Caps bring new look into tonight's opener

Change appears to be a key word for the Capahas, Cape Girardeau's tradition-rich summer baseball team.

Not only are the Capahas --who were founded in 1894 --under new sponsorship by Plaza Tire, but longtime manager Jess Bolen warns fans they better have a roster handy.

"We've got so many new faces," Bolen said. "For the fans, it should be interesting, and I think it's going to be fun for me as a coach to try and put it all together."

One thing Bolen doesn't expect to change is the Capahas' success rate. They went 32-8 last year and earned their 18th consecutive berth in the National Baseball Congress World Series. In 37 seasons under Bolen, the Capahas are 1,199-302.

"That's a good place to wind up your season, and that's always a goal of ours," said Bolen, referring to Wichita, Kan., the site of the NBC World Series. "It's hard to tell what kind of ballclub we'll be with all the new faces, but I always expect to put a good product on the field."

The Capahas open the season at 8 tonight against the Valmeyer (Ill.) Lakers, the start of a big weekend at Capaha Field. There will also be home doubleheaders Saturday against the Lakers and Sunday against Springfield (Ill.), with 1 p.m. starts both days.

"We're looking forward to getting things going," Bolen said. "It should be a good weekend. Valmeyer is always strong, and we usually have some very good games with them."

While the Capahas -- who consist primarily of college players, with a few ex-collegians sprinkled in -- have a large influx of newcomers, they are not devoid of veterans.

Returning position players are infielders Josh Eftink and Lance Seasor, along with outfielders Steve Kress and Tom Bolen, the latter two having been with the squad the longest.

Eftink, a Notre Dame High School graduate who plays for Central Missouri State, batted .339 last summer with a team-leading five home runs; Seasor (Morehead State) hit .331 with team highs of 12 doubles and four triples; Kress, a Southeast product, batted .306; and Bolen, the coach's son and a Central graduate, was at .301 with 33 RBIs, the most among returnees.

Newcomers among the position players are catcher Levi Olson, an incoming Southeast Missouri State University junior college recruit from California; infielders Eric Hoffman (Southeast), Seth Hudson (Central; Murray State), Robbie Moore (Jefferson College) and Keith Essary (Belmont); and outfielders Eric Horstman (Southeast) and Bryan Kurt (Southeast). Horstman was Southeast's leading hitter this year.

Bolen said outfielder Brian Schaefer, an Advance native, Southeast product and former Capahas player who is an assistant coach at Belmont, also plans to join the squad and he could be in the lineup as soon as Sunday.

The pitching staff is led by returning ace Jason Chavez (Central; Southern Illinois), who was 8-1 with a 1.69 earned run average last summer.

Other returning hurlers are Chaffee graduate Matt Stroup (5-3, 2.32); Kelly product and current Central Methodist College hurler Justin Simpher (6-1, 2.49); Kyle Perry (3-3, 3.10); and Jon Nourie (6-0, 2.77). Nourie probably won't pitch for a while as he continues to recover from an elbow injury that sidelined him for virtually all of this season at Southeast.

Jamie McAlister (Jefferson College) rejoins the squad after pitching two years ago. Chad Bogenpohl, an Oak Ridge product who pitched at Southeast, is back after an absence of several seasons, while Josh Parham (Jackson; Fort Scott Junior College) and Josh Joiner (SIU) are first-year hurlers.

Derek Herbig, Southeast's top starter this year who has been bothered by elbow problems, might also join the squad later this summer if he is physically able to pitch, according to Bolen.

"We'll probably be adding a few more pitchers before it gets too deep into the season, and maybe even some position players," Bolen said. "Our roster usually changes quite a bit."

Chavez is scheduled to start tonight's opener, followed by Stroup and Perry on Saturday. Bogenpohl and McAlister will likely go Sunday.