MID-SOUTH REGIONAL NBC TOURNEY OPENS TODAY

History is on the Capahas' side.

But then again, maybe it isn't.

The McDowell Capahas won the Mid-South Regional National Baseball Congress tournament seven times in the 1990s.

They've also won it each of the last two years.

So they're shoo-ins to win the two-weekend tournament -- which starts tonight -- and gain an automatic berth into the NBC World Series at Wichita, Kan., right?

The favorite, maybe; a lock, no.

The teams the Caps haven't played in the eight-team, double-elimination bracket are Pine Bluff, Ark., Fulton and the Cape Girardeau Riverdogs.

Of the remaining four teams in the tournament, three have already defeated the Caps (22-6).

"We've got enough offense to do okay and our pitching should do well enough to give us a chance," said Capahas manager Jess Bolen. "But you never know in a tournament. You can run into a good pitcher and anything could happen. Everybody that we played so far in the tournament except Fairview Heights has beaten us so we can't be overconfident. But we have the talent to compete well in the tournament."

The regional tournament -- which will feature wooden bats only -- will get underway at 6 p.m. today when Goreville (Ill.) takes on the Riverdogs. Upon the completion of that game, the Caps will take on Murphysboro.

Tournament action will pick up again Saturday at 10 a.m. and will run all day Sunday as well. The tournament will conclude next weekend.

Should the upstart Riverdogs and the Capahas -- the oldest known amateur baseball team in the United States -- win their first-round games, they will play each other at 8 p.m. Saturday.

"That would be neat," said Riverdogs skipper Robin Minner. "But it would just be another game. We're just glad to be playing. This is our first year as a team and our first year at this NBC tournament. We think we can win some games, but we just want to play. We'll show up and play hard and see what happens.

The Riverdogs have played just seven games this year and have had about half the games on their schedule rained out. They will play Goreville in the first round.

"They beat us twice, but they were both good ballgames so we feel like we can play with them," Minner said. "We've fared well so far. We've been in every game and have had an opportunity to win them all. Going into the season we didn't know how we'd do."

Unlike the Caps who have almost exclusively used wood bats this season, Minner said the Riverdogs have played just one game and have had just one batting practice with lumber.

"It's just a different game," said Minner. "If you're a pitcher, you love it, if you're a hitter you hate it. I love it myself. I was raised with wood bats and I wish it would all go back to that."

The Capahas' pitching staff is anchored by Jeffrey Hilz, Cody Fisher and Chad Bogenpohl.

"They all have been pitching real well and have been real consistent," said Bolen. "We've had other guys throw great games for us, but they haven't been quite as consistent."

In the offense department, Darin Kinsolving anchors a strong line up for the Capahas. He is hitting near .400 and leads the team in RBIs. Zach Borowiak, Kevin Meyer and Phil Warren are all having solid summers as well, each batting better than .340.

The Riverdogs' main hitters are Brandon Talbot, Ross Bennett, Greg Craft and Shane Gibson. Michael Minner, Steve Fowler and Chris Reeves are the team's top hurlers.

Fulton was a late addition to the tournament, but it rounded out the bracket to an eight-team field, taking away a first-round bye from Pine Bluff.