we put the team together knowing there was a shot we could really make a run for it. Our guys have met our expectations every step of the way and it's just another step. But I expect them to come out there and battle and really have a chance to win state. I really do."

Cape opens the tournament, held at Ronsick Field, at 3 p.m. Thursday against Elsberry. Host Washington has a bye and awaits the winner of that game in an 8 p.m. contest.

The double-elimination bracket features a championship game Saturday, with a second title matchup, should a team with one loss win the first, slated for Sunday.

The last Cape Girardeau team to win an American Legion state tournament was the senior legion program in 1994.

[Editor's note: Information changed to correct history of state qualification for the Cape Junior Legion program. Post 63 last won the zone tournament in 1996. It won the zone and then won the state title in 1995. It hosted the state tournament in 1997, but qualified only as hosts.]