CHAFFEE JR. LEGION TO REPRESENT MISSOURI

Chaffee Junior American Legion baseball manager Joe Rice didn't want to put any undue pressure on his team -- so he never publicly said what he had been thinking all along.

"I always thought that anything less than playing for a state title would have surprised me," he said. "I expected to be there. I didn't know whether or not we'd win, but I expected to be there."

Chaffee was there -- and won. The team captured the state title over the weekend in Sedalia and now will set its sights on an even bigger goal -- a regional championship.

Chaffee will compete in the Mid States Regional that begins Friday in Chanute, Kan. Chaffee plays the Colorado state champion at 5:30 p.m. in a first-round game.

There are seven state champions along with host Chanute in the elite field that features a double-elimination format. Other states represented are Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi and Oklahoma.

If Chaffee wins Friday, it will be play the winner of Oklahoma-Chanute at 8 p.m. Saturday. If it loses Friday, it will take on the loser of Oklahoma-Chanute at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The finals are set for Monday.

"We're absolutely thrilled to be in the regional," said Rice. "The kids have done a wonderful job. They are a bunch that's been there before and that's helped."

Indeed, Chaffee's Jr. Legion program -- despite being in just its third year of existence -- has already made quite a mark.

Chaffee's first Jr. Legion team hosted a regional and won the title while last year's squad -- featuring many of this season's players -- finished second in the state.

"This group has had a lot of big game experience," Rice said.

Chaffee has utilized a combination of explosive offense, solid defense and strong pitching, led by the impressive one-two mound punch of Matt Stroup and Justin Simpher, who have combined for a big percentage of the team's victories during a 29-10 season.

Stroup and Simpher were among the better high school varsity pitchers in the area last spring, at Chaffee and Kelly, respectively, so it's no surprise they have been dominant on the Jr. Legion level, which consists of players ages 15 and 16.

Rice also gives a lot of credit to his three coaches: Rick Dohogne, Jim Rainey and Darrell Dannenmueller.

"They have just done a tremendous job and are a big reason why we have had this kind of success," said Rice.

Dohogne is the third base coach and works with the offense. Rainey coaches first base and works with the defense while Dannenmueller serves as pitching coach."

Rice expects Chaffee to be facing by far its toughest competition of the season during the regional and he knows his players will have to elevate their game.

"I've told the kids that they're going to have to step it up another level now," Rice said. "There are no weak sisters in this tournament. The team that's going to win this is the team that makes the fewest mistakes and executes their offense."

Unlike Sr. Legion play, there is no national tournament for Jr. Legion, so the regional meet will be the final stop for Chaffee.

"It's been a great season for us," said Rice. "Hopefully we'll continue to play well (in the regional)."