CAPS DRAW 2-TIME CHAMP IN NBC OPENER; MCDOWELL FACES LIBERAL (KAN.) TONIGHT

Liberal (Kan.) may rate as a favorite over the McDowell Capahas when the annual National Baseball Congress World Series opens tonight.

But that doesn't mean Darin Thomas, Liberal's coach, isn't worried about the Cape Girardeau team.

"I feel like we've got a really tough first-round draw with Cape Girardeau," said Thomas. "They have a very good reputation."

The Capahas (26-10) and Liberal (32-19) will square off at 7:30 p.m. in Wichita, Kan. The winner will play again at 7:30 p.m. Sunday while the loser will have to get up early Saturday for a 10:30 a.m. elimination contest.

Liberal competes in the rugged Jayhawk League that features primarily major-college players from across the country and uses wooden bats. The team finished second in the league during the regular season but then won the postseason tournament.

"We played 40 league games and eight non-league games with wooden bats, then we used aluminum bats for our tournament and we'll use them in Wichita," Thomas said. "Averages can be misleading (with wooden bats), but I think it's good for the players."

Liberal has a rich tradition at the NBC World Series, winning titles in 1978 and 1985 and finishing as runnerup in 1992.

"They're always one of the better teams," said Capahas manager Jess Bolen.

The Capahas have fared well themselves over the years in Wichita, routinely finishing in the top 10. Last year's squad tied for seventh place.

"It's been kind of a strange season for us, with all the rainouts and everything," said Bolen. "You never know how your ballclub is going to react in the tournament. But we've won six in a row and we're swinging the bats well."

McDowell boasts a team batting average of .378, with four regulars batting over .400 and five more at better than .300.

Steve Kress (.487), Darrick Smith (.451), Mike Miller (.417) and Top Breuer (.400) lead the way, followed by Tom Bolen (.384), Robert Kern (.378), Lance Craft (.377), Shawn Pemberton (.372) and Julio Vega (.318).

Kress has 13 home runs and 42 runs batted in to lead in both categories. Pemberton has 11 homers and 40 RBIs while Kern has 10 homers.

Bolen, the manager's son, has been on a serious tear in recent weeks and he now has seven homers and 41 RBIs (second on the team).

The top starting pitchers have been Richie Phillips (6-2, 2.26 earned-run average) and Danny Simpher (6-1, 4.03 ERA). Phillips will likely start tonight.

Among the key relievers have been Lanson DeBrock (4-4, 2 saves, 2.40 ERA) and Jerry Wolsey (1-1, 2 saves, 3.74 ERA).

And the Capahas recently added several highly-regarded hurlers to the staff, including Kevin Vent, Greg Budt, Matt Skiles and Lance Sherman.

"I think we're going out there with a much better pitching staff than we have the last few years," said Bolen. "We usually hit the ball well out there and it's generally a hitter's tournament. But I think our pitching can shut some teams down this year."

Liberal doesn't boast the impressive overall offensive numbers of the Capahas, but a lot of that can probably be attributed to using wooden bats virtually the entire season.

Team MVP Mike Hill, who plays for Oral Roberts, leads the way with a .410 batting average. His three homers ties for the team lead.

Brent Trosclair (Northeast Louisiana) is hitting .400 while another standout is Cory Hill (Wichita State), a Freshman All-American this past college season who is at .310.

"The wood bats make a big difference," said Thomas. "But we're not really a power-hitting team anyway."

Thomas described his pitching as "up and down during the year."

Mike Bradford (Baylor) is 7-2 with three saves while Justin Smith (Alabama) is 4-0. Thomas said he did not know who would start against the Capahas.

Bolen, who considers his team the underdog, said, "We've got a mountain to climb because Liberal is very good every year and the crowd will definitely be pro-Liberal. But we've beaten some good teams out there before. We'll tee it up and see what happens."