Chaffee Senior Babe Ruth team set for regional action

The Chaffee Squids Senior Babe Ruth baseball team is excited about testing itself against top squads from other states.

Chaffee will get that opportunity in the Senior Babe Ruth Midwest Plains Regional that begins today at Hillhouse Park in Charleston, Mo.

The eight-team double-elimination tournament features Missouri state champion Charleston and runner-up Chaffee, along with state champions from Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and North Dakota. The Kansas runner-up rounds out the field.

"We're looking forward to seeing some different teams that we normally don't face," Chaffee's Cody Payne said. "We want to see how we measure up."

Chaffee (32-10) opens tournament play today at 1:30 p.m. against Colorado state champion Limon. The host Charleston Squirrels (22-17) play at 8 p.m. against Kansas runner-up Coffeyville.

Other opening-round games today feature North Dakota state champion Fargo against Iowa state champion Ottumwa at 10:30 a.m. and Minnesota state champ Minnetonka against Kansas state champ Columbus at 4:30 p.m.

Four more games will be played both Saturday and Sunday. The losers bracket final is at 11 a.m. Monday, followed by the championship at 2 p.m. An if-necessary title contest would be played Tuesday at 1 p.m.

The winner advances to the Senior Babe Ruth World Series from Aug. 6 to 13 in Ephrata, Wash.

"We're excited to host the regional again," said Charleston coach Michael Minner, a Cape Girardeau native whose program also hosted regionals in 2008 and 2009. "Whenever we can showcase our community, it's great. And our park is in tremendous shape."

Minner believes both Charleston and Chaffee will compare well with the other clubs in the regional.

"I feel like we'll be able to compete with any team there. I feel like we've got as good a chance as anybody," Minner said. "I think Chaffee will also be able to compete well."

Chaffee coach Aaron Horrell, despite not knowing a whole lot about the rest of the field other than Charleston, expects a solid showing by the first-year Squids.

"We feel like we can compete with the teams we'll be facing there," he said.

Chaffee qualified by finishing second to Charleston in last week's state tournament the Squids hosted. The Squirrels already had a spot secured as the host squad, paving the way for Chaffee as well.

"It's a big accomplishment getting to the regional the first year we put this team together," Horrell said.

Said Chaffee's Blake Keasler: "It's exciting to be in the regional. We're looking forward to playing those teams."

While Chaffee is a regional newcomer, Charleston is a regional veteran.

The Squirrels, who have won four of the last five state titles, captured the 2008 regional championship on its own field to qualify for the World Series.

Minner, a 1998 Central High School graduate who began the Squirrels program in 2005, has an 18-man roster featuring several players from high schools in the Southeast Missourian coverage area.

One of the locals turned in a huge performance during Saturday's 13-0 rout of Chaffee for the state title. Jackson High School graduate Bobby Clark had six RBIs, on a three-run homer in the first inning and a three-run double in the second inning.

"We've got kids from 12 different communities," said Minner, also the Charleston High School baseball coach who led the Blue Jays to the program's first final four berth this year. "It's a great group."