Gamecocks again break the hearts of Indians' fans

It was a strange coincidence that Jacksonville State and Southeast Missouri State University were the last teams still standing Saturday in the Ohio Valley Conference baseball tournament.

The squads met this year to decide the championship in two of the OVC's three highest profile men's sports.

But, despite an incredibly gritty performance by the Indians -- they climbed all the way out of the losers bracket to force Saturday's if-necessary title contest -- the Gamecocks proved to once again be a thorn in Southeast's side.

Last football season, JSU -- one of two first-year OVC members -- celebrated at Houck Stadium after beating the Indians on the final date of the regular campaign to win the conference title and qualify for the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. A Southeast victory would have given the Indians a share of the crown and the league's automatic playoff berth.

Saturday, after Southeast had courageously battled back from a first-round loss to reach the championship round, the Gamecocks broke the Indians' hearts again.

Still, it was an encouraging finish to an injury-riddled, up and down season for the Indians, whose top two projected pitchers -- Bill Clayton and Jon Nourie -- missed virtually the entire year.

Southeast, which started just one senior and got strong production from a host of junior college transfers, could be in store for a big season next year provided Clayton and Nourie are able to bounce back from arm problems and a few more quality hurlers are added to the mix.

The summer baseball season is just about here, with the area's highest-level teams set to begin play over the next several days.

The tradition-rich Plaza Tire Capahas open Friday night at home against Valmeyer, Ill. Ageless manager Jess Bolen keeps rolling along as he enters his 38th campaign with an incredible 1,199-302 record.

Cape Girardeau's American Legion -- under the direction of first-year head coach Michael Minner -- opens Monday afternoon at home against Festus. Ford & Sons is coming off a strong showing that saw it place third in the state last summer.

The Riverdogs, who like the Capahas employ primarily college-age players, begin Thursday on the road against the Southern Illinois Merchants. The squad, under the direction of Robin Minner and Ray Craft, have carved out a nice niche of their own on the area baseball scene.

And Jackson's American Legion kicks off Wednesday with a home doubleheader against Cape. The squad has posted two straight winning seasons under head coach Mark Lewis.

Go out and support some of these boys of summer. They'll appreciate it -- and trust me, you'll have a great time.

I still say it's crazy that Mike Kiehne was forced out as Jackson High School's boys basketball coach after a 22-5 record this past season.

But if a new coach had to be brought in, then Notre Dame's Darrin Scott was a great choice.

I've known Darrin since the late 1980s, when he was a student manager under former Southeast coach Ron Shumate.

Darrin has proven to be one of the area's classiest coaches and, as the ultimate compliment, I don't think I've ever heard anybody say something bad about him.

And speaking of great choices, it's hard to argue with the selection of veteran coach Paul Hale to replace Scott at Notre Dame. Hale, who had great success at Delta, Bernie and most recently Dexter, has an unbelievable 486-219 record in 26 seasons.

Former Southeast linebacker Donavon LaViness entered the week as the National Indoor Football League's leading tackler while playing for the Omaha (Neb.) Beef.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.